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

1. In a county having a five-member board, the board may by resolution, or shall upon petition of the number of eligible electors of the county as specified in section 331.306 , submit to the registered voters of the county at a general election a proposition to reduce the number…

1. One of the following supervisor district representation plans shall be used for the election of supervisors: a. Plan “one”. Election at large without district residence requirements for the members. b. Plan “two”. Election at large but with equal-population district residence …

1. The board, upon petition of the number of eligible electors of the county as specified in section 331.306 , shall call a special election to be held for the purpose of selecting one of the supervisor representation plans specified in section 331.206 under which the board of su…

If plan “one” is selected pursuant to section 331.206 or 331.207 , the board shall be elected as provided in this section . 1. In the primary and general elections, the number of supervisors, or candidates for the offices, which constitutes the board in the county, shall be elect…

If plan “two” is selected pursuant to section 331.206 or 331.207 , the board shall be elected as provided in this section . 1. Not later than ninety days after the redistricting of congressional and legislative districts becomes law, or October 15 of the year immediately followin…

If plan “three” is selected pursuant to section 331.206 or 331.207 , the supervisor districts shall be drawn and supervisors shall be elected as provided in section 331.209 , except the boundaries of supervisor districts shall follow voting precinct lines and each member of the b…

1. Appointment of members. a. Not later than May 15 of each year ending in one, a temporary county redistricting commission shall be established as provided by this section for counties which have either plan “two” or plan “three” supervisor representation plans. If a county has …

1. The board, at its first meeting in each year, shall choose one of its members as chairperson who shall preside at all of its meetings during the year. The board may also select a vice chairperson who shall serve during the absence of the chairperson. 2. The auditor shall serve…

1. A majority of the members of the board constitutes a quorum to transact the official business of the county. If the board is equally divided on a question when less than the full membership is present, the question shall be continued until all of the members of the board are p…

1. The board shall hold its first meeting of each year on the first day in January which is not a Saturday, Sunday or holiday and shall hold all subsequent meetings of the year as scheduled by the board. All meetings of the board shall be scheduled and conducted in compliance wit…

1. The circumstances which constitute a vacancy in office under section 69.2 shall be treated as a resignation of the office. At its next meeting after the sixty-day absence, the board, by resolution adopted and included in its minutes, shall declare the absent supervisor’s seat …

1. The supervisors shall receive an annual salary or per diem compensation as determined under section 331.907 . The annual salary or per diem shall be full payment for all services rendered to the county except for reimbursement for mileage and other expenses authorized in subse…

Unless otherwise provided by state statute, a supervisor may serve as a member of any appointive board, commission, or committee of this state, a political subdivision of this state, or a nonprofit corporation or agency receiving county funds. [ C81, §331.28 ; S81, §331.216 ; 81 …

The alternative forms of county government are as follows: 1. Board of supervisor form as provided in subchapter II, part 1 . 2. Board-elected executive form as provided in section 331.239 . 3. Board-manager form as provided in section 331.241 . 4. Charter government form as prov…

1. A charter to change a form of county government may be submitted to the electors of a county only by a commission established by resolution of the board upon petition of the number of eligible electors of the county equal to at least twenty-five percent of the votes cast in th…

1. The members of a commission created to study the alternative forms of county government under subchapter II, part 1 , and sections 331.239 , 331.241 , 331.246 , and 331.253 , shall be appointed within forty-five days after the adoption of the resolution creating the commission…

1. The members of a commission created to study city-county consolidation or the community commonwealth form shall be appointed within thirty days after the adoption of a resolution creating the commission as follows: a. One city council member shall be appointed by the city coun…

1. Within thirty days after the appointment of the members of the commission, the county auditor shall give written notice of the date, time, and location of the first meeting of the commission. At the first meeting the commission shall organize by electing a chairperson, vice ch…

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 given as provided i…

1. Unless otherwise provided, the question of adopting the proposed alternative form of government shall be submitted to the electors in substantially the following form: Should the (charter or amendment) described below be adopted for (insert name of local government)? 2. The ba…

1. If a proposed charter for county government is received not less than five working days before the filing deadline for candidates for county offices specified in section 44.4 for the next general election, the board shall direct the county commissioner of elections to submit t…

1. A county may adopt or amend an alternative form of county government subject to the requirements and limitations provided in this section . 2. a. An alternative form of county government shall provide for the exercise of home rule power and authority not inconsistent with stat…

The board-elected executive form consists of an elected board of an odd number with staggered terms of office and one elected executive whose term shall be the same as that of a member of the board. If the administrative offices of the county, excluding the county executive, are …

The executive shall: 1. Enforce laws, ordinances, and resolutions of the county. 2. Perform duties required by law, ordinance, or resolution of the county. 3. Administer affairs of the county government. 4. Carry out policies established by the board. 5. Recommend measures to the…

1. The board-manager form consists of an elected board and a manager appointed by the board, who shall be the chief administrative officer of the county government. The board shall have staggered terms of office. The chairperson shall be elected by the members of the board from t…

The manager shall: 1. Enforce laws, ordinances, and resolutions. 2. Perform the duties required of the manager by law, ordinance, or resolution. 3. Administer the affairs of the county government. 4. Direct, supervise, and administer all departments, agencies, and offices of the …

1. Employees appointed by the manager or subordinates shall be administratively responsible to the manager. 2. The board or its members shall not dictate the appointment or removal of any employee appointed by the manager or any subordinate of the manager. 3. Except for the purpo…

1. An amendment to county government organization shall only be made by submitting the question of amendment to the electors of the county government pursuant to section 331.236 . To become effective, a proposed amendment must receive an affirmative vote of a majority of the elec…

1. The electors of a county who have adopted an amendment to county government may not vote on the question of amending the county government for two years. An amendment shall not include an alternative form of county government. 2. This section does not apply to the city-county …

The charter form of government shall be specified in a proposed charter written by a charter committee. The proposed charter shall establish an elected legislative body. The charter shall specify the number of members and term of office pursuant to section 331.238 . If the admini…

1. A commission appointed pursuant to section 331.233A may propose a charter under which a county and one or more cities within the county may unite to form a single unit of local government, or may propose a charter under which a county and one or more cities within the county m…

1. The charter commission proposing a city-county consolidated form of government shall prepare, adopt, and cause to be submitted to the voters the charter. 2. The charter for a city-county consolidated form of government shall: a. Provide for adjustment of existing bonded indebt…

1. a. A city-county consolidated form of government under which a county and one or more cities within the county unite to form a single unit of local government shall create a unified government which includes a municipal corporation and a county. The consolidated unit shall hav…

The consolidation charter shall provide for the delivery of services to specified areas of the county and of each consolidated city. The governing body of the consolidated government shall supervise the administration of the provision of services in each of the designated service…

1. Each rule, ordinance, or resolution in force within a county or within a city on the effective date of the charter shall remain in force within that county or within that city until superseded by action of the new governing body, unless the rule, ordinance, or resolution is in…

1. The question of city-county consolidation shall be submitted to the electors in substantially the following form: Should the charter described below be adopted for (insert name of county and each city proposing to consolidate)? 2. The ballot must contain a brief description an…

1. Consolidation may be placed on the ballot only by a joint report by two or more counties. 2. A final report must contain a consolidation charter if multicounty consolidation is recommended. The consolidation charter must conform to the provisions and requirements in accordance…

1. When multicounty consolidation is recommended, the consolidation charter shall provide for all of the following: a. Adjustment of existing bonded indebtedness and other obligations in a manner which assures a fair and equitable burden of taxation for debt service. b. Establish…

1. The question of multicounty consolidation shall be submitted to the electors in substantially the following form: Should the consolidation charter described below be adopted for (name of applicable county)? 2. The ballot must contain a brief description and summary of the prop…

A county may join an existing multicounty consolidated government by resolution of the board of supervisors or upon petition of eligible electors of the county equal in number to at least twenty-five percent of the persons who voted at the last general election for the office of …

If a charter for multicounty consolidation is adopted pursuant to section 331.255 or if the question of joining a multicounty consolidated government is approved pursuant to section 331.256 , the general assembly next convening following the election required by section 331.255 o…

1. A county and one or more cities or townships within the county, a contiguous county, and a city or a township within a contiguous county may unite to establish an alternative form of local government for the purpose of making more efficient use of their resources by providing …

1. The community commonwealth charter shall provide for the following: a. The official name of the community commonwealth government. b. An elective legislative body established in the manner provided for county boards of supervisors under sections 331.201 through 331.216 and sec…

1. a. As a political subdivision of the state, the community commonwealth unit of local government shall have the statutory and constitutional status of a county and of a city to the extent the community commonwealth governing body assumes the powers and duties of cities as those…

1. The governing body of the community commonwealth government shall administer the provision of services in each of the designated service areas and shall have the authority to determine the boundaries of the service areas. 2. The governing body of the community commonwealth sha…

1. A county may, except as expressly limited by the Constitution of the State of Iowa, and if not inconsistent with the laws of the general assembly, exercise any power and perform any function it deems appropriate to protect and preserve the rights, privileges, and property of t…