CHAPTER 15
LOCAL GOVERNMENT INNOVATION FUND COMMITTEE
541—15.1(80GA,ch178) Purpose. The purpose of these rules is to ensure that the proceedings of the local government innovation fund committee responsible for local government innovation fund awards are conducted in an orderly manner.
541—15.2(80GA,ch178) Membership. The selection, approval, and appointment of members to the local government innovation fund committee for a term of one year are made by the director of the department of management (director) as provided in 2003 Iowa Acts, chapter 178, section 27. The committee shall consist of seven members.
541—15.3(80GA,ch178) Responsibilities of officers. The officers of the local government innovation fund committee shall consist of a chairperson, a vice chairperson and a secretary.
	15.3(1) Chairperson. The chairperson shall be appointed by the director and shall preside over the proceedings of the local government innovation fund committee. Upon a vacancy on the committee, the chairperson shall notify the director that a vacancy exists.
	15.3(2) Vice chairperson. The vice chairperson shall serve in the absence of the chairperson and shall be assigned such other duties as the committee determines. The vice chairperson shall be appointed by the director.
	15.3(3) Secretary. Yearly, the local government innovation fund committee shall appoint a secretary to record the proceedings of the committee and report the financial condition of the fund. The secretary may or may not be a member of the committee. The secretary shall give advance public notice of the time and place of each meeting. The notice must be in accordance with Iowa Code section 21.4.
The secretary shall keep minutes of all proceedings of each meeting. The minutes will constitute the official record of all actions of the committee. Following each meeting, the secretary shall duplicate the minutes and distribute them to the persons listed on the approved mailing list. When the secretary is absent from a committee meeting, the chairperson shall appoint a member of the committee to act as secretary until such time as the regular secretary is present. The secretary shall provide to the committee members a list of the committee’s members including the members’ addresses and telephone numbers.
541—15.4(80GA,ch178) Meeting. A meeting of the committee shall be held at the call of the director of the department of management. All meetings of the committee shall be open to the public at all times, except that closed meetings may be held for the purposes provided in Iowa Code section 21.5. Closed sessions shall be called and conducted as provided in Iowa Code section 21.5.
541—15.5(80GA,ch178) Compensation. Committee members are to be compensated in accordance with Iowa Code section 7E.6.
541—15.6(80GA,ch178) Office location. All submissions to or requests of the committee shall be made through the department of management during normal working hours. All records, minutes, applications, and other information concerning the proceedings of the committee shall be kept in the office of the director of the department of management. Such information shall be open to inspection by the public during normal working hours.
541—15.7(80GA,ch178) Committee responsibilities. The committee shall review each local government innovation fund application. In addition, the committee may interview applicants to explore the need for technical assistance, gain additional information concerning the proposal, and negotiate the project’s work plan.
541—15.8(80GA,ch178) Quorum and majority vote. A quorum shall consist of four members of the committee. All actions of the committee must be approved by a simple majority vote of the members present at a meeting. The secretary shall record the vote of each member of the committee indicating if the vote was an aye, a no, or an abstention.
Members shall abstain from voting on applications that provide assistance to jurisdictions where the members reside.
541—15.9(80GA,ch178) Eligibility. Any Iowa county or city or group of counties and cities is eligible to apply for funding for projects that result in the following:
	1.	Cost savings;
	2.	Innovative approaches to service delivery; or
	3.	Added revenue to the city, county, or state.
Eligible projects are those that cannot be funded from a city’s or county’s operating budget without adversely affecting the city’s or county’s normal service levels. Preference shall be given to requests involving the sharing of services between two or more local governments. Projects may include, but are not limited to, purchase of advanced technology, contracting for expert services, and acquisition of equipment or supplies.
541—15.10(80GA,ch178) Application process. The committee shall establish the application and review deadlines. Notice of the deadlines shall be sent to city and county member organizations and posted at the state capitol, ground floor, and on the department’s Web site. Applications shall be submitted to the Local Government Innovation Fund Committee, Iowa Department of Management, Room 12, State Capitol, Des Moines, Iowa 50319.
541—15.11(80GA,ch178) Application contents. Applications shall be submitted on forms developed by the committee and made available by the department of management. Contents of the application shall include:
	1.	A summary sheet including title and project overview; name, address and telephone number of one person who will serve as the contact for the application; the cities and counties involved in the application; and type of assistance and amount requested.
	2.	Return on investment information.
	3.	Identification of the reduced city, county or state general fund expenditures or how city or county fund revenues will increase without an increase in state costs.
	4.	A description of how the project will be innovative, based on objective criteria identified in the application.
541—15.12(80GA,ch178) Application review. The committee shall review each application based on the following criteria:
	1.	Potential impact on savings, revenues, or community residents.
	2.	Project innovation based on objective criteria.
	3.	Likelihood of success based on stakeholder involvement.
	4.	Types of match in the form of cash or in-kind resources committed.
	5.	Ability to be replicated in other parts of the state.
	6.	Sharing of services between two or more local governments.
541—15.13(80GA,ch178) Award process. The committee may award loans, forgivable loans, or grants as provided in 2003 Iowa Acts, chapter 178, sections 27 and 28. In order to maintain the fund as self-supporting, the committee shall establish repayment schedules for each loan awarded. A city or county shall repay the loan over a period not to exceed five years, with interest, at a rate to be determined by the committee. All applicants will be notified in writing after the final decisions are made. Successful applicants shall enter into a chapter 28E agreement executed with the department of management that outlines the loan or grant requirements with the city (cities) or county (counties) receiving the loan or grant.
541—15.14(80GA,ch178) Project management. Within one year of receipt of funds, the award recipient shall provide an annual report that assesses progress on the results achieved to date. As a condition of the award, additional reporting may be required.
541—15.15(80GA,ch178) Performance reviews. Representatives of the department and state auditors shall have access to all books, accounts, and documents belonging to or in use by the award recipient pertaining to the receipt of assistance under this program. All contracts under this program are subject to audit.
These rules are intended to implement 2003 Iowa Acts, chapter 178, sections 27 and 28.
[Filed 12/4/03, Notice 10/15/03—published 12/24/03, effective 1/28/04]