Gov. Branstad to visit Newton for Home Base Iowa announcement

Jasper County will be recognized as a Home Base Iowa community this week. Gov. Terry Branstad is scheduled to make the announcement during a visit to Newton on Friday morning.

Branstad signed Home Base Iowa into law in 2014. The program aims to bring military veterans to the state by helping them find jobs and providing other benefits such as home ownership assistance and tax exemptions.

To become a member community, a city or county must have 10 percent of its businesses with potential to hire sign on to the program and the local government must provide its own incentives for veterans. Jasper County Veterans Affairs Director Kurt Jackson said Jasper County has been working toward Home Base Iowa status since his predecessor was in charge.

Previous director Chris Chartier got the ball rolling, but Jackson finished the process by connecting with local businesses, he said. Home Base Iowa is a commitment by the state and membership communities to assist our veterans transition from military life to civilian life and help them become the next generation of community leaders, Jackson said.

“There are members of Iowa Workforce Development that will assist them in finding jobs with the skill sets they learned during their time in the armed forces,” Jackson said.

“Basically, we are making a statement to our members of the military — we are aware of you, and we want you to think of us as your next home,” Jackson said. “Take our hand and let us help.”

Contact Justin Jagler at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532
or jjagler@newtondailynews.com