ISAC Legislative Update



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ISAC Update: 4.8.16

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86th Iowa General Assembly, Second Session, Week 13

The end of week 13 brought agreement on joint budget targets between the House and Senate for each of the major areas of appropriations for the 2017 budget. The final details will be worked out in the various appropriations subcommittees, full appropriations committees, and finally by each chamber. Tuesday, April 19 is the 100th day of session and when legislators’ per diem expenses run out. Legislators at this time are confident they can conclude work for this session sometime during that week.

• NEW ACTION ALERT – Mental Health and Disability Services Funding

• NEW Electronic Filing

• NEW Delinquent Court Debt

• NEW Bills Signed by the Governor

• Weekly Legislative Forums

New and Noteworthy

• NEW Innovation in American Government Awards

• NEW Apply for the Healthiest Counties Challenge

• Iowa Employment Conference

• ISAC Educational Webinar: Effective Leadership

• ISAC NACo Board Representative

• ISAC Leadership Institute – District Seminars

• Smart Connections Conference

ACTION ALERT – Mental Health and Disability Services Funding

Next week the future of funding for the regional based mental health and disability services system is at a critical juncture as it is likely that SF 2236 will be considered by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. As previously outlined, SF 2236, is a bill supported by ISAC that lifts the 1996 levy caps but maintains the $47.28 per capita restriction. This would allow the counties the ability to provide levy equity within the regions that currently isn’t permitted under the 1996 caps and provides financial stability for all of the regions. This is a legislative priority for ISAC and we encourage all members to contact their legislators in support of SF 2236 and tell them how important a long term funding solution is to the future of the mental health and disability services system in Iowa. To contact your local senator and representative click on below:

• Senators

• Representatives

Click here to comment on mental health and disability services funding.

Electronic Filing

The Senate concurred with the House amendment and passed SF 2228 on Wednesday. The bill requires the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop a system for the electronic submission of applications for vehicle registration and certificates of title, and implement the system by January 1, 2018. If the system is not in place by the deadline, the bill allows an individual to apply for the registration and title in a contiguous county. The bill also includes provisions relating to auto dealers and the registration process. ISAC is registered Undecided on SF 2228 which now goes to the Governor for final approval.

Click here to comment on electronic filing.

Delinquent Court Debt

Another one of the remaining issues of the 2017 session that ISAC is watching closely are the efforts of the Iowa County Attorneys Association to remedy the changes that were made at the end of the 2016 session that would extremely reduce the ability of county attorneys to collect delinquent court debt. Currently members of the Iowa Senate are working on a bill draft to address this and we strongly encourage ISAC members to support the Iowa County Attorneys Association as they move forward with their proposal.

Click here to comment on delinquent court debt.

Bills Signed by the Governor

HF 617 – gets rid of current process for special plates and replaces with process to issue registration plates with blank space for organization’s emblem. The Department of Transportation (DOT) will approve and the organization will issue the emblem.

HF 2345 – requires county engineers to file annual reports with the Department of Transportation (DOT) on the use of Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF) dollars to repair or replace structurally deficient bridges. The report would include details on fully functional bridges and work completed or pending on deficient bridges. Three year sunset.

HF 2363 – prohibits a governmental body from excluding a member of the body from closed session unless there was a conflict of interest and the member did not voluntarily recuse themselves from the closed session.

HF 2385 – increases civil penalties for illegal dumping and allocates 50% of the money to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and 50% to the General Fund of the county where the offense occurred for use in clean-up and prevention.

SF 2144 – establishes exceptions to mental health disclosure prohibitions that would allow for the voluntary care coordination of a patient’s mental and medical health records.

SF 2242 – allows county auditors to designate city clerks to receive nomination papers for candidates for city elected office.

SF 2276 – puts in place formatting requirements for land survey documents to be filed with the county recorder. It also requires a land surveyor to be hired for the purpose of locating and preserving survey monuments if they are likely to be removed or destroyed during a public improvement project.

Click here to comment on bills signed by the Governor.

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:









Innovation in American Government Awards

Applications are now being accepted for the $100,000 Innovations in American Government Awarded offered by Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Click here to download the applications and for all additional information. The application deadline is April 15, 2016.

Apply for the Healthiest Counties Challenge

Is public health a priority in your county? Submit a proposal for the Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge!  The Challenge aims to improve measurable health outcomes and promote health, wellness, equity and social interaction through practical, evidence-based strategies and cross-sector collaboration. Cities and counties selected to participate in the Challenge must have strong cross-sector teams focused on public health issues that reflect community priorities. Challenge participants that demonstrate measurable results are eligible to win up to $500,000. The deadline for submitting a proposal is May 31 at 5 p.m. EDT. For more information, visit . 

 

All counties and cities are eligible to submit a proposal for the Challenge.* There are two tiers of participants based upon population size. Tier 1 – counties and cities with populations between 65,000 and 250,000. Tier 2 – counties and cities with populations between 250,001 and 600,000 AND counties and cities with populations over 600,000 whose proposal targets a segment of their population that is between 65,000 and 600,000. *Counties and cities with less than the minimum population of 65,000 are also eligible to submit a proposal if they partner with another county or city and their combined population is between 65,000 and 600,000. Direct questions to Debbie Nadzam, Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge Director, at 216.523.7348 or hccc@.

Iowa Employment Conference

The Iowa Employment Conference is being held April 20-21, 2016, in Altoona at the Meadows Events and Conference Center. Click here to register if you haven’t already registered, and click here to view the agenda that is full of great content and speakers. In an effort to go green and to reduce the waste of paper, every participant will receive a USB flash drive at registration with the presentation materials that have been provided to download. Printed materials will not be available at the conference. An email will be sent to all attendees two weeks prior to the conference with instructions on accessing materials.

ISAC Educational Webinars: Effective Leadership

Effective Leadership – It’s Not Just Bossing Anymore!

Wednesday, April 20

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

 

Join us from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm on Wednesday, April 20 for this special edition educational webinar that will give you a sneak peak of the ISAC Leadership Institute and its presentation of “Effective Leadership – It’s Not Just Bossing Anymore!” This session is a must for those in any type of leadership role as it discusses effective leadership and defines the role of the supervisor or manager as a leader in the organization – not just a “boss.” It stresses the leader’s responsibility to grow and nurture employees and teaches effective practices for ensuring a leader gets the most from employees. This class pays particular attention to the element of developing a relationship of trust and respect between the leader and team members and provides strategies for INSPIRING employees to be effective and productive in their jobs. Please click here to view more information about the full class including dates and locations.

ISAC NACo Board Representative

NOTICE: Pursuant to the ISAC bylaws, notice is hereby given that ISAC is accepting applications for the position of ISAC NACo (National Association of Counties) representative. The ISAC NACo representative is selected by the ISAC Board of Directors.

The duties of the ISAC NACo representative include attending four NACo Board of Directors meetings a year around the country and representing Iowa on the NACo Board of Directors.

The ISAC NACo representative is automatically a member of the ISAC Board of Directors as well. The ISAC NACo representative will be required to attend nine ISAC Board meetings annually and report to the ISAC Board regarding NACo.

Applicants must be either county officials or county employees. Applicants must be from a county that is a member of NACo.

The term of the ISAC NACo representative is three years, and commences in July 2016 at the conclusion of the NACo Annual Conference. A person may serve a maximum of three terms.

This is an unpaid position. ISAC will reimburse the ISAC NACo representative for all reasonable travel expenses to attend the NACo Board of Directors meetings and ISAC Board of Directors meetings.

Applications are available on the ISAC website at or by calling the ISAC office at 515.244.7181.

Applications must be received by 4:30 pm on April 25, 2016, at the following address or by email:

Iowa State Association of Counties

Attn: William R. Peterson, Executive Director

5500 Westown Parkway, Suite 190

West Des Moines, Iowa 50266

Email: bpeterson@

ISAC Leadership Institute – District Seminars

Join us in each of ISAC’s six districts for the ISAC Leadership Institute. Effective Leadership – It’s Not Just Bossing Anymore! will be presented in the following dates and locations.

• District 1 – May 11 – Des Moines

• District 2 – May 12 – Mason City

• District 6 – May 13 – Cedar Rapids

• District 5 – May 25 – Ottumwa

• District 4 – June 1 – Atlantic

• District 3 – June 2 – Storm Lake

 

Registration is limited to 30 seats per district and is open to all ISAC members in any district. The Institute has been approved for Recorder Certification Program and Iowa Certified Treasurer Program credit hours. Click here for more information, a detailed class description and to register. Contact Brad Holtan, bholtan@ or 515.244.7181, with any questions.

Smart Connections Conference

ISAC, the Iowa League of Cities, and County Strategic Technology Advisory Resource (CoSTAR) in cooperation with the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP) wish to announce the 2016 Smart Connections Conference being held on April 28, 2016 at the Holiday Inn Airport in Des Moines. This one-day conference is meant for all local government officials who want to learn to become secure and safe at home and in the workplace while using email, mobile devices and more. The conference will feature Keynote Speaker Bryan Seely. Please click here for more information and to register. Due to limited seating, pre-registration is required for a minimal $75 fee that includes all materials, lunch and morning refreshments.

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



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