Senate File 155 - Reprinted
SENATE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1161)
Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to local governments by creating a local
2 government innovation commission and fund, creating a center
3 for governing excellence, and including an effective date.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 1624SV 82
6 sc/cf/24
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 8.64, Code 2007, is amended by striking
1 2 the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
1 3 8.64 DEFINITIONS.
1 4 For purposes of sections 8.65 through 8.68:
1 5 1. "Commission" means the local government innovation
1 6 commission.
1 7 2. "Community=wide area" means a distinct geographical
1 8 area voluntarily formed by and comprised of counties, cities,
1 9 or townships, or any combination thereof, all of which possess
1 10 a degree of autonomy in a varying number of matters. State
1 11 agencies and school districts may also participate in a
1 12 community=wide area if joined by a county, city, or township.
1 13 3. "Department" means the department of management.
1 14 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 8.65 LOCAL GOVERNMENT INNOVATION
1 15 COMMISSION.
1 16 1. A local government innovation commission is created
1 17 consisting of fifteen voting members and six nonvoting
1 18 members.
1 19 a. Voting members of the commission shall be appointed for
1 20 a term of three years as follows:
1 21 (1) One member representing the executive branch appointed
1 22 by the governor.
1 23 (2) Two members representing county government appointed
1 24 by the president of the Iowa state association of counties.
1 25 (3) Two members representing city government appointed by
1 26 the president of the Iowa league of cities.
1 27 (4) One member representing community colleges appointed
1 28 by the president of the Iowa association of community college
1 29 presidents.
1 30 (5) One member representing school districts appointed by
1 31 the president of the Iowa association of school boards.
1 32 (6) One member representing the councils of governments
1 33 appointed by the president of the Iowa association of councils
1 34 of government.
1 35 (7) One member representing local law enforcement or fire
2 1 protection appointed by the governor.
2 2 (8) Two members appointed by the governor, both of whom
2 3 shall possess private business expertise and who are not
2 4 employees of any level of government.
2 5 (9) Four members representing the general public, one each
2 6 appointed by the majority leader of the senate, the minority
2 7 leader of the senate, the speaker of the house of
2 8 representatives, and the minority leader of the house of
2 9 representatives.
2 10 b. Four nonvoting members of the general assembly shall be
2 11 appointed for a term of two years commencing at the convening
2 12 of each general assembly, one each appointed by the majority
2 13 leader of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the
2 14 speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority
2 15 leader of the house of representatives. However, initial
2 16 appointments of members under this paragraph shall be made on
2 17 the effective date of this Act.
2 18 c. Two nonvoting members shall be appointed for a term of
2 19 three years. One of the members shall be the administrator of
2 20 the homeland security and emergency management division of the
2 21 Iowa department of public defense, and the other member shall
2 22 be the director of the department of economic development or
2 23 the director's designee.
2 24 2. a. Terms of voting members and of nonvoting members
2 25 specified in subsection 1, paragraph "c", shall begin and end
2 26 as provided by section 69.19. Any vacancy shall be filled in
2 27 the same manner as regular appointments are made for the
2 28 unexpired portion of the regular term.
2 29 b. Members of the commission shall be allowed their actual
2 30 and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their
2 31 duties. The members of the commission representing the
2 32 general public shall also be compensated as provided in
2 33 section 7E.6. Per diem and expenses paid to commission
2 34 members shall be paid from moneys appropriated to the local
2 35 government innovation fund, except that the per diem and
3 1 expenses of members of the general assembly shall be paid
3 2 pursuant to section 2.12.
3 3 c. The commission shall meet in May of each year for the
3 4 purpose of electing one of its voting members as chairperson.
3 5 The commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson or
3 6 when a majority of the voting members of the commission files
3 7 a written request with the chairperson for a meeting. Written
3 8 notice of the time and place of each meeting shall be given to
3 9 each member of the commission.
3 10 d. A majority of the voting members of the commission
3 11 constitutes a quorum. Any action taken by the commission must
3 12 be adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of its voting
3 13 membership.
3 14 e. The commission is located for administrative purposes
3 15 within the department. The department shall provide office
3 16 space, staff assistance, administrative support, and necessary
3 17 supplies and equipment to the commission.
3 18 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 8.66 DUTIES OF COMMISSION.
3 19 The commission shall do all of the following:
3 20 1. Promote, encourage, and advance innovation and
3 21 creativity in local governance.
3 22 2. Develop an application and review process for local
3 23 governance and revenue models submitted to the commission by a
3 24 community=wide area. Results, strategies, and desired
3 25 outcomes identified by the commission in developing its
3 26 application and review process shall include but not be
3 27 limited to the following:
3 28 a. Cost savings to citizens, in particular lowering of
3 29 local government property taxes.
3 30 b. Creation of, or inducement to create, high=wage, stable
3 31 employment opportunities for a local government's citizens and
3 32 more effective leveraging of resources to improve competitive
3 33 advantage.
3 34 c. Elimination of duplication of government
3 35 administration.
4 1 d. More efficient and effective delivery of services by
4 2 government, including eliminating duplication of service
4 3 delivery by more than one unit of government in the same area
4 4 and modernizing services and service delivery to meet the
4 5 changing public service needs of the area.
4 6 e. Creation of a state=local partnership in one or more
4 7 areas of service delivery and governance that would increase
4 8 quality and efficiency on the local level.
4 9 3. Design an application form to be completed by a
4 10 community=wide area seeking review of a local governance and
4 11 revenue model. The application form shall require the
4 12 community=wide area to demonstrate how the local governance
4 13 and revenue model will result in reduced local government or
4 14 state general fund expenditures, how local government fund
4 15 revenues will increase without an increase in state costs, how
4 16 local government services will be provided more efficiently or
4 17 will be of increased quality resulting in greater value from
4 18 the expenditure of local government revenues, or how the model
4 19 develops partnerships with the state to provide increased
4 20 quality and efficiency on the local level.
4 21 4. Utilize the department of management, the department of
4 22 revenue, or other sources of technical expertise designated by
4 23 the commission to certify savings projected for a proposed
4 24 local governance and revenue model.
4 25 5. Report to the general assembly on or before June 30,
4 26 2010, and every three years thereafter, on the accomplishments
4 27 of community=wide area efforts funded by grants from the local
4 28 government innovation fund authorized under section 8.67, in
4 29 achieving the objectives described in subsection 2, paragraphs
4 30 "a" through "e".
4 31 6. On or before January 1, 2009, submit to the general
4 32 assembly and to the office of the governor recommendations for
4 33 legislation that would provide flexibility and freedom to
4 34 local governments in implementing governance and revenue
4 35 models.
5 1 7. a. Prepare a request for proposals for establishment
5 2 of the Tim Shields center for governing excellence in Iowa as
5 3 provided in section 8.68, and prepare procedures and a
5 4 timetable for submission and review of proposals and for
5 5 selection of a proposal. The proposal process shall be open
5 6 to public and private not=for=profit institutions of higher
5 7 education, either individually or in collaboration, located in
5 8 this state and accredited by the north central association of
5 9 colleges and secondary schools.
5 10 b. The request for proposals shall require each proposal
5 11 to provide for employment of a full=time director and
5 12 administrative assistant at the center.
5 13 c. The request for proposals shall require each proposal
5 14 to specify all of the following:
5 15 (1) The number and subject area specialties of the
5 16 research staff; the office space; the support staff; and the
5 17 computer, library, and research facilities to be provided by
5 18 the proposing institution or institutions.
5 19 (2) The personnel, facilities, and support provided for
5 20 the training of policymakers, public officials, and students
5 21 in areas including but not limited to public administration
5 22 and management, budgetary preparation and analysis, electronic
5 23 government, local=state government relations, and public
5 24 policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation.
5 25 (3) The funding to be committed by the proposing
5 26 institution or institutions.
5 27 8. Oversee and direct the activities of the Tim Shields
5 28 center for governing excellence in Iowa.
5 29 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 8.67 LOCAL GOVERNMENT INNOVATION
5 30 FUND.
5 31 1. A local government innovation fund is created in the
5 32 state treasury under the control of the department of
5 33 management for the purpose of stimulating and encouraging
5 34 innovation in local government by providing moneys for the
5 35 purpose of providing grants to assist in the implementation of
6 1 local governance and revenue models.
6 2 2. Officials of a community=wide area who have submitted a
6 3 local governance and revenue model to the commission for
6 4 review may apply to the commission for a grant from the local
6 5 government innovation fund to implement all or a portion of
6 6 such governance and revenue model. Officials seeking a grant
6 7 from the fund shall complete an application form designed by
6 8 the commission. Minimum requirements for local government
6 9 grant requests shall be determined by the commission and
6 10 adopted by rule by the department of management.
6 11 3. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest
6 12 or earnings on moneys deposited in the local government
6 13 innovation fund shall be credited to the local government
6 14 innovation fund. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys
6 15 appropriated to and moneys remaining in the local government
6 16 innovation fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert
6 17 to the general fund of the state.
6 18 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 8.67A FUTURE REPEAL OF COMMISSION
6 19 AND FUND.
6 20 Sections 8.64 through 8.67 and this section are repealed
6 21 effective June 30, 2019.
6 22 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION. 8.68 TIM SHIELDS CENTER FOR
6 23 GOVERNING EXCELLENCE IN IOWA.
6 24 1. The commission shall establish the Tim Shields center
6 25 for governing excellence in Iowa. The purpose of the Tim
6 26 Shields center for governing excellence in Iowa is to do all
6 27 of the following:
6 28 a. Enhance the accountability, effectiveness, and
6 29 efficiency of Iowa's local governments and state agencies by
6 30 providing objective and nonpartisan research and training
6 31 support for policymakers and government officials.
6 32 b. Integrate the research capacities of the community
6 33 colleges and public and private universities located in this
6 34 state and of organizations representing local governments to
6 35 support management and policy research.
7 1 c. Facilitate dialogues among Iowa's state agencies, local
7 2 governments, community colleges, public and private
7 3 universities, organizations representing local governments,
7 4 and citizens on government policy design, implementation, and
7 5 evaluation.
7 6 2. After its creation, the center may solicit, accept, and
7 7 administer moneys contributed to the center by any source, and
7 8 may enter into contracts with public or private agencies or
7 9 may enter into agreements subject to chapter 28E with public
7 10 and private agencies in order to carry out its purposes. All
7 11 records of the center including but not limited to records of
7 12 donations to the center and contracts or agreements entered
7 13 into by the center shall be public records for purposes of
7 14 chapter 22.
7 15 3. The center shall submit an annual report of the
7 16 activities of the center to the governor and to the general
7 17 assembly as provided in section 7A.11A by January 15 of each
7 18 year.
7 19 4. The local government innovation commission created in
7 20 section 8.65, or a successor agency, shall oversee and direct
7 21 the activities of the Tim Shields center for governing
7 22 excellence in Iowa.
7 23 Sec. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of
7 24 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
7 25 SF 155
7 26 sc:rj/cc/26