ISAC Update: 1.22.16
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86th Iowa General Assembly, Second Session, Week Two
This week the Iowa legislature focused work on subcommittee and full committee meetings. The start of the biggest debate of session began again between the House and Senate over school aid with the Senate continuing to support a 4% increase in funding and the House amending the Senate proposal for a 2% increase. Without an early resolution in addressing education funding indicates another protracted session.
· NEW Leadership Meetings
· NEW County Demolition Costs
· NEW Iowa Public Agency Investment Trust
· NEW Utilities in Public Road Right-of-Way
· NEW County Budget Consultation
· NEW Nonpartisan Election Bills Update
· NEW Legislative Tracking Tool
· Weekly Legislative Forums
· County Day at the Capitol
New and Noteworthy
· NEW Free Workers’ Compensation Regional Workshops
· Spring School Registration Now Open
· Statewide Supervisors Meeting – Registration is Open!
· Mitigation Method for Iowa
· Derelict Building Program
Leadership Meetings
On Tuesday, 2016 ISAC President Joan McCalmant, and the ISAC Government Relations team met with Iowa Senate leadership to outline ISAC’s legislative priorities and objectives. Similar meetings will also be set with leadership from the Iowa House and the Governor’s office. Click here to view photos from the meetings.
County Demolition Costs
SSB 3016 passed out of a Senate State Government subcommittee on Wednesday. The bill would create a demolition cost reserve, like that available to cities, for certain fire and casualty insurance claims in the unincorporated portion of the county. The reserve is used for demolition costs incurred by the county if a damaged and uninhabitable property is not repaired or demolished by the owner in a timely manner. ISAC is registered in favor of SSB 3016.
Click here to comment on County Demolition Costs.
Iowa Public Agency Investment Trust
HSB 504 passed out of a House Commerce subcommittee on Thursday. The bill, one of ISAC’s legislative objectives, would allow a joint investment trust such as the Iowa Public Agency Investment Trust (IPAIT) to be operated in accordance with the requirements of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). This change is necessary because of recent changes to SEC Rule 2a-7 that will affect the way money market funds are required to value the securities in their portfolios. If IPAIT is able to be regulated by GASB it would be able to continue with the same valuation methods and types of investments as current. For a more in-depth explanation please review the IPAIT legislative objective by clicking here. ISAC is registered in favor of HSB 504 and HF 2035 dealing with the same subject.
Click here to comment on the IPAIT bill.
Utilities in Public Road Right-of-Way
HSB 506 passed out of a House Commerce subcommittee on Thursday. The bill would expand the definition of a public utility to include electric transmission owners who are primarily providing service to public utilities for purposes of construction, operation, and repair in a public road right-of-way. ISAC is registered Undecided on HSB 506.
Click here to comment on the Utilities in Public Road Right-of-Way.
County Budget Consultation
A Senate Local Government subcommittee meeting was held on SF 2007 on Thursday. The bill would require the board of supervisors to consult with other elected officials and department heads if a particular department’s proposed budget was changed by the supervisors. ISAC believes that such a consultation is a great idea and a professional courtesy the supervisors should be offering, but on principle we oppose the state dictating it by changing a “may” to a “shall” in Iowa Code. For those reasons we registered Undecided and spoke in favor of the practice and in opposition to the mandate from the state. SF 2007 did not gain the necessary votes to move on to the full committee.
Click here to comment on County Budget Consultation.
Nonpartisan Election Bills Update
Last week we alerted you to five bills that would individually make each of the county officials except supervisors chosen in a nonpartisan election. We have received a tremendous amount of feedback from our members with a lot of support and a lot of opposition. At this time we will remain registered Undecided because of all of the varying opinions and encourage everyone to contact their individual legislators to share your thoughts. A subcommittee has been assigned and a meeting has been set for next Tuesday, January 26, at 11:30 am in the House Lounge. The subcommittee meetings are open to the public and you are welcome to attend to share your thoughts on the proposed legislation. You can also contact the subcommittee members at the email addresses listed below or by calling the House switchboard at 515.281.3221.
Representative Dawn Pettengill (R-Benton), Chair –
Representative Tom Moore (R-Cass) –
Representative Mary Mascher (D-Johnson) –
Click here to comment on the nonpartisan election bills.
Legislative Tracking Tool
During the legislative session it is important for county officials to stay up-to-date on legislation that has the potential to affect them. One place to go for this information is the ISAC Legislative Tracking Tool. Click here to access the tool. You can search for all bills by title, affiliate, or ISAC position. The tracking tool is linked to the General Assembly’s website so if you click on the bill number it will pull up the current bill for you to review. If there are any amendments filed for the bill those will be shown as well.
All bills are given a designation of F, U, A, FYI, Tr, or NA. F = ISAC is registered in favor of the bill. U = ISAC is registered undecided on the bill. A = ISAC is registered against the bill. FYI = ISAC is looking into whether or not counties would be impacted by the bill or is waiting for feedback. Track = there is an impact to counties on how a county office carries out its duties but nothing large that needs to be lobbied on, and ISAC staff is keeping an eye on it. NA = bills that are not applicable to counties.
There are three columns for ISAC position since a position on a bill can change due to amendments that are adopted.
It is important to check back often to see what new bills have been added for your affiliate. ISAC staff appreciates any feedback you can give them on the impact of legislation or recommendations on what ISAC’s position should be. Click here to access the Legislative Comment Form.
Weekly Legislative Forums
Most legislators conduct forums back in their home districts on Fridays and the weekends to seek constituent feedback on a variety of topics. These can be an effective tool to advance and address issues that are vital to counties. A link to these forums can be found here:
http://www.iowahouserepublicans.com/forums
http://iowahouse.org/events/
http://www.iowasenatedemocrats.com/events
http://www.iowasenaterepublicans.com/events/
County Day at the Capitol
Please plan to attend County Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 9. This is a free event held annually to promote the importance of county government to the public and legislators. Lunch will be served, so pre-registration is required. Click here for more information and to register.
Free Workers’ Compensation Regional Workshops
Join the Iowa Municipalities Workers' Compensation Association (IMWCA) for one of six Regional Workshops this February in Atlantic, Cherokee, Coralville, Osceola, Independence and Franklin County (Hampton). Click here for more information and to register. This year’s events include discussion and presentations on PPE – Common Mistakes and Solutions; a Workers’ Compensation Update, including information on payroll worksheets, NCCI rates and split-points, claims reporting and more; and Slips, Trips and Falls – The IMWCA Experience.
Spring School Registration is Now Open
Registration and hotel rooms for the ISAC Spring School of Instruction being held on March 10-11 at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown are currently available. Click here to register. Find all information on the Spring School website - http://www.iowacounties.org/meetings-and-events/spring-school-of-instruction/.
If you did not get into the Des Moines Marriott Downtown and wish to stay there, please contact and request to be placed on the Marriott waiting list. She will contact everyone on the waiting list when rooms become available. Please make reservations at an alternate hotel prior to placing yourself on the waiting list. The waiting list does not guarantee that you will get a room at the Marriott.
Statewide Supervisors Meeting – Registration is Open!
Registration is now open for the 2016 Statewide Supervisors Meeting being held on Thursday, February 11 at the Embassy Suites Des Moines Downtown. Please click here for a full agenda and to register. Pre-registration will close at 4:30 pm on Thursday, February 4.
Mitigation Method for Iowa
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) held a stakeholder meeting concerning the draft method for the mitigation of streams on January 12, 2016. If you were unable to attend the meeting but would like to provide feedback, please send your comments to Claire Hruby at by February 15, 2016.
In 2008 the Army Corps of Engineers and EPA revised their mitigation requirements for projects that adversely impact the functions and values of streams and wetlands. Since that time, there continues to be a degree of uncertainty as to the quantitative and qualitative requirements for stream mitigation. Many states have worked with their Corps district to develop a method that includes a point system to determine both the impact caused by a project as well as a parallel system to determine mitigation. The Iowa DNR has been working with the Rock Island District for a couple of years to develop a stream mitigation method for the state of Iowa. DNR has had the advantage of examining the methods adopted by the Corps for other states and now has a draft method that they believe meets the requirements of the Corps and will streamline mitigation needs for Iowans. Before they submit the draft method to the Corps, they would like to gather input from as many stakeholders as possible.
Derelict Building Program
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Derelict Building Program offers Iowa communities’ financial assistance to address neglected structures that have sat vacant for at least six months and reside in a town or area of a county with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. The Program’s main focus is landfill diversion through the recycling and reuse of building materials. Established in 2011, the program has assisted 56 communities, diverted over 35,000 tons of materials, and saved over $1 million in landfill disposal costs. The application deadline for our 2016 round of projects is February 26, 2016. For more information or assistance with the application process please contact Scott Flagg at 515.725.8318 or or click here to learn more about the program.
Contact Information:
Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC)
5500 Westown Parkway, Suite 190, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Phone: 515.244.7181 Fax: 515.244.6397
www.iowacounties.org
This ISAC Update is being sent to all ISAC members.