Senate Study Bill 1186 



                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON
                                            LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL
                                            BY CHAIRPERSON QUIRMBACH)


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to public notice requirements for meetings of
  2    boards of township trustees.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1851SC 83
  5 md/sc/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 21.4, subsection 1, Code 2009, is
  1  2 amended to read as follows:
  1  3    1.  A governmental body, except township trustees, shall
  1  4 give notice of the time, date, and place of each meeting, and
  1  5 its tentative agenda, in a manner reasonably calculated to
  1  6 apprise the public of that information.  Reasonable notice
  1  7 shall include advising the news media who have filed a request
  1  8 for notice with the governmental body  and posting the notice
  1  9 on a bulletin board or other prominent place which is easily
  1 10 accessible to the public and clearly designated for that
  1 11 purpose at the principal office of the body holding the
  1 12 meeting, or if no such office exists, at the building in which
  1 13 the meeting is to be held.
  1 14    Sec. 2.  Section 359.17, subsection 2, Code 2009, is
  1 15 amended to read as follows:
  1 16    2.  A board of township trustees shall give prior notice of
  1 17 a meeting to discuss, deliberate, or act upon a matter
  1 18 relating to the budget or a tax levy of the township or
  1 19 relating to the trustees' duty to provide fire protection
  1 20 service and, if provided, emergency medical service, pursuant
  1 21 to section 359.42.  The trustees shall give notice of such
  1 22 meeting at least forty=eight twenty=four hours preceding the
  1 23 commencement of the meeting.  However, a notice is not
  1 24 required pursuant to this subsection when the trustees gather
  1 25 for minor or purely ministerial matters relating to the
  1 26 trustees' duty for providing such fire protection service or
  1 27 emergency medical service.  The notice shall state the time,
  1 28 date, and place of the meeting and the proposed agenda.  The
  1 29 notice shall be provided to the county auditor who shall post
  1 30 the notice in an area of the courthouse where notices to the
  1 31 public are commonly posted.
  1 32                           EXPLANATION
  1 33    Current law requires that notice of a board of township
  1 34 trustees meeting relating to the budget, a tax levy of the
  1 35 township, or the trustees' duty or authority to provide fire
  2  1 protection service or emergency medical service shall be given
  2  2 at least 48 hours before the meeting.  This bill requires such
  2  3 notice to be given at least 24 hours before the meeting.
  2  4    The bill removes the exemption for township trustees in
  2  5 Code section 21.4 relating to notices required for meetings of
  2  6 governmental bodies.  The bill amends the exemption from the
  2  7 board of township trustees meeting notice requirements for
  2  8 minor or ministerial matters to conform with the provisions of
  2  9 Code section 21.2.
  2 10 LSB 1851SC 83
  2 11 md/sc/8