1. Upon receipt of any revenue, the director shall deposit the moneys in the Iowa resources enhancement and protection fund created pursuant to section 455A.18. The first three hundred fifty thousand dollars of the funds received for deposit in the fund annually shall be allocated to the conservation education board for the purposes specified in section 256.34. One percent of the revenue receipts shall be deducted and transferred to the administration fund provided for in section 456A.17. All of the remaining receipts shall be allocated to the following accounts:
a. Twenty-eight percent shall be allocated to the open spaces account. At least ten percent of the allocations to the account shall be made available to match private funds for open space projects on the cost-share basis of not less than twenty-five percent private funds pursuant to the rules adopted by the natural resources commission. Five percent of the funds allocated to the open spaces account shall be used to fund the protected waters program. This account shall be used by the department to implement the statewide open space acquisition, protection, and development programs.
The department shall give priority to acquisition and control of open spaces of statewide significance. The department shall also use these funds for developments on state property. The total cost of an open spaces project funded under this paragraph "a" shall not exceed two million dollars unless a public hearing is held on the project in the area of the state affected by the project. However, on and after July 1, 1994, the following shall apply:
(1) If the total amount appropriated by the general assembly to the resources enhancement and protection fund, in any fiscal year as defined in section 8.36, is seven million dollars or more, not more than seventy-five percent of moneys in the open spaces account shall be allocated or obligated during that fiscal year to support a single project.
(2) If the total amount appropriated by the general assembly to the resources enhancement and protection fund, in any fiscal year as defined in section 8.36, is less than seven million dollars, not more than fifty percent of moneys in the open spaces account shall be allocated or obligated during that fiscal year to support a single project.
Political subdivisions of the state shall be reimbursed for property tax dollars lost to open space acquisitions based on the reimbursement formula provided for in section 465A.4. There is appropriated from the open spaces account to the department the amount in that account, or so much thereof as is necessary, to carry out the open spaces program as specified in this paragraph "a". An appropriation made under this paragraph "a" shall continue in force for two fiscal years after the fiscal year in which the appropriation was made or until completion of the project. All unencumbered or unobligated funds remaining at the close of the fiscal year in which the project is completed or at the close of the final fiscal year, whichever date is earlier, shall revert to the open spaces account.
b. Twenty percent shall be allocated to the county conservation account.
(1) Thirty percent of the allocation to the county conservation account annually shall be allocated to each county equally.
(2) Thirty percent of the allocation to the county conservation account annually shall be allocated to each county on a per capita basis.
(3) Forty percent of the allocation to the county conservation account annually shall be held in an account in the state treasury for the natural resource commission to award to counties on a competitive grant basis by a project selection committee established in this subparagraph. Local matching funds are not required for grants awarded under this subparagraph. The project planning and review committee shall be composed of two staff members of the department and two county conservation board directors appointed by the director and a fifth member selected by a majority vote of the director's appointees. The natural resource commission, by rule, shall establish procedures for application, review, and selection of county projects submitted for funding. Upon recommendation of the project planning and review committee, the director shall award the grants.
(4) Funds allocated to the counties under subparagraphs (1), (2), and (3) may be used for land easements or acquisitions, capital improvements, stabilization and protection of resources, repair and upgrading of facilities, environmental education, and equipment. However, expenditures are not allowed for single or multipurpose athletic fields, baseball or softball diamonds, tennis courts, golf courses, swimming pools, and other group or organized sport facilities. Funds may be used for county projects located within the boundaries of a city.
(5) Funds allocated pursuant to subparagraphs (2) and (3) shall only be allocated to counties dedicating property tax revenue at least equal to twenty-two cents per thousand dollars of the assessed value of taxable property in the county to county conservation purposes. State funds received under this paragraph shall not reduce or replace county tax revenues appropriated for county conservation purposes. The county auditor shall submit documentation annually of the dedication of property tax revenue for county conservation purposes. The annual audit of the financial transactions and condition of a county shall certify compliance with requirements of this subparagraph. Funds not allocated to counties not qualifying for the allocations under subparagraph (2) as a result of this subparagraph shall be held in reserve for each county for two years. Counties qualifying within two years may receive the funds held in reserve. Funds not spent by a county within two years shall revert to the general pool of county funds for reallocation to other counties where needed.
(6) Each board of supervisors shall create a special resource enhancement account in the office of county treasurer and the county treasurer shall credit all resource enhancement funds received from the state in that account. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, all interest earned on funds in the county resource enhancement account shall be credited to that account and used for the purposes authorized for that account.
(7) There is appropriated from the county conservation account to the department the amount in that account, or so much thereof as is necessary, to fund the provisions of this paragraph. An appropriation made under this paragraph shall continue in force for two fiscal years after the fiscal year in which the appropriation was made or until completion of the project for which the appropriation was made, whichever date is earlier. All unencumbered or unobligated funds remaining at the close of the fiscal year in which a project funded pursuant to subparagraph (3) is completed or at the close of the third fiscal year, whichever date is earlier, shall revert to the county conservation account.
(8) Any funds received by a county under this paragraph may be used to match other state or federal funds, and multicounty or multiagency projects may be funded under this paragraph.
c. Twenty percent shall be allocated to the soil and water enhancement account. The moneys shall be used to carry out soil and water enhancement programs including, but not limited to, reforestation, woodland protection and enhancement, wildlife habitat preservation and enhancement, protection of highly erodible soils, and clean water programs. The division of soil conservation, by rule, shall establish procedures for eligibility, application, review, and selection of projects and practices to implement the requirements of this paragraph. There is appropriated from the soil and water enhancement account to the soil conservation division the amount in that account, or so much thereof as is necessary, to carry out the programs as specified in this paragraph. Remaining funds of the soil and water enhancement account shall be allocated to the accounts of the water protection fund authorized in section 161C.4. Annually, fifty percent of the soil and water enhancement account funds shall be allocated to the water quality protection projects account. The balance of the funds shall be allocated to the water protection practices account. An appropriation made under this paragraph shall continue in force for two fiscal years after the fiscal year in which the appropriation was made or until completion of the project for which the appropriation was made, whichever date is earlier. All unencumbered or unobligated funds remaining at the close of the fiscal year in which the project is completed or at the close of the third fiscal year, whichever date is earlier, shall revert to the soil and water enhancement account.
d. Fifteen percent shall be allocated to a cities' parks and open space account. The moneys allocated in this paragraph may be used to fund competitive grants to cities to acquire, establish, and maintain natural parks, preserves, and open spaces. The grants may include expenditures for multipurpose trails, restroom facilities, shelter houses, and picnic facilities, but expenditures for single or multipurpose athletic fields, baseball or softball diamonds, tennis courts, golf courses, swimming pools, and other group or organized sport facilities requiring specialized equipment are excluded. The grants may be used for city projects located outside of a city's boundaries. The natural resource commission, by rule, shall establish procedures for application, review, and selection of city projects on a competitive basis. The rules shall provide for three categories of cities based on population within which the cities shall compete for grants. There is appropriated from the cities' parks and open space account to the department the amount in that account, or so much thereof as is necessary, to carry out the competitive grant program as provided in this paragraph.
e. Nine percent shall be allocated to the state land management account. The department shall use the moneys allocated to this account for maintenance and expansion of state lands and related facilities under its jurisdiction. The authority to expand state lands and facilities under this paragraph is limited to expansion of the state lands and facilities already owned by the state. There is appropriated from the state land management account to the department the moneys in that account, or so much thereof as is necessary, to implement a maintenance and expansion program for state lands and related facilities under the jurisdiction of the department.
f. Five percent shall be allocated to the historical resource grant and loan fund established pursuant to section 303.16. The department of cultural affairs shall use the moneys allocated to this fund to implement historical resource development programs as provided under section 303.16.
g. Three percent shall be allocated to the living roadway account for distribution to the living roadway trust fund created under section 314.21 for the development and implementation of integrated roadside vegetation plans.
2. The moneys appropriated under this section shall remain in the appropriate account of the Iowa resources enhancement and protection fund until such time as the agency, board, commission, or overseer of the fund to which moneys are appropriated has made a request to the treasurer for use of moneys appropriated to it and the amount needed for that use. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys remaining of the appropriations made for a fiscal year from any of the accounts within the Iowa resources enhancement and protection fund on June 30 of that fiscal year, shall not revert to any fund but shall remain in that account to be used for the purposes for which they were appropriated and the moneys remaining in that account shall not be considered in making the allotments for the next fiscal year.
However, any moneys in excess of $500,000, remaining in the living roadway account under subsection 1, paragraph "g", on June 30 shall revert to the resources enhancement and protection fund under this section for distribution pursuant to the formula under this section except for subsection 1, paragraph "g". That proportion of moneys that would have been reallocated to subsection 1, paragraph "g", shall be distributed to the open spaces account under subsection 1, paragraph "a".
89 Acts, ch 236, § 6; 91 Acts, ch 146, §4-6; 91 Acts, ch 191, § 120; 93 Acts, ch 176, §43; 95 Acts, ch 220, §29, 30; 2000 Acts, ch 1128, §1
Referred to in § 161A.73, 256.34, 303.16, 350.12, 455A.18, 455A.20
Previous Section 455A.18
Next Section 455A.20
© 2001 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa
Comments about this site or page?
webmaster@legis.iowa.gov.
Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.
Last update: Mon Jan 22 17:13:42 CST 2001
URL: /DOCS/IACODE/2001/455A/19.html
jhf