Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, has weighed in on the issue of a federal halfway house being proposed in the city of Marshalltown.

The home, which would be built near an industrial area on the city's east side, has met with opposition from local residents and elected officials.

"My office has received several complaints from citizens and local elected officials about the lack of input they have been able to provide during this process," Latham wrote to Harley G. Lappin, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Latham said the nature of the response received has been so overwhelmingly opposed to the project that he was "not confident there is a majority within the Marshalltown community that supports the establishment of this facility."

The congressman also wrote that the support of the community would be a critical component to the success of the operation.

"I don't think anyone wants it, really," said Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President Ken Anderson.

The chamber, city council and Marshall County Board of Supervisors have all gone on record as opposing the plan. Among the objections are Marshalltown already has a state-run halfway house and jobs in the area are not as plentiful as they once were.

Anderson said the problem has not been with the contractor Firetree, Ltd., but rather the federal government itself.

"They [the contractors] are just doing what they do, but the Bureau of Prisons has been pretty quiet," he said. "I think that's where the frustration lies."

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Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com