House File 11 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  HUSER


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to publication of certain notices in small
  2    cities.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1251YH 81
  5 eg/gg/14

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 24.9, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code
  1  2 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    Each municipality shall file with the secretary or clerk
  1  4 thereof the estimates required to be made in sections 24.3 to
  1  5 24.8, at least twenty days before the date fixed by law for
  1  6 certifying the same to the levying board and shall forthwith
  1  7 fix a date for a hearing thereon, and shall publish such
  1  8 estimates and any annual levies previously authorized as
  1  9 provided in section 76.2, with a notice of the time when and
  1 10 the place where such hearing shall be held not less than ten
  1 11 nor more than twenty days before the hearing.  Provided that
  1 12 However, in municipalities of less than two five hundred
  1 13 population such estimates and the notice of hearing thereon
  1 14 shall be posted in three public places in the district in lieu
  1 15 of publication.
  1 16    Sec. 2.  Section 362.3, subsection 2, Code 2005, is amended
  1 17 to read as follows:
  1 18    2.  A publication required by the city code must be in a
  1 19 newspaper published at least once weekly and having general
  1 20 circulation in the city.  However, if the city has a
  1 21 population of two five hundred or less, or in the case of
  1 22 ordinances and amendments to be published in a city in which
  1 23 no newspaper is published, a publication may be made by
  1 24 posting in three public places in the city which have been
  1 25 permanently designated by ordinance.
  1 26    In the case of notices of elections, a city with a
  1 27 population of two five hundred or less meets the publication
  1 28 requirement of this section by posting notices of elections in
  1 29 three public places which have been designated by ordinance.
  1 30    Sec. 3.  Section 372.13, subsection 6, Code 2005, is
  1 31 amended to read as follows:
  1 32    6.  Within fifteen days following a regular or special
  1 33 meeting of the council, the clerk shall cause the minutes of
  1 34 the proceedings of the council, including the total
  1 35 expenditure from each city fund, to be published in a
  2  1 newspaper of general circulation in the city.  The publication
  2  2 shall include a list of all claims allowed and a summary of
  2  3 all receipts and shall show the gross amount of the claim.
  2  4 Matters discussed in closed session pursuant to section 21.3
  2  5 shall not be published until entered on the public minutes.
  2  6 However, in cities having more than one hundred fifty thousand
  2  7 population the council shall each month print in pamphlet form
  2  8 a detailed itemized statement of all receipts and
  2  9 disbursements of the city, and a summary of its proceedings
  2 10 during the preceding month, and furnish copies to the city
  2 11 library, the daily newspapers of the city, and to persons who
  2 12 apply at the office of the city clerk, and the pamphlet shall
  2 13 constitute publication as required.  Failure by the clerk to
  2 14 make publication is a simple misdemeanor.  The provisions of
  2 15 this subsection are applicable in cities in which a newspaper
  2 16 is published, or in cities of two five hundred population or
  2 17 over, but in all other cities, posting the statement in three
  2 18 public places in the city which have been permanently
  2 19 designated by ordinance is sufficient compliance with this
  2 20 subsection.
  2 21    Sec. 4.  Section 384.16, subsection 3, Code 2005, is
  2 22 amended to read as follows:
  2 23    3.  The council shall set a time and place for public
  2 24 hearing on the budget before the final certification date and
  2 25 shall publish notice of the hearing not less than ten nor more
  2 26 than twenty days before the hearing in a newspaper published
  2 27 at least once weekly and having general circulation in the
  2 28 city.  However, if the city has a population of two five
  2 29 hundred or less, publication may be made by posting in three
  2 30 public places in the city.  A summary of the proposed budget
  2 31 shall be included in the notice.  Proof of publication must be
  2 32 filed with the county auditor.  The department of management
  2 33 shall prescribe the form for the public hearing notice for use
  2 34 by cities.
  2 35                           EXPLANATION
  3  1    This bill applies the criteria for publication of city
  3  2 notices, currently applicable to cities with a population of
  3  3 200 or less, to cities with a population of 500 or less.
  3  4 Current law allows a city with a population of 200 or less to
  3  5 publish required notices by posting the notice in three public
  3  6 places, as opposed to newspaper publication.  The bill allows
  3  7 cities with a population of 500 residents or less to forgo
  3  8 newspaper publication and post the notices.
  3  9 LSB 1251YH 81
  3 10 eg/gg/14