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

1. If there is a change in government pursuant to section 372.6, subsection 2 , the number of signatures required on a nomination petition for the office of mayor for the first election that office is on the ballot shall be an amount equal to the product of the following: a. The …

Notice for each regular, special, primary, or runoff city election shall be published by the county commissioner of elections as provided in section 362.3 , except that notice of a regular, primary, or runoff election may be published not less than four days before the date of th…

1. An individual for whom a valid petition is filed becomes a candidate in the regular city election for the office for which the individual has filed, except that a primary election must be held for offices for which the number of individuals for whom valid petitions are filed i…

1. If a primary election is necessary, it shall be held on the Tuesday four weeks before the date of the regular city election. For each office on the ballot, a voter shall only vote for the number of persons to be elected to that office at the regular city election. The county b…

1. In a regular city election following a city primary, the candidates receiving the greatest number of votes cast for each office on the ballot are elected, to the extent necessary to fill the positions open. 2. In a regular city election held for a city where the council has ch…

1. A runoff election may be held only for positions unfilled because of failure of a sufficient number of candidates to receive a majority vote in the regular city election. When a council has chosen a runoff election in lieu of a primary, the county board of supervisors shall pu…

As used in this chapter , unless the context otherwise requires: 1. “All of the members of the council” refers to all of the seats of the council including a vacant seat and a seat where the member is absent, but does not include a seat where the council member declines to vote b…

1. A city may adopt the provisions of any statewide or nationally recognized standard code or portions of any such code by an ordinance which identifies the code by subject matter, source and date, and which incorporates the provisions of the code or portions of the code by refer…

Immediately after the effective date of a measure establishing any zoning district, building lines, or fire limits, the city clerk shall certify the measure and a plat showing the district, lines, or limits to the recorder of any county which contains part of the city. The county…

The subject matter of an ordinance or amendment must be generally described in the title of the ordinance or amendment. [R60, §1122; C73, §489; C97, §681; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 5715; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, §366.2; C75, 77, 79, 81, §380.1 ] 97 Acts, ch 168, §1 C2001, §3…

An amendment to an ordinance or to a code of ordinances must specifically identify the ordinance or code, or the section, subsection, or paragraph to be amended, and must set forth the ordinance, code, section, subsection, or paragraph as amended, which action is deemed to be a r…

A proposed ordinance or amendment must be considered and voted on for passage at two council meetings prior to the meeting at which it is to be finally passed, unless this requirement is suspended by a recorded vote of not less than three-fourths of all of the members of the coun…

1. Passage of an ordinance, amendment, or resolution requires a majority vote of all of the members of the council, except when the mayor may vote to break a tie vote in a city with an even number of council members, as provided in section 372.4 . Passage of a motion requires a m…

The mayor may sign, veto, or take no action on an ordinance, amendment, or resolution passed by the council. However, the mayor may not veto an ordinance, amendment, or resolution if the mayor was entitled to vote on such measure at the time of passage. [C97, §685; C24, 27, 31, 3…

Measures passed by the council become effective in one of the following ways: 1. a. An ordinance or amendment signed by the mayor becomes effective when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, as provided in section 380.7, subsection 3 , unless a subsequent effe…

The city clerk shall: 1. Promptly record each measure. 2. Record a statement with the measure, where applicable, indicating whether the mayor signed, vetoed, or took no action on the measure, and whether the measure was repassed after the mayor’s veto. 3. Publish a summary of all…

1. a. A city shall compile a code of ordinances containing all of the city ordinances in effect, except grade ordinances, bond ordinances, zoning map ordinances, ordinances vacating streets and alleys, and ordinances containing legal descriptions of urban revitalization areas and…

The compensation paid to a newspaper for any publication required by this chapter may not exceed the fee provided in section 618.11 . The compensation paid to a newspaper for publication of the complete text of an ordinance shall not exceed three-fourths of the fee provided in se…

1. A city may certify taxes to be levied by the county on all taxable property within the city limits, for all city government purposes. 2. Notwithstanding subsection 3 , the tax levied by a city on tracts of land and improvements thereon used and assessed for agricultural or hor…

A city may negotiate short-term loans, and may issue warrants as provided in chapter 74 , in anticipation of and not in excess of its estimated revenues for the current fiscal year. However, natural disaster loans from the state or federal government and loans for projects where …

1. A governing body may authorize, sell, issue, and deliver its bonds whether or not notice and hearing on the plans, specifications, form of contract, and estimated cost for the public improvement to be paid for in whole or in part from the proceeds of said bonds has been given,…

Before the fifteenth day of each month, the county treasurer shall send the amount collected for each fund through the last day of the preceding month for direct deposit into the depository and the account designated by the city clerk. The county treasurer shall send a notice at …

A city may credit funds to a fund or funds for the purposes authorized by section 364.4, subsection 5 ; section 384.12, subsection 3 ; or section 384.24, subsection 3 , paragraph “s” . Moneys credited to the fund or funds, and interest earned on such moneys, shall remain in the f…

A city may certify, for the general fund levy, taxes which are not subject to the limit provided in section 384.1 , and which are in addition to any other moneys the city may wish to spend for such purposes, as follows: 1. A tax for the operation and maintenance of a municipal tr…

As used in this chapter , unless the context otherwise requires, “book” , “list” , “record” , or “schedule” kept by a county auditor, assessor, treasurer, recorder, sheriff, or other county officer means the county system as defined in section 445.1 . 2000 Acts, ch 1148, §1

1. As used in this subchapter , unless the context otherwise requires, “committee” means the city finance committee and “director” means the director of the department of management. 2. An eight-member city finance committee is created. Members of the committee are: a. The audito…

1. The committee is located for administrative purposes within the department of management. The director of the department of management shall provide office space and staff assistance, and shall budget funds to cover expenses of the committee. 2. Each member is entitled to rece…

The committee shall: 1. Promulgate rules relating to budget amendments and the procedures for transferring moneys between funds, and other rules necessary or desirable in order to exercise its powers and perform its duties, including rules necessary to implement section 384.6, su…

Repealed by 2023 Acts, ch 71, §96, 98 . 2023 repeal applies to political subdivision budgets for fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2024; 2023 Acts, ch 71, §98

Annually, a city that has satisfied the requirements of section 384.22, subsection 3 , and the applicable portions of chapter 24 , shall prepare and adopt a budget, and shall certify taxes as follows: 1. a. A budget must be prepared for at least the following fiscal year. When re…

At the time required by law, the county board of supervisors shall levy the taxes necessary for each city fund for the following fiscal year. The levy must be as shown in the adopted city budget and as certified by the clerk, subject to any changes made after a protest hearing, a…

1. A city budget as finally adopted for the following fiscal year becomes effective July 1 and constitutes the city appropriation for each program and purpose specified therein until amended as provided in this section . A city budget for the current fiscal year may be amended fo…

1. Within a period of ten days after the final date that a budget or amended budget may be certified to the county auditor, persons affected by the budget may file a written protest with the county auditor specifying their objections to the budget or any part of it. A protest mus…

1. Except as otherwise provided for special charter cities, a city’s fiscal year shall be as provided in section 24.2, subsection 3 . All city property taxes must be certified by a city to the county auditor on or before April 30 of each year, unless otherwise provided by state l…

1. A city shall keep separate accounts corresponding to the programs and items in its adopted or amended budget, as recommended by the committee. 2. A city shall keep accounts which show an accurate and detailed statement of all public funds collected, received, or expended for a…

A city or a city utility board shall keep all funds invested to the extent practicable and may invest the funds jointly with one or more cities, utility boards, judicial district departments of correctional services, counties, or rural water districts created under chapter 357A p…

1. Not later than December 1 of each year, a city shall publish an annual financial report as provided in section 362.3 containing a summary for the preceding fiscal year of all collections and receipts, all accounts due the city, and all expenditures, the current public debt of …

As used in subchapters III through V of this chapter , the use of the conjunctive “and” includes the disjunctive “or” and the use of the disjunctive “or” includes the conjunctive “and” , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. [C75, 77, 79, 81, §384.23 ] 2007 Acts, ch 144…

As used in this subchapter , unless the context otherwise requires: 1. “General obligation bond” means a negotiable bond issued by a city and payable from the levy of unlimited ad valorem taxes on all the taxable property within the city through its debt service fund which is req…

A city may enter into loan agreements to borrow money for any public purpose in accordance with the following terms and procedures: 1. A loan agreement entered into by a city may contain provisions similar to those sometimes found in loan agreements between private parties, inclu…

1. A city which proposes to carry out any essential corporate purpose within or without its corporate limits, and to contract indebtedness and issue general obligation bonds to provide funds to pay all or any part of the cost of a project must do so in accordance with the provisi…

1. A city which proposes to carry out any general corporate purpose within or without its corporate limits, and to contract indebtedness and issue general obligation bonds to provide funds to pay all or any part of the costs of a project, must do so in accordance with the provisi…

1. A city may sell general obligation bonds at public or private sale in the manner prescribed by chapter 75 . 2. General obligation funding or refunding bonds issued for the purposes specified in section 384.24, subsection 3 , paragraph “f” , may be exchanged for the evidences o…

1. A city may issue general obligation bonds pursuant to a resolution adopted at a regular or special meeting by a majority of the total number of members to which the council is entitled. Each paragraph of section 384.24, subsections 3 and 4 , describes a separate category. Sepa…

As provided by resolution of the council, general obligation bonds may: 1. Bear dates. 2. Bear interest at rates not exceeding the limitations imposed by chapter 75 . 3. Mature in one or more installments. 4. Be in either coupon or registered form. 5. Carry registration and conve…

1. All moneys received for city government purposes from taxes and other sources must be credited to the general fund of the city, except that moneys received for the purposes of the debt service fund, the trust and agency funds, the capital improvements reserve fund, the emergen…