Title IX, LOCAL GOVERNMENT (Ch. 331 - 420)

A city may change its name as follows: 1. The council shall propose the name change and shall notify the county commissioner of elections that the question shall be submitted at the next regular city election. 2. The county commissioner of elections shall publish notice, as provi…

1. After the county commissioner of elections has certified the results to the board, the board shall: a. Serve and publish notice of the result as provided in section 362.3 . b. File with the secretary of state and the clerk of each city incorporated or involved in a boundary ad…

When an incorporation, discontinuance, or boundary adjustment is complete, the board shall supervise procedures necessary to carry out the proposal. In the case of an incorporation, the county commissioner of elections shall conduct an election for mayor and council of the city, …

1. a. A city or a resident or property owner in the territory or city involved may appeal a decision of the board or a committee, or the legality of an election, to the district court of a county which contains a portion of any city or territory involved. b. Appeal must be filed …

Additional or increased fees or taxes, other than ad valorem taxes, imposed on a public utility as a result of an annexation of territory to a city shall become effective sixty days after the effective date of the annexation. 93 Acts, ch 152, §13

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any city that annexes territory or any city from which territory is severed shall provide written notification consisting of a legal description and map of the annexed or severed territory, each street address within the…

Prior to expiration of the three-year period established in section 368.11, subsection 3 , paragraph “n” , the annexing city shall submit a report to the board describing the status of the provision of municipal services identified in the plan required in section 368.11, subsecti…

1. A real property owner within the boundaries of a city may file a petition for severance with the city council if the petitioner’s real property, if severed, would be eligible for annexation by a different city and if such annexation would not create an island. Contiguous prope…

1. A city ordinance or regulation that regulates a condition or activity occurring on protected farmland or regulates a person who owns and operates protected farmland is unenforceable against the owner of the protected farmland for a period of ten years from the effective date o…

1. A city is discontinued if, for a period of six years or more, it has held no city election and has caused no taxes to be levied. If the board receives knowledge of facts which cause an automatic discontinuance under this section , it shall make a determination that the city is…

A city, following notice and hearing, may by resolution agree with another city or cities to refrain from annexing specifically described territory for a period not to exceed ten years and, following notice and hearing, may by resolution extend the agreement for subsequent period…

1. Territory owned by the state of Iowa may be annexed, but the attorney general must be served with notice of the hearing and a copy of the proposal. 2. Territory within the road right-of-way owned by a county may be annexed, but the county attorney of that county must be served…

It is the intent of the general assembly to provide an annexation approval procedure which gives due consideration to the wishes of the residents of territory to be annexed, and to the interests of the residents of all territories affected by an annexation. The general assembly p…

1. a. All of the owners of land in a territory adjoining a city may apply in writing to the council of the adjoining city requesting annexation of the territory. Territory comprising railway right-of-way or territory comprising not more than twenty percent of the land area may be…

1. The board of supervisors of each affected county shall notify the city development board of the existence of that portion of any secondary road which extends to the center line but has not become part of the city by annexation and has a common boundary with a city. The notific…

Any territory may be severed upon the unanimous consent of all owners of the territory and approval by resolution of the council of the city in which the territory is located. The council shall provide in the resolution for the equitable distribution of assets and equitable distr…

1. A city development board is created. The economic development authority shall provide office space and staff assistance, and shall budget funds to cover expenses of the board and committees. The board consists of five members appointed by the governor subject to confirmation b…

1. The forms of city government are: a. Mayor-council, or mayor-council with appointed manager. b. Commission. c. Council-manager-at-large. d. Council-manager-ward. e. Home rule charter. f. Special charter. g. City-county consolidated form as provided in sections 331.247 through …

A home rule charter must contain provisions for: 1. A council of an odd number of members, not less than five. 2. A mayor, who may be one of those council members. 3. Two-year or staggered four-year terms of office for the mayor and council members. 4. The powers and duties of th…

A home rule charter may be amended by one of the following methods: 1. The council, by resolution, may submit a proposed amendment to the voters at a special city election, and the proposed amendment becomes effective if approved by a majority of those voting. 2. The council, by …

1. A city may not adopt the special charter form but a city governed by a special charter on July 1, 1975, is considered to have the special charter form although it may utilize elements of the mayor-council form in conjunction with the provisions of its special charter. In adopt…

1. A majority of all council members is a quorum. 2. A vacancy in an elective city office during a term of office shall be filled, at the council’s option, by one of the two following procedures: a. (1) By appointment by the remaining members of the council, except that if the re…

1. If concurrent vacancies exist on the council and the remaining council members do not constitute a quorum of the full membership, the city clerk is authorized to make the following payments without prior approval of the council: a. For fixed charges including but not limited t…

1. The mayor is the chief executive officer of the city and presiding officer of the council. Except for the supervisory duties which have been delegated by law to a city manager, the mayor shall supervise all city officers and departments. 2. The mayor may take command of the po…

Except as otherwise provided by state or city law, all persons appointed to city office may be removed by the officer or body making the appointment, but every such removal shall be by written order. The order shall give the reasons, be filed in the office of the city clerk, and …

Unless otherwise provided by law, a city may adopt a different form of government not more often than once in a six-year period. A different form, other than a home rule charter, special charter, city-county consolidated government, or community commonwealth, must be adopted as f…

If a petition for appointment of a home rule charter commission is filed with the city clerk not more than ten days after the council has published the first notice announcing the date of the special election on adoption of another form of government, the special election shall n…

1. a. A city governed by the mayor-council form has a mayor and five council members elected at large, unless the council representation plan is changed pursuant to section 372.13, subsection 11 . The council may, by ordinance, provide for a city manager and prescribe the manager…

1. A city governed by the commission form has five departments as follows: a. Department of public affairs. b. Department of accounts and finances. c. Department of public safety. d. Department of streets and public improvements. e. Department of parks and public property. 2. a. …

1. A city governed by the council-manager-at-large form has five council members elected at large for staggered four-year terms. At the first meeting of the new term following each city election, the council shall elect one of the council members to serve as mayor, and one to ser…

1. A city governed by council-manager-ward form has a council composed of a mayor and six council members. Of the six council members, two may be elected at large and one elected from each of four wards, or one may be elected from each of six wards. The mayor and other council me…

When a city adopts a council-manager-at-large or council-manager-ward form of government: 1. The city manager is the chief administrative officer of the city. 2. The city manager shall: a. Supervise enforcement and execution of the city laws. b. Attend all meetings of the council…

A city to be governed by the home rule charter form shall adopt a home rule charter in which its form of government is set forth. A city may adopt a home rule charter only by the following procedures: 1. A home rule charter may be proposed by: a. The council, causing a charter to…

1. Cities within a county may unite to form a single unit of local government in accordance with this chapter . Any city located in two or more counties shall be allowed to participate in a metropolitan consolidation in the county where at least fifty percent of its population re…

The metropolitan council shall have the authority to levy city taxes to the extent the city tax levy authority is transferred by the charter to the metropolitan council. A member city shall transfer a portion of the city’s tax levy authorized under section 384.1 or 384.12 , which…

1. The charter of consolidation shall provide for the transfer into the metropolitan consolidated corporation of areawide services which had been provided by other boards, commissions, and local governments. The metropolitan council shall have the authority to determine the bound…

1. Within forty-five days after the establishment of a commission, the members of the commission shall be appointed as follows: a. One member shall be appointed by the city council of each city participating in the charter process. b. An additional member shall be appointed by ea…

1. Within thirty days after the appointment of the members of the commission, the city clerk of the participating city with the largest population shall give written notice of the date, time, and location of the first meeting of the commission. At the first meeting the commission…

1. Within sixty days after its organization, the commission shall hold at least one public hearing for the purpose of receiving information and material which will assist in the drafting of a charter. Notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing shall be published in the of…

A proposed charter written by a charter commission shall specify the consolidated metropolitan form of government. The proposed consolidation charter shall do all of the following: 1. Provide the official name of the consolidated unit of local government and establish its geograp…

1. If a proposed charter for consolidation is received not later than seventy-eight days before the next general election, the council of the participating city with the largest population shall, not later than sixty-nine days before the general election, direct the county commis…

1. The question of metropolitan consolidation shall be submitted to the electors in substantially the following form: Should the cities of ................................ and ................................ unite to form one joint metropolitan corporation government? 2. The bal…

1. Cities consolidating pursuant to this chapter shall retain all the rights, powers, and duties conferred upon them by the Constitution of the State of Iowa and shall retain all the rights, powers, and duties conferred upon them by the laws of the state of Iowa, except to the ex…

1. A consolidated metropolitan corporation shall be governed by a metropolitan council. The council shall consist of an odd number of members, not less than eleven and not more than seventeen. If a vacancy on the metropolitan council occurs more than sixty days before the next ge…

1. A city shall hold a regular city election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each odd-numbered year. A city shall hold regular, special, primary, or runoff city elections as provided by state law. 2. The mayor or council shall give notice of any special…

A nomination or election to a city office may be contested in the manner provided in chapter 62 for contesting elections to county offices, except that a statement of intent to contest must be filed with the city clerk within ten days after the nomination or election. [C97, §678,…