House
File
244
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
244
BY
WILLS
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
election
of
commissioners
of
soil
and
1
water
conservation
districts.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
161A.5,
subsection
2,
Code
2017,
is
1
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
2.
a.
The
governing
body
of
each
district
shall
consist
of
3
five
commissioners
elected
on
a
nonpartisan
basis
for
staggered
4
four-year
terms
commencing
on
the
first
day
of
January
that
is
5
not
a
Sunday
or
holiday
following
their
election.
6
b.
Any
eligible
elector
residing
in
the
district
is
eligible
7
to
the
office
of
commissioner,
except
that
no
not
more
than
8
one
commissioner
two
commissioners
shall
at
any
one
time
be
9
a
resident
of
any
one
township.
A
vacancy
is
created
in
10
the
office
of
any
commissioner
who
changes
residence
into
a
11
township
where
another
commissioner
two
commissioners
then
12
resides
reside
.
13
c.
If
a
commissioner
is
absent
for
sixty
or
more
percent
14
of
monthly
meetings
during
any
twelve-month
period,
the
other
15
commissioners
by
their
unanimous
vote
may
declare
the
member’s
16
office
vacant.
A
vacancy
in
the
office
of
commissioner
17
shall
be
filled
by
appointment
of
the
state
soil
conservation
18
committee
until
the
next
succeeding
general
election,
at
which
19
time
the
balance
of
the
unexpired
term
shall
be
filled
as
20
provided
by
section
69.12
.
21
Sec.
2.
Section
161A.5,
subsection
3,
paragraph
e,
Code
22
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
23
e.
If
the
canvass
shows
that
the
two
or
three
candidates
24
receiving
the
highest
and
the
second
highest
number
of
votes
25
for
the
office
of
district
commissioner
are
both
all
residents
26
of
the
same
township,
the
board
shall
certify
as
elected
the
27
candidate
who
received
the
two
candidates
receiving
the
highest
28
number
of
votes
for
the
office
and
the
candidate
receiving
29
the
next
highest
number
of
votes
for
the
office
who
is
not
30
a
resident
of
the
same
township
as
the
candidate
receiving
31
the
highest
number
of
votes
,
if
any
.
If
one
commissioner
32
whose
term
has
not
expired
is
a
resident
of
the
township,
33
and
the
canvass
shows
that
two
or
three
candidates
receiving
34
the
highest
number
of
votes
for
the
office
are
from
the
same
35
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township,
the
board
shall
certify
as
elected
the
candidate
1
receiving
the
highest
number
of
votes
for
the
office
and
the
2
candidate
receiving
the
next
highest
number
of
votes
for
the
3
office
who
is
not
a
resident
of
the
same
township,
if
any,
as
4
the
candidate
receiving
the
highest
number
of
votes.
5
EXPLANATION
6
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
7
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
8
BILL.
This
bill
provides
that
two
out
of
five
soil
and
water
9
conservation
commissioners
may
reside
in
the
same
township.
10
BACKGROUND.
The
state
contains
100
soil
and
water
11
conservation
districts
whose
respective
jurisdictions
are
12
generally
based
on
county
lines.
Each
district
is
governed
13
by
nonpartisan
commissioners
who
are
elected
to
serve
14
for
four-year
staggered
terms.
Under
current
law,
only
15
one
commissioner
may
reside
in
a
single
township
and
if
16
a
commissioner
moves
to
live
in
a
township
where
another
17
commissioner
resides,
the
moving
commissioner’s
office
becomes
18
vacant
and
a
replacement
is
appointed
for
the
unexpired
term
by
19
the
state
soil
conservation
committee.
20
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