House File 244 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1relating to the election of commissioners of soil and
2water conservation districts.
3BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1   Section 1.  Section 161A.5, subsection 2, Code 2017, is
2amended to read as follows:
   32.  a.  The governing body of each district shall consist of
4five commissioners elected on a nonpartisan basis for staggered
5four-year terms commencing on the first day of January that is
6not a Sunday or holiday following their election.
   7b.  Any eligible elector residing in the district is eligible
8to the office of commissioner, except that no not more than
9one commissioner two commissioners shall at any one time be
10a resident of any one township. A vacancy is created in
11the office of any commissioner who changes residence into a
12township where another commissioner two commissioners then
13resides reside.
   14c.  If a commissioner is absent for sixty or more percent
15of monthly meetings during any twelve-month period, the other
16commissioners by their unanimous vote may declare the member’s
17office vacant. A vacancy in the office of commissioner
18shall be filled by appointment of the state soil conservation
19committee until the next succeeding general election, at which
20time the balance of the unexpired term shall be filled as
21provided by section 69.12.
22   Sec. 2.  Section 161A.5, subsection 3, paragraph e, Code
232017, is amended to read as follows:
   24e.  If the canvass shows that the two or three candidates
25receiving the highest and the second highest number of votes
26for the office of district commissioner are both all residents
27of the same township, the board shall certify as elected the
28candidate who received the two candidates receiving the highest
29number of votes for the office and the candidate receiving
30the next highest number of votes for the office who is not
31a resident of the same township as the candidate receiving
32the highest number of votes
, if anyIf one commissioner
33whose term has not expired is a resident of the township,
34and the canvass shows that two or three candidates receiving
35the highest number of votes for the office are from the same
-1-1township, the board shall certify as elected the candidate
2receiving the highest number of votes for the office and the
3candidate receiving the next highest number of votes for the
4office who is not a resident of the same township, if any, as
5the candidate receiving the highest number of votes.

6EXPLANATION
7The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
8the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   9BILL. This bill provides that two out of five soil and water
10conservation commissioners may reside in the same township.
   11BACKGROUND. The state contains 100 soil and water
12conservation districts whose respective jurisdictions are
13generally based on county lines. Each district is governed
14by nonpartisan commissioners who are elected to serve
15for four-year staggered terms. Under current law, only
16one commissioner may reside in a single township and if
17a commissioner moves to live in a township where another
18commissioner resides, the moving commissioner’s office becomes
19vacant and a replacement is appointed for the unexpired term by
20the state soil conservation committee.
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