House File 550 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY MILLER
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act creating a community infrastructure and transportation
2 enhancement program and fund, making appropriations, and
3 providing a contingent effective date.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 2974HH 81
6 tm/gg/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 15E.321 DEFINITIONS.
1 2 As used in this division, unless the context otherwise
1 3 requires:
1 4 1. "Board" means the Iowa economic development board
1 5 created in section 15.103.
1 6 2. "Fund" means the community infrastructure and
1 7 transportation enhancement fund created in section 15E.324.
1 8 3. "Program" means the community infrastructure and
1 9 transportation enhancement program established in section
1 10 15E.322.
1 11 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 15E.322 COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE
1 12 AND TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.
1 13 1. The department shall establish and administer a
1 14 community infrastructure and transportation enhancement
1 15 program to assist communities on a regional basis in the
1 16 promotion, marketing, and provision of infrastructure
1 17 enhancement for existing airports, railways, port facilities,
1 18 and recreational trails.
1 19 2. A city or county may submit an application to the
1 20 department for financial assistance for a project under the
1 21 program. The assistance shall be provided only from funds,
1 22 rights, and assets legally available to the department and
1 23 shall be in the form of grants, loans, forgivable loans, and
1 24 credit enhancements and financing instruments. The
1 25 application shall include, but not be limited to, the
1 26 following information:
1 27 a. The total capital investment of the project, including
1 28 but not limited to costs for construction, site acquisition,
1 29 and infrastructure improvement.
1 30 b. The amount or percentage of local and private matching
1 31 moneys which will be or have been provided for the project.
1 32 c. The total number of jobs to be created or retained by
1 33 the project.
1 34 d. The need of the community for the project and for the
1 35 financial assistance.
2 1 e. The long=term tax=generating impact of the project.
2 2 3. The department shall adopt rules relating to the
2 3 establishment and administration of the program, including
2 4 eligibility criteria.
2 5 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 15E.323 APPLICATION REVIEW.
2 6 1. Applications for assistance under the program shall be
2 7 submitted to the department. For those applications that meet
2 8 the eligibility criteria, the department shall provide a staff
2 9 review analysis and evaluation to the board. The department
2 10 shall make recommendations to the board regarding the
2 11 approval, deferral, or denial of applications.
2 12 2. When reviewing the applications, the department shall
2 13 consider, at a minimum, all of the following:
2 14 a. Whether the wages, benefits, including health benefits,
2 15 safety, and other attributes of the project would improve the
2 16 quality of life in the community.
2 17 b. The ability of the project to produce a long=term, tax=
2 18 generating economic impact.
2 19 c. The location of the projects and geographic diversity
2 20 of the applications.
2 21 d. Whether the project is primarily a vertical
2 22 infrastructure project with demonstrated substantial regional
2 23 or statewide economic impact. For purposes of the program,
2 24 "vertical infrastructure" means land acquisition and
2 25 construction, major renovation and major repair of buildings,
2 26 all appurtenant structures, utilities, site development, and
2 27 recreational trails. "Vertical infrastructure" does not
2 28 include routine, recurring maintenance or operational expenses
2 29 or leasing of a building, appurtenant structure, or utility
2 30 without a lease=purchase agreement.
2 31 e. Whether the applicant has received financial assistance
2 32 under the program for the same project.
2 33 f. The extent to which the project has taken the following
2 34 planning principles into consideration:
2 35 (1) Efficient and effective use of land resources and
3 1 existing infrastructure by encouraging development in areas
3 2 with existing infrastructure or capacity to avoid costly
3 3 duplication of services and costly use of land.
3 4 (2) Provision for a variety of transportation choices,
3 5 including pedestrian traffic.
3 6 (3) Maintenance of a unique sense of place by respecting
3 7 local cultural and natural environmental features.
3 8 (4) Conservation of open space and farmland and
3 9 preservation of critical environmental areas.
3 10 (5) Promotion of the safety, livability, and
3 11 revitalization of existing urban and rural communities.
3 12 g. Whether financial assistance under the program would
3 13 supplement investments in the project made by private
3 14 individuals or supplement other state or federal financial
3 15 assistance for the project.
3 16 3. Upon review of the recommendations, the board shall
3 17 approve, defer, or deny the applications.
3 18 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 15E.324 COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE
3 19 AND TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM FUND == ALLOCATION OF
3 20 MONEYS == APPROPRIATION.
3 21 1. A community infrastructure and transportation
3 22 enhancement program fund is created as a separate fund in the
3 23 state treasury under the control of the department, consisting
3 24 of any moneys appropriated by the general assembly and any
3 25 other moneys available to and obtained or accepted by the
3 26 department for placement in the fund.
3 27 2. Payments of interest, repayments of moneys loaned
3 28 pursuant to this division, and recaptures of grants or loans
3 29 shall be deposited in the fund.
3 30 3. Moneys in the fund shall be used to provide assistance
3 31 under the program. A project with a total cost exceeding
3 32 twenty million dollars may receive financial assistance under
3 33 the program. An applicant under the program shall not receive
3 34 financial assistance from the fund in an amount exceeding
3 35 fifty percent of the total cost of the project.
4 1 4. Moneys in the fund are not subject to section 8.33.
4 2 Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or
4 3 earnings on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
4 4 5. At the beginning of each fiscal year, the department
4 5 shall allocate all moneys in the fund in the following manner:
4 6 a. One=third of the moneys shall be allocated to provide
4 7 assistance to cities and counties which meet the following
4 8 criteria:
4 9 (1) A city that has a population of ten thousand or less
4 10 according to the most recently published census.
4 11 (2) A county that has a population that ranks in the
4 12 bottom thirty=three counties according to the most recently
4 13 published census.
4 14 b. Two=thirds of the moneys shall be allocated to provide
4 15 assistance to any city or county in the state, which may
4 16 include a city or county included under paragraph "a".
4 17 6. If two or more cities or counties submit a joint
4 18 project application for financial assistance under the
4 19 program, all joint applicants must meet the criteria of
4 20 subsection 5, paragraph "a", in order to receive any moneys
4 21 allocated under that paragraph.
4 22 7. If any portion of the allocated moneys under subsection
4 23 5, paragraph "a", has not been awarded by April 1 of the
4 24 fiscal year for which the allocation is made, the portion
4 25 which has not been awarded may be utilized by the board to
4 26 provide financial assistance under the program to any city or
4 27 county in the state.
4 28 8. For the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2005, and
4 29 ending June 30, 2010, there is appropriated two million
4 30 dollars each fiscal year from the grow Iowa values fund to the
4 31 community infrastructure and transportation enhancement
4 32 program fund.
4 33 9. Notwithstanding the allocation requirements in
4 34 subsection 5, the board may make a multiyear commitment to an
4 35 applicant of up to four million dollars in any one fiscal
5 1 year.
5 2 Sec. 5. CONTINGENT EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect
5 3 upon the enactment of legislation creating a grow Iowa values
5 4 fund by the general assembly during the 2005 legislative
5 5 session.
5 6 EXPLANATION
5 7 This bill creates a community infrastructure and
5 8 transportation enhancement program and fund and makes
5 9 appropriations.
5 10 The bill requires the department of economic development to
5 11 establish and administer a community infrastructure and
5 12 transportation enhancement program to assist communities on a
5 13 regional basis in the promotion, marketing, and provision of
5 14 infrastructure enhancement for existing airports, railways,
5 15 port facilities, and recreational trails. The bill provides
5 16 that a city or county in the state may submit an application
5 17 to the department for financial assistance for a project under
5 18 the program.
5 19 The bill provides that applications for assistance under
5 20 the program shall be submitted to the department and that the
5 21 department shall provide a staff review analysis and
5 22 evaluation and make recommendations to the Iowa economic
5 23 development board. The bill provides certain criteria for the
5 24 department to consider in developing the staff review analysis
5 25 including the wages, benefits, and other attributes that the
5 26 project would bring to the community; the economic impact of
5 27 the project; the location of the project; whether the project
5 28 involves vertical infrastructure; whether the applicant has
5 29 received other financial assistance; the extent of the use of
5 30 certain planning principles; and whether the financial
5 31 assistance under the program would supplement investments in
5 32 the project made by private individuals or supplement other
5 33 state or federal financial assistance for the project. The
5 34 bill provides that, upon review of the recommendations, the
5 35 board shall approve, defer, or deny the applications.
6 1 The bill creates a community infrastructure and
6 2 transportation enhancement program fund in the state treasury
6 3 under the control of the department. The bill provides that
6 4 the fund shall be used to provide financial assistance under
6 5 the program in the form of grants, loans, forgivable loans,
6 6 and credit enhancements and financing instruments. The bill
6 7 provides that a project with a total cost exceeding $20
6 8 million may receive financial assistance under the program.
6 9 The bill limits the amount of financial assistance a recipient
6 10 can receive to not more than 50 percent of the total cost of
6 11 the project.
6 12 The bill requires the department, at the beginning of each
6 13 fiscal year, to allocate one=third of the moneys in the fund
6 14 to provide assistance to cities that have a population of
6 15 10,000 or less and to counties that have a population that
6 16 ranks in the bottom 33 counties in the state. The remaining
6 17 two=thirds of the moneys shall be allocated to provide
6 18 assistance to any city and county in the state. The bill
6 19 provides that if any portion of the one=third of the moneys
6 20 allocated to small cities or counties has not been awarded by
6 21 April 1 of the fiscal year for which the allocation is made,
6 22 the portion which has not been awarded may be utilized by the
6 23 board to provide financial assistance under the program to any
6 24 city or county in the state.
6 25 For the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2005, and ending
6 26 June 30, 2010, the bill appropriates $2 million each fiscal
6 27 year from the grow Iowa values fund to the community
6 28 infrastructure and transportation enhancement program fund.
6 29 The bill provides that, notwithstanding the allocation
6 30 requirements of the bill, the board may make a multiyear
6 31 commitment to an applicant of up to $4 million in any one
6 32 fiscal year.
6 33 The bill takes effect upon the enactment of legislation
6 34 creating a grow Iowa values fund by the general assembly
6 35 during the 2005 legislative session.
7 1 LSB 2974HH 81
7 2 tm:nh/gg/14