The Hampton City Council went over their FY21 Audit Report during their regular meeting on Thursday, January 13.
Aaron Olsen of TP Anderson and Co. presented the report over Zoom, going over the city's finances and accounting practices over the year. Olsen reported that the city's finances are doing well, with the exception of the city's water fund, which is operating at a negative.

The CAL Community School Board met for their regular meeting on Monday, January 10.
At the meeting the board received the initial negotiation proposal from the CAL Education Association to kick off contract negotiations for the next school year.

A candidate aiming to become Iowa's next Secretary of State stopped by Hampton on Wednesday, January 12 to meet with residents and generate support for his campaign.
Linn County Auditor Joel Miller, a Democrat, has been serving in office for fifteen years and is now looking to challenge Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate for his position.

The Hampton-Dumont Board of Education has named Aaron Becker as the school district’s next superintendent.
Becker currently serves as principal of Lisbon Secondary School in Lisbon, Iowa. There, he has developed a school culture of care that focuses on the importance of positive relationships and has worked to increase graduation rates through the formation of the Lisbon Alternative School.

La Luz Centro Cultural is looking forward to some big changes in 2022.
Hampton's Hispanic community focused non-profit organization has been awarded a $65,000 Strengthening Communities Grant to go towards a remodeling project for their building.

The loss of a substantial market for Iowa pork has farmers across the state on edge as the United States Supreme Court turned its attention Friday to whether to take up a challenge to legislation that could rob swine producers of a lucrative market.

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, little has changed as the spread of the virus continues to ebb and flow with the emergence of new variants.
In Franklin County, as of January 5, there were 114 active cases of COVID-19. "Our case numbers have really stayed pretty steady for the last few months, with a slight uptick following the holidays," said Ashley Roberts, Administrator of Franklin County Public Health.

2021 has come and gone, but a lot has happened over the last 12 months in Franklin County.
COVID-19
After 2020 was defined by the outbreak COVID-19, 2021 saw the first signs of life returning to relative normal as pandemic restrictions were lifted and vaccines made available.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors adjusted the county's sick leave policy with a resolution amending the county handbook during their regular meeting on Monday, December 27.

The Hampton Fire Department responded to a morning house fire at the 200 block of 5th St. NW on Tuesday, December 28.
The fire department was assisted by Hampton Police, city workers, and Franklin County Emergency Management. No injuries were reported, though the house is expected to be a total loss.
 

The Hampton-Dumont Community School Board discussed infrastructure projects and bus purchases during their regular meeting on Tuesday, December 21.
At the meeting, the board received notice from the Hampton-Dumont Education Association of their intent to bargain for the 2022-2023 teacher's contract. This is the first step in the contract negotiation process and will continue at the next meeting.

The CAL Community School Board said farewell to retiring members during their final regular meeting of the year on Monday, December 13.
At the meeting, the board went over the results of the November election, stating that Elizabeth Podolon won re-election in District 2 with 113 votes. New members Bradley Wessels and Liliana Velasco won District 1 and the At Large seat with 124 votes and 17 votes respectively.

The Hampton City Council met for their regular meeting on Thursday, December 23.
At the meeting the council met with Matt Stoffel of Public Financial Management, who present the council with a financial study of the city's water department.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors approved new boundaries for voter precincts within the county during their regular meeting on Monday, December 27.
The new district boundaries are largely identical to the current set, with the exception of the Lee Township, which will be separated from the Hamilton and Reeve townships and instead moved into a precinct with Oakland and Morgan townships.

An un-seasonal severe storm blew through Franklin County, along with much of the rest of the state, briefly turning the Holiday Season into Tornado Season.
On Wednesday, December 15, a low pressure system of historic strength crossed the central planes, creating unprecedented severe weather for the season across Iowa and neighboring states.