331.324  Duties and powers relating to county and township officers and employees.
  1.  The board shall:
  a.  Carry out the duties of a public employer to engage in collective bargaining in accordance with chapter 20.
  b.  Grant claims for mileage and expenses of officers and employees in accordance with sections 70A.9 through 70A.13 and section 331.215, subsection 2.
  c.  Provide workers’ compensation benefits to officers and employees as required by chapter 85.
  d.  Provide occupational disease compensation to employees as required by chapter 85A.
  e.  Cooperate with the workers’ compensation commissioner and comply with requirements imposed upon counties under chapter 10A, subchapter III, and chapter 87.
  f.  Comply with occupational safety and health standards as required by chapter 88.
  g.  Comply with wage payment requirements imposed upon counties under chapter 91A.
  h.  Comply with employment security requirements imposed upon counties under chapter 96.
  i.  Participate in the Iowa public employees’ retirement system as required by chapter 97B.
  j.  Participate in the federal Social Security Act as required by chapter 97C.
  k.  Provide for support of the civil service commission for deputy sheriffs in accordance with section 341A.20.
  l.  Establish the compensation of deputies and assistants in accordance with section 331.904.
  m.  Provide a deferred compensation program for any employee, in accordance with section 509A.12.
  n.  Employ persons who are blind or partially blind and persons with disabilities in accordance with section 216C.2.
  o.  Fix the compensation for services of county and township officers and employees if not otherwise fixed by state law.
  p.  Perform other duties required by state law.
  2.  If the board wishes to participate in a program of interchange of employees, it shall do so in accordance with chapter 28D.
  3.  In exercising its power to resolve disputes with officers and employees, the board may arbitrate disputes in accordance with chapter 679B.
  4.  If the liability of a county officer or employee in the performance of official duties is not fully indemnified by insurance, the board shall pay a loss for which the officer or employee is found liable beyond the amount of insurance, and may compromise and settle any such claim.
  5.  If a board provides group insurance for county employees, it shall also provide the insurance to a full-time county extension office assistant employed in the county, if the county is reimbursed for the premium by the county extension district.
  6.  In carrying out the requirement of section 331.322, subsection 1, the board may purchase an individual or a blanket surety bond insuring the fidelity of county officers and county employees who are accountable for county funds or property subject to the minimum surety bond requirements of chapter 64. An elected county officer is deemed to have furnished surety if the officer is covered by a blanket bond purchased as provided in this subsection.
1.  a – n.  [S81, §331.324(1); 81 Acts, ch 117, §323]
o.  [R60, §312; C73, §303; C97, §422; SS15, §422; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §5130; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §332.3(10); S81, §331.324(1); 81 Acts, ch 117, §323]
p.  [S81, §331.324(1); 81 Acts, ch 117, §323]
2, 3.  [S81, §331.324(2 – 4); 81 Acts, ch 117, §323]
4.  [C73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §332.43; S81, §331.324(5); 81 Acts, ch 117, §323; 82 Acts, ch 1104, §35]
5.  [C75, 77, 79, 81, §509A.7; 82 Acts, ch 1101, §1]
83 Acts, ch 14, §4; 83 Acts, ch 186, §10074, 10075, 10201; 94 Acts, ch 1173, §17; 96 Acts, ch 1129, §83; 98 Acts, ch 1061, §11; 2010 Acts, ch 1079, §11; 2021 Acts, ch 80, §198; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §2010
Referred to in §137.110, 331.322
Subsection 1, paragraph e amended