Bill Text: IA SF165 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to relocating, establishing, and consolidating county seats. (Formerly SF 26.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-03-18 - Rereferred to Local Government. H.J. 507. [SF165 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-SF165-Introduced.html
Senate File 165 - Introduced SENATE FILE BY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT (SUCCESSOR TO SF 26) A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to relocating, establishing, and consolidating 2 county seats. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 1015SV (1) 86 aw/sc PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 331.331 Duties relating to county 1 2 seats == petition. 1 3 1. a. If a petition meeting the requirements of section 1 4 331.306 and subsection 5 of this section is filed with the 1 5 board of supervisors proposing a public measure to relocate 1 6 a county seat, establish an additional county seat, or 1 7 consolidate county seats, the board shall direct the county 1 8 commissioner of elections to submit the question on the 1 9 public measure to the registered voters of the county. 1 10 Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the 1 11 public measure may only be submitted to the electorate at the 1 12 general election for the office of president of the United 1 13 States next following the filing of the petition. 1 14 b. The board shall propose a plan to implement the 1 15 relocation, establishment, or consolidation within two 1 16 years, and shall gather information on costs associated 1 17 with implementing the plan and associated changes to county 1 18 emergency services. 1 19 2. a. The question to relocate a county seat shall be 1 20 submitted to the electors in substantially the following form: 1 21 Shall the county seat for (name of county) be relocated from 1 22 (name of city serving as county seat) to (name of city named on 1 23 the petition)? 1 24 b. The question to establish an additional county seat shall 1 25 be submitted to the electors in substantially the following 1 26 form: 1 27 Shall (name of county), with its county seat located at (name 1 28 of city serving as county seat), establish an additional county 1 29 seat at (name of city named on the petition)? 1 30 c. The question to consolidate county seats shall be 1 31 submitted to the electors in substantially the following form: 1 32 Shall the county seats for (name of county) be consolidated 1 33 from (name of city serving as county seat) and (name of 1 34 city serving as county seat) to (name of city named on the 1 35 petition)? 2 1 3. If a ballot includes a question under subsection 2, 2 2 the notice of election published pursuant to section 49.53 2 3 shall include a brief description of the proposed relocation, 2 4 establishment, or consolidation and a summary of information 2 5 provided by the board on costs associated with implementing 2 6 the board's plan and associated changes to county emergency 2 7 services if the public measure is adopted. 2 8 4. A public measure under subsection 2 is adopted if 2 9 the vote cast in favor of the question is equal to at least 2 10 sixty percent of the total votes cast for and against the 2 11 question. If the public measure is adopted, the board shall, 2 12 notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, proceed 2 13 to implement its plan to relocate, establish, or consolidate 2 14 county seats. 2 15 5. a. The board shall dismiss a petition filed under this 2 16 section as invalid if adoption of the public measure would 2 17 result in a violation of section 331.332. 2 18 b. The board shall dismiss a petition filed under this 2 19 section as invalid if it is filed with the board less than 2 20 eighty=two days before the next general election for the office 2 21 of president of the United States. 2 22 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 331.332 County seats == limitations. 2 23 1. A county shall have at least one, and not more than two, 2 24 county seats at any one time. 2 25 2. The county seat must be located within the county. 2 26 EXPLANATION 2 27 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 2 28 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 2 29 This bill requires a county, upon filing of a valid 2 30 petition, to submit to the voters a public measure to relocate, 2 31 establish, or consolidate county seats. 2 32 The bill provides that if a valid petition is filed with 2 33 the board of supervisors, proposing a public measure to 2 34 relocate a county seat, establish an additional county seat, 2 35 or consolidate county seats, the board shall propose a plan 3 1 to implement the relocation, establishment, or consolidation 3 2 within two years. 3 3 The bill requires the county commissioner of elections 3 4 to submit the public measure to the registered voters at the 3 5 general election for the office of president of the United 3 6 States next following the filing of the petition. A public 3 7 measure to relocate, establish, or consolidate a county seat is 3 8 adopted if the vote cast in favor is at least 60 percent of the 3 9 total votes cast for and against the public measure. The board 3 10 is required to implement its plan to relocate, establish, or 3 11 consolidate county seats if the public measure is adopted. 3 12 The bill provides that the notice of election required to 3 13 be published shall contain a brief description of the proposed 3 14 relocation, establishment, or consolidation and a summary of 3 15 information provided by the board of supervisors on costs 3 16 associated with implementing its plan and associated changes to 3 17 county emergency services if the measure is adopted. 3 18 The bill requires a county to have at least one, but not more 3 19 than two, county seats at any one time and that a county seat 3 20 must be located within the county. The bill requires that the 3 21 board of supervisors dismiss a petition as invalid if adoption 3 22 of the public measure would violate these requirements or if 3 23 the petition is filed less than 82 days before the next general 3 24 election for the office of president of the United States. LSB 1015SV (1) 86 aw/sc
