Bill Text: IA HF244 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the election of commissioners of soil and water conservation districts. (See HF 469.)
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-08 - Withdrawn. H.J. 562. [HF244 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2017-HF244-Introduced.html
House File 244 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY WILLS A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to the election of commissioners of soil and 2 water conservation districts. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 2107YH (4) 87 da/rj PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 161A.5, subsection 2, Code 2017, is 1 2 amended to read as follows: 1 3 2. a. The governing body of each district shall consist of 1 4 five commissioners elected on a nonpartisan basis for staggered 1 5 four=year terms commencing on the first day of January that is 1 6 not a Sunday or holiday following their election. 1 7 b. Any eligible elector residing in the district is eligible 1 8 to the office of commissioner, except thatnonot more than 1 9one commissionertwo commissioners shall at any one time be 1 10 a resident of any one township. A vacancy is created in 1 11 the office of any commissioner who changes residence into a 1 12 township whereanother commissionertwo commissioners then 1 13residesreside. 1 14 c. If a commissioner is absent for sixty or more percent 1 15 of monthly meetings during any twelve=month period, the other 1 16 commissioners by their unanimous vote may declare the member's 1 17 office vacant. A vacancy in the office of commissioner 1 18 shall be filled by appointment of the state soil conservation 1 19 committee until the next succeeding general election, at which 1 20 time the balance of the unexpired term shall be filled as 1 21 provided by section 69.12. 1 22 Sec. 2. Section 161A.5, subsection 3, paragraph e, Code 1 23 2017, is amended to read as follows: 1 24 e. If the canvass shows thatthetwo or three candidates 1 25 receiving the highestand the second highestnumber of votes 1 26 for the office ofdistrictcommissioner arebothall residents 1 27 of the same township, the board shall certify as elected the 1 28candidate who received thetwo candidates receiving the highest 1 29 number of votes for the office and the candidate receiving 1 30 the next highest number of votes for the office who is not 1 31 a resident of the same townshipas the candidate receiving 1 32 the highest number of votes, if any. If one commissioner 1 33 whose term has not expired is a resident of the township, 1 34 and the canvass shows that two or three candidates receiving 1 35 the highest number of votes for the office are from the same 2 1 township, the board shall certify as elected the candidate 2 2 receiving the highest number of votes for the office and the 2 3 candidate receiving the next highest number of votes for the 2 4 office who is not a resident of the same township, if any, as 2 5 the candidate receiving the highest number of votes. 2 6 EXPLANATION 2 7 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 2 8 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 2 9 BILL. This bill provides that two out of five soil and water 2 10 conservation commissioners may reside in the same township. 2 11 BACKGROUND. The state contains 100 soil and water 2 12 conservation districts whose respective jurisdictions are 2 13 generally based on county lines. Each district is governed 2 14 by nonpartisan commissioners who are elected to serve 2 15 for four=year staggered terms. Under current law, only 2 16 one commissioner may reside in a single township and if 2 17 a commissioner moves to live in a township where another 2 18 commissioner resides, the moving commissioner's office becomes 2 19 vacant and a replacement is appointed for the unexpired term by 2 20 the state soil conservation committee. LSB 2107YH (4) 87 da/rj
