IN THE SUPREME COURT OF IOWA 

No. 41 / 06-0026 

Filed May 26, 2006 

LISA KRAGNES, 

 Appellee, 

vs. 

CITY OF DES MOINES, IOWA,

 Appellant. 

Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Michael D. 

Huppert, Judge. 

 The city appeals a district court ruling granting a citizen’s motion for 

partial summary judgment holding that the city’s assessment of franchise 

fees is an illegal tax. REVERSED AND CASE REMANDED WITH 

DIRECTIONS. 

Mark Godwin, Deputy City Attorney, Des Moines, for appellant. 

Bradley P. Schroeder of Hartung & Schroeder, Des Moines, for 

appellee. 

Terrence L. Timmons, Des Moines, for amicus curiae Iowa League of 

Cities. 
 2

Ivan T. Webber and James R. Wainwright of Ahlers & Cooney, P.C., 

Des Moines, for amici curiae Cities of Sioux City, Dubuque, Early, 

Oskaloosa, Manchester, Algona, and West Des Moines. 

John V. Donnelly of Sullivan & Ward, P.C., West Des Moines, for 

amicus curiae Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives. 
 3

WIGGINS, Justice. 

 A citizen of the city of Des Moines brought an action against the city 

alleging the franchise fees the city assessed in its franchise agreements for 

gas and electric power services are illegal taxes. Both parties moved for 

summary judgment on this issue. The district court found the franchise 

fees were illegal taxes and enjoined the city from collecting the fees. 

Although we continue to adhere to our view that any franchise fee charged 

by a city must be reasonably related to the city’s administrative expenses in 

the exercise of its police power in order not to constitute an illegal tax, we 

find there is a genuine issue of material fact as to whether all or part of the 

franchise fees in this case are so related. Accordingly, we reverse the 

district court’s ruling and remand the case for further proceedings. 

 I. Background Facts and Proceedings. 

 In 1960, the City of Des Moines (City) entered into an electric 

franchise agreement with Iowa Power and Light Company, a predecessor in 

interest to MidAmerican Energy Company (MidAmerican). The ordinance 

contained “an annual franchise, occupation or privilege tax” of one percent 

of the gross receipts derived from the company’s distribution and sale of 

electric energy to customers within the corporate limits of the City. That 

same year, the City entered into a similar agreement with Iowa Power and 

Light Company concerning the distribution and sale of natural gas. This 

ordinance contained “an annual franchise, occupation or privilege tax” of 

two percent of the gross receipts derived from the company’s distribution 

and sale of natural gas to customers within the corporate limits of the City. 

 After the expiration of the 1960 franchise agreements, the agreements 

were updated by ordinances. Iowa Power and Light Company retained the 

electric franchise for a fee equal to one percent of the gross receipts derived 
 4

from the company’s sale of electric energy to customers within the corporate 

limits of the City. Midwest Gas Company held the gas franchise for a fee 

equal to one percent of the gross receipts derived from the company’s sale of 

natural gas to customers within the corporate limits of the City. 

 On May 6, 2004, the governor signed a bill phasing out the sales and 

use taxes on the sale and furnishing of gas and electricity for residential 

use. 2004 Iowa Acts ch. 1133, § 1 (codified at Iowa Code § 423.3(84) 

(2005)). The legislation reduced the sales tax from five percent to two 

percent on residential users of gas and electricity billed on or after 

January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2004. Iowa Code § 423.3(84)(b)(1). 

The legislation further reduced the sales tax to one percent on residential 

users of gas and electricity billed on or after January 1, 2005, through 

December 31, 2005. Id. § 423.3(84)(b)(2). Finally, the legislation eliminated 

the sales tax on residential users of gas and electricity billed on or after 

January 1, 2006. Id. § 423.3(84)(b)(3). 

 At the time the governor signed the bill phasing out these sales and 

use taxes, the City was experiencing problems in delivering services to its 

residents because of diminishing funding from the state. The City was 

considering increasing its property taxes to hire more police and firefighters, 

fix deteriorating neighborhoods and streets, and maintain the library’s 

hours. When the City realized the state was phasing out the sales and use 

taxes on residential gas and electric service, it recognized that if it replaced 

the sales and use taxes with a higher franchise fee, the actual cost of 

electricity and gas to the residential customers would not change. In 

deciding whether it should raise property taxes or increase the franchise 

fees, the city manager’s office distributed a summary proposal giving an 

overview of franchise fees. The overview provided: 
 5

• A city may amend its electric light and power and/or 

gasworks franchise to provide for collection of a 

franchise fee under the Iowa Code. (Iowa Code § 364.2) 

• The city council may grant, amend, extend or renew an 

electric light and power, heating or gasworks franchise 

without an election, subject only to the possibility of a 

reverse referendum petition. (Iowa Code § 364.2(4)(b)). 

However, a public hearing must be held. 

• There is no statutory limit on the level of franchise fee to 

be collected, although as with any user fee it should bear 

a relationship to the cost to the city of the utility’s 

occupancy of public areas in the city. 

• Currently, all Iowa cities collecting franchise fees do so 

based on gross receipts. This would not have to be the 

basis of a franchise fee – in other words, the Code does 

not prohibit the collection of fees based on the “units 

sold” (e.g. therms or kwhs). 

• A city must have a valid franchise ordinance in place 

that authorizes the collection of the fee. 

• Franchise fees can only be collected from customers for 

facilities located within the corporate limits of the city 

imposing the fee. 

• City facilities are exempted from collection of franchise 

fees. (Iowa Code § 364.2(4)(f)) 

• A city can exempt certain customer groups from 

collection of franchise fees. Algona collects franchise 

fees only on the distribution charges of gas 

transportation customers, not on the gas supply costs of 

transportation customers. Any exemption would have to 

be made on a nondiscriminatory basis. 

• If a city imposes a local option sales tax, the enactment 

of an ordinance which imposes a franchise fee will 

eliminate the ability of the city to lawfully impose a local 

option sales tax on the sale or use of natural gas, 

natural gas service, electricity or electric service. (Iowa 

Code §§ 422B.8, 422E.3(2)) 

• 28E agreements have been used to transfer funds 

collected via franchise fees between governmental bodies. 

Rock Valley will be using a 28E agreement to transfer 

funds to the local school district to replace school 

funding that had been collected through a local option 

tax. 
 6

• A city which collects franchise fees can not also collect a 

fee for the use of its right of ways. (Iowa Code §§ 480A.3, 

480A.6) 

• MidAmerican Energy Company’s role is to collect the fees 

established by the city ordinance and remit them to the 

city. 

After determining an increase in the franchise fee was preferable to a 

property tax increase, the City proceeded to negotiate updated franchise 

agreements for gas and electric service with MidAmerican, which at the time 

held the franchise agreements with the City to provide it with gas and 

electric services. The updated agreements extended the gas and electric 

franchises for an additional ten years. The agreements also increased the 

franchise fee to three percent for gas and three percent for electricity 

effective September 2004. The agreements also permitted the city council to 

further increase the franchise fees to an amount not greater than six 

percent on a majority vote of the city council after giving the public fourteen 

days advance notice. 

 The City placed the ordinances amending the gas and electric 

franchises on the city council agenda for June 7, 2004. Prior to the council 

meeting, the city manager prepared a council communication regarding the 

franchise ordinances. The communication contained the following 

statements: 

At present, the City is facing a number of critical issues: the 

need for more police and firefighters required to meet homeland 

security responsibilities; deteriorating neighborhoods and 

streets; and reduced library hours. The need for higher 

property taxes is on the horizon to fulfill these basic service 

needs. Furthermore, the State is poised to eliminate more aid 

to local governments (i.e., Homestead and Veterans credits) 

which will further limit the City’s capacity to maintain services. 

Over the last several years, resources and staff have been 

stretched to cope with the challenges of providing quality 

services while funding has diminished. However, a franchise 

fee increase offers the best alternative funding opportunity to 
 7

assure adequate and essential services are provided to the 

citizens of Des Moines. The net effects are minimal to residents 

because the fee structure adjusts to the historical rate once 

paid in 2001. . . . 

. . . . 

If the franchise fee were not available it would require a 

property tax rate increase to cover the costs for the same level 

of services needed. . . . 

. . . . 

I recommend committing [the franchise fees] to basic services 

of the city, which includes additional police officers (12) and 

firefighters (24), street reconstruction in neighborhoods, and 

reinstated library hours. 

In lieu of increasing the property tax, the City passed the ordinances 

amending the franchise agreements, raising the franchise fee to three 

percent on gas and three percent on electricity. The Iowa utilities board 

approved the amended franchise agreements. 

 In September 2004, the City began receiving the increased fees. The 

City deposited the revenue generated by the franchise fees in its general 

fund. The 2004 increase in the franchise fees allowed the City to enact one 

of the largest property tax cuts in its history. In January 2005, the city 

manager reported to the mayor and the council that the increased franchise 

fees were generating enough revenue to restore the library hours, hire 

twenty-four additional firefighters, hire twelve additional police officers, 

provide low-income assistance to persons to have their utility services 

reconnected, make four economic development grants, make a grant to the 

Des Moines school system, fund improvement of the City’s roads, and place 

$750,000 in the City’s reserves. 

 In March 2005, the city council revisited the franchise ordinances. A 

majority of the city council passed a resolution increasing the franchise fee 

from three percent to five percent on gas and from three percent to five 

percent on electricity. This increase was effective June 1, 2005. 
 8

 In the meantime, Lisa Kragnes filed a petition in equity on behalf of 

herself and all others similarly situated challenging the City’s charging of 

the franchise fees expressed as a percentage of billings imposed on gas and 

electric utilities provided by MidAmerican. Kragnes, a resident of Des 

Moines, has been a customer of MidAmerican for her gas and electric 

utilities since 1994. In her petition, she claimed the franchise fees, charged 

and collected by the City through its franchise agreements with 

MidAmerican, are illegal taxes. Kragnes sought a declaratory judgment 

and/or order of mandamus ordering the City to reimburse her and other 

class members for all franchise fees paid dating back to the time allowed by 

the applicable statute of limitations until the end of the litigation. She also 

requested an injunction prohibiting the City from enforcing and/or 

collecting such franchise fees in the future. 

 The City answered Kragnes’s petition denying various paragraphs of 

the petition. The City also asserted several affirmative defenses including 

the court’s lack of jurisdiction to hear the case, Kragnes’s failure to state a 

claim for which relief could be granted, Kragnes’s lack of standing, claim 

preclusion based on the doctrine of laches, and Kragnes’s failure to join 

indispensable parties to the case. 

 Kragnes filed her first motion for partial summary judgment asserting 

the Iowa utilities board did not have exclusive jurisdiction, she did not fail 

to exhaust her administrative remedies, and the present suit was not a 

collateral attack on a final agency action. The City did not resist the 

motion. The district court granted Kragnes partial summary judgment on 

these issues, finding it had subject matter jurisdiction of the case and 

Kragnes stated a claim upon which relief could be granted. 
 9

 The City filed a motion for summary judgment claiming there was no 

genuine issue of material fact in dispute that the franchise fees on gas and 

electric service it was collecting were “not illegal sales taxes.” On the same 

day, Kragnes filed her second motion for partial summary judgment 

claiming there was no genuine issue of material fact in dispute that the 

franchise fees on gas and electric service collected by the City were “outside 

the scope of its legal authority to tax.” 

 The district court denied the City’s motion for summary judgment and 

granted Kragnes’s second motion for partial summary judgment. In its 

ruling, the district court found no genuine issue of material fact existed and 

declared the franchise fees to be illegal taxes. The court enjoined the City 

from collecting or assessing the franchise fees under the ordinances. The 

City filed a motion for stay without supersedeas bond. The court denied the 

motion but limited the injunction to the collection and assessment of the 

franchise fees to only Kragnes. 

 The City filed a notice of appeal, which we treated as an application 

for interlocutory appeal. We granted the City’s application. The district 

court issued an order staying any further proceedings, including the issue 

of class certification, pending this appeal. 

 II. Issue. 

 The issue presented is whether the district court erred when it held 

no genuine issue of material fact existed and determined the franchise fees 

were illegal taxes. 

 III. Scope of Review. 

 Actions tried in equity are ordinarily reviewed de novo. State ex rel. 

Miller v. Cutty’s Des Moines Camping Club, Inc., 694 N.W.2d 518, 524 (Iowa 

2005). However, because the district court resolved this case on motions 
 10

for summary judgment, our review is for the correction of errors at law. Id. 

We have said: 

“If there are no disputed issues of material fact and the moving 

party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, summary 

judgment is appropriate. We can resolve a matter on summary 

judgment if the record reveals a conflict only concerns the legal 

consequences of undisputed facts.” 

City of Cedar Rapids v. James Props., Inc., 701 N.W.2d 673, 675 (Iowa 2005) 

(citation omitted). In determining whether summary judgment is proper, we 

examine the record in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party and 

we draw all legitimate inferences the evidence bears in order to establish the 

existence of questions of fact. Mason v. Vision Iowa Bd., 700 N.W.2d 349, 

353 (Iowa 2005). 

 IV. Applicable Legal Principles. 

 The City entered into the amended franchise agreements with 

MidAmerican pursuant to the authority granted it by the Iowa Code. Iowa 

Code § 364.2(4)(a) (2003). The Code provides: 

 A city may grant to any person a franchise to erect, 

maintain, and operate plants and systems for electric light and 

power, heating, telegraph, cable television, district telegraph 

and alarm, motor bus, trolley bus, street railway or other 

public transit, waterworks, or gasworks, within the city for a 

term of not more than twenty-five years. When considering 

whether to grant, amend, extend, or renew a franchise, a city 

shall hold a public hearing on the question. Notice of the time 

and place of the hearing shall be published as provided in 

section 362.3. The franchise may be granted, amended, 

extended, or renewed only by an ordinance, but no exclusive 

franchise shall be granted, amended, extended, or renewed. 

Id. 

 The genesis of section 364.2(4)(a) dates back to at least 1873. See

Iowa Code § 473 (1873) (providing a city has the power to grant a private 
 11

entity a franchise to furnish water to the city).1 In construing an ordinance 

granting a franchise, this court said a “franchise” is 

a privilege granted by the state, or by some minor municipality 

acting under the authority of the state, to conduct a business 

of public utility,—such, for instance, as supplying the public 

with water, light, transportation, and other conveniences. 

Cedar Rapids Water Co. v. City of Cedar Rapids, 118 Iowa 234, 239, 91 N.W. 

1081, 1083 (1902). This court also recognized that a franchise agreement is 

a contract between the city and the entity providing services to the city, 

subject to the same rules of interpretation as between other contracting 

parties. Id. at 240, 91 N.W. at 1083. 

In 1912 the City passed an ordinance attempting to recover the sum 

of $1 for each telegraph or telephone pole and $1 for each mile of line from a 

telephone company operating within the City. City of Des Moines v. Iowa 

Tel. Co., 181 Iowa 1282, 1284, 162 N.W. 323, 324 (1917). The City brought 

an action against the telephone company for collection of those fees. Id. To 

support its claim that the City could not charge rent for its use of the 

streets and alleys, the telephone company relied on a statute that stated: 

“Any person or company may construct a telegraph or 

telephone line along the public highways of this state, or across 

the rivers or over any lands belonging to the state or to any 

private individual, and may erect the necessary fixtures 

therefor; provided, that when any highway along which said 

line has been constructed shall be changed, said person or 

company shall, upon ninety days’ notice in writing, remove 

said line to said highway as established. . . . Such fixtures 

must not be so constructed as to incommode the public in the 

use of any highway or the navigation of any stream; nor shall 

 

1 In the 1888 Code, the legislature added gas works and electric light plants to the 

list of public services for which a city could grant a franchise to a private entity. McClain’s 

Code Ann. §§ 639, 641, 644 (1888). In 1897, electric power plants were added to the list. 

Iowa Code § 720 (1897). By 1907, the legislature authorized cities to grant franchises “for 

interurban or street railways, gas or water-works, electric light or power plants, heating 

plants, telegraph or telephone systems, or other public service utilities.” 1907 Iowa Acts 

ch. 48, § 12. 
 12

they be set up on the private grounds of any individual without 

paying him a just equivalent for the damages he thereby 

sustains.” 

Id. at 1284-85, 162 N.W. at 324 (citations omitted). This statute remains 

virtually unchanged today. See Iowa Code §§ 477.1-477.3 (2005). 

 The City contended it owned the streets, alleys, and public grounds 

as any other private owner and it had the right to charge the reasonable 

value for the use of its property. City of Des Moines, 181 Iowa at 1287, 162 

N.W. at 325. In rejecting this claim, our court made it clear that the City 

holds the fee title in trust for the public. Id. at 1289, 162 N.W. at 325. The 

court went on to state: 

“But it is a mistake to suppose that, where the fee of the streets 

is in the city, in trust for the public, the city is constitutionally 

and necessarily entitled to compensation, the same as a private 

proprietor holding the fee. The legislature might provide for 

such compensation, but is not bound to do so.” 

Id. at 1291, 162 N.W. at 326 (citation omitted). The court held the City was 

not “entitled to recover from the telephone company the rental value of its 

streets used by said company with its poles and wires.” Id. at 1311, 162 

N.W. at 331. 

 In 1931 this court had occasion to revisit the franchise statutes in a 

dispute between the town of Pocahontas, its residents, and Northwestern 

Bell Telephone Company. Schnieders v. Inc. Town of Pocahontas, 213 Iowa 

807, 808, 234 N.W. 207, 208 (1931). In discussing the nature of a 

franchise agreement, this court recognized the purpose of a public service 

franchise was not to create a revenue stream for a city but to provide its 

citizens with services the city chooses not to provide. See id. at 811-12, 234 

N.W. at 209 (stating “ ‘[t]he primary object is not to give revenue or to secure 

revenue from these service corporations’ ” (citation omitted)). 
 13

 In 1932 this court discussed the fees a city may receive in 

consideration for granting a franchise. City of Pella v. Fowler, 215 Iowa 90, 

97, 244 N.W. 734, 738 (1932). There the city’s franchise agreement with a 

grantee of a telephone franchise required the grantee to pay the city five 

percent of the gross receipts for the use of the city’s streets and alleys. Id.

at 92-93, 244 N.W. at 735-36. In addition to reaffirming that the legislature 

did not confer any authority upon the city to demand rent or compensation 

for the use of its streets and alleys, this court held a city can only collect a 

fee in connection with a franchise agreement if the amount of the fee is 

limited to the reasonable costs of regulating, supervising, or enforcing the 

franchise. Id. at 98-99, 244 N.W. at 738. The court further held the record 

failed to show that the fee charged by the city was anything more than an 

arbitrary amount and dismissed the city’s action to collect the fee. Id., 244 

N.W. at 738-39. 

 In 1968 the Iowa Constitution was amended to give municipalities 

home rule power and authority. Iowa Const. art. III, § 38A. This 

amendment provided: 

Municipal corporations are granted home rule power and 

authority, not inconsistent with the laws of the general 

assembly, to determine their local affairs and government, 

except that they shall not have power to levy any tax unless 

expressly authorized by the general assembly. 

The rule or proposition of law that a municipal 

corporation possesses and can exercise only those powers 

granted in express words is not a part of the law of this state. 

Id. After the enactment of the home-rule amendment, the Code provided 

“cities and towns shall not have power to levy any tax, assessment, excise, 

fee, charge or other exaction except as expressly authorized by statute.” 

Iowa Code § 368.2 (1971). In 1972, the legislature passed a bill entitled 
 14

“Home Rule for Cities.” 1972 Iowa Acts ch. 1088. This bill repealed section 

368.2 effective July 1, 1974. Id. §§ 9, 199. In its place, the legislature only 

restricted a city from “levy[ing] a tax unless specifically authorized by a 

state law.” Id. § 12 (now codified at Iowa Code § 364.3(4) (2005)). The bill 

also enacted the 1975 version of section 364.2(4)(a). Id. § 11. 

 In the instant case, the City argues by dropping the reference to fees 

and the other exactions, the legislature authorized a city to impose fees, 

including franchise fees. We agree with the City that the implementation of 

home rule and the Home Rule for Cities bill does authorize the City to 

charge a franchise fee. See Nelson v. Rests. of Iowa, Inc., 338 N.W.2d 881, 

884 (Iowa 1983) (stating “[w]hen an amendment to a statute deletes certain 

words, a change in the law is presumed unless the remaining language 

amounts to the same thing”). This conclusion, however, does not answer 

the issue involved in this appeal—that is, on what basis may a city assess a 

franchise fee to a private utility? 

Since the home-rule amendment and the home-rule bill became 

effective, the Code has remained silent as to the basis on which a city may 

assess a franchise fee to a private utility. See Iowa Code § 364.2(4) (2003). 

The Code still prohibits a city from levying a tax unless specifically 

authorized by law. Id. § 364.3(4). Our court has defined a tax as “ ‘a charge 

to pay the cost of government without regard to special benefits conferred,’ ” 

meaning its primary purpose is to raise revenue. Home Builders Ass’n of 

Greater Des Moines v. City of West Des Moines, 644 N.W.2d 339, 346 (Iowa 

2002) (citations omitted). 

Unless there is clear evidence to the contrary, we assume that when 

the legislature enacts a law, it is aware of the existing state of the law and 

our prior interpretations of similar statutory provisions. State v. Freeman, 
 15

705 N.W.2d 286, 291 (Iowa 2005). At the time the legislature passed the 

Home Rule for Cities bill, our cases were clear that a city could only collect 

a fee in connection with a franchise agreement if the amount of the fee is 

limited to the reasonable costs of regulating, supervising, or enforcing the 

franchise. City of Pella, 215 Iowa at 98-99, 244 N.W. at 738. 

Subsequent to the adoption of the home-rule amendment and the 

enactment of the Home Rule for Cities bill, we have had several occasions to 

discuss fees imposed by a city under its home-rule authority. In City of Des 

Moines v. Iowa State Commerce Commission, we were asked to decide: (1) 

whether a ruling by the commerce commission that franchise fees collected 

by the City should be paid only by the Des Moines customers of a utility 

abridged the contractual rights of the City under its franchise agreement 

with the utility; and (2) whether there was substantial evidence to support 

the commerce commission’s ruling that it would be reasonable for the City 

to collect such fees only from the Des Moines customers. 285 N.W.2d 12, 

13-14 (Iowa 1979). There we determined the City’s contract rights were not 

abridged and substantial evidence supported the commerce commission’s 

decision. Id. at 16. 

The City contends this decision stands for the proposition that a city 

may collect a franchise fee based on a percentage of revenues derived from 

the utility customers because the franchise fees in question there were 

based on two percent of the gas revenues and one percent of the electric 

revenues derived from the customers. See id. at 13. We disagree. Even 

though the franchise agreements at issue there expressed the franchise fees 

in terms of a percentage of revenues, the issue before the court was not 

whether home-rule powers authorized the amount of the fee charged, but 

rather which customers were responsible for paying it. See id. 
 16

In 1999 we discussed the home-rule authority of a city to impose a 

user fee on a telephone company. City of Hawarden v. US West Comm’ns, 

Inc., 590 N.W.2d 504, 506 (Iowa 1999). There the city terminated its 

franchise with the public utility because it established a municipal utility to 

furnish telephone and other communication services to its residents. Id. 

After terminating its franchise with the utility, the city passed an ordinance 

imposing a user fee of three percent of the gross revenues of non-municipal 

utilities operating within the city. Id. In declaring the city was without 

authority to impose a revenue-generating fee, we first noted any fees 

exacted in excess of the expenses incurred for the inspection, regulation, 

and supervision of the utility’s use of public grounds are revenue-raising 

measures arising from a taxing power and not from a police power. Id. at 

507, 509. In doing so, we reaffirmed the notion that a city is not entitled to 

recover the rental value of its streets used by a utility in connection with 

delivering services. Id. at 507. We also employed the reasoning of a case 

from the seventh circuit finding a city could not avoid limitations on its 

taxing power by calling a tax a franchise fee. Id. at 509. In applying this 

reasoning, we recognized the functional test adopted by the seventh circuit. 

Id. The test stated: 

“If the fee is a reasonable estimate of the cost imposed by the 

person required to pay the fee, then it is a user fee and within 

the municipality’s regulatory power. If it is calculated not just 

to recover a cost imposed on the municipality or its residents 

but to generate revenues that the municipality can use to offset 

unrelated costs or confer unrelated benefits, it is a tax, 

whatever its nominal designation.” 

Id. (citation omitted). 

 In 2002 we considered whether a city’s mandatory park dedication fee 

was authorized under home rule. Home Builders Ass’n of Greater Des 

Moines, 644 N.W.2d at 345. There we reaffirmed the principle that a city 
 17

cannot impose a tax without express statutory authorization. Id. at 345-46. 

In applying this principle under a city’s home-rule authority, we stated: 

[A] city may charge a fee to cover its administrative expenses in 

exercising its police power. Thus, the reasonable cost of 

inspecting, licensing, supervising, or otherwise regulating an 

activity may be imposed on those engaging in the activity in the 

form of a license fee, permit fee, or franchise fee. 

. . . . 

The rather narrow range of fees permitted by our cases is 

consistent with our long-standing definition of a tax. As noted 

above, a tax is “a charge to pay the cost of government without 

regard to special benefits conferred.” Consistent with this 

definition, the regulatory and service fees permitted under Iowa 

law are based on a special benefit conferred on the person 

paying the fee. In the regulatory context, fees enable the 

government to administer a particular activity or occupation to 

the peculiar benefit of those engaged in that activity or 

occupation. Therefore, fees designed to cover the 

administrative expense of regulating a particular activity, 

occupation, or transaction are not taxes. 

Id. at 347-48 (citation omitted). 

 Our decisions reveal that even after the adoption of the home-rule 

amendment and the enactment of the Home Rule for Cities bill, we have 

continued to adhere to the position that a fee imposed by a city needs to be 

related to the reasonable costs of inspecting, licensing, supervising, or 

otherwise regulating the activity in order to be permitted under a city’s 

home-rule authority. If a fee charged by a city exceeds the amount 

necessary to inspect, license, supervise, or otherwise regulate the activity, it 

is nothing more than a tax levy, which the legislature has strictly 

prohibited. Iowa Code § 364.3(4). 

 Here, the City asks us to retreat from this position and find a fee 

exceeding the costs of inspecting, licensing, supervising, or otherwise 

regulating the activity is not a tax. In support of its argument, the City cites 

cases from other jurisdictions that it claims recognize a utility franchise fee 
 18

constitutes valuable consideration in return for the grant of the franchise 

and the right of the utility to use the right-of-way. These cases are based 

on constitutional, statutory, or case law authority that allows for such a 

charge. See, e.g., Qwest Corp. v. City of Santa Fe, 224 F. Supp. 2d 1305, 

1319-22 (D.N.M. 2002) (looking to New Mexico statutes, constitutional 

provisions, and case law to determine the city has the authority to contract 

for fair and reasonable compensation as consideration for the utility’s use of 

the public rights-of-way); Bruce v. City of Colorado Springs, 131 P.3d 1187, 

1192 (Colo. Ct. App. 2005) (citing statutes and case law to hold a franchise 

fee charged by a municipality is not a tax, but rather rent paid by the utility 

for the use of the public rights-of-way); Alpert v. Boise Water Corp., 795 P.2d 

298, 306-07 (Idaho 1990) (finding the Idaho Constitution and the Idaho 

Code expressly allow a city to charge a franchise fee to the utility as valid 

consideration for the city surrendering its right to operate its own utility); 

Kowalski v. City of Livonia, 705 N.W.2d 161, 162 (Mich. Ct. App. 2005) 

(determining a franchise fee was not a tax based on case law providing that 

in order for a charge to qualify as a fee and not a tax, it must have a 

regulatory purpose rather than a revenue-raising purpose, it must be 

proportionate to the necessary costs of the services, and it is generally 

voluntary). Thus, we find these authorities distinguishable or 

unconvincing. 

Before and after the adoption of home-rule authority, our case law 

has consistently held a license fee, permit fee, or franchise fee is not a tax 

so long as it is related to the reasonable costs of inspecting, licensing, 

supervising, or otherwise regulating the activity that is being licensed, 

permitted, or franchised. We see no reason to retreat from this position. 

The legislature was well aware of our holdings in this area when it passed 
 19

enactments concerning home-rule authority. If the legislature thought it 

would be good public policy to allow a city to raise revenue by charging a 

franchise fee in excess of the reasonable costs of inspecting, licensing, 

supervising, or otherwise regulating the activity, the legislature could have 

done so. 

Consequently, any franchise fee charged by a city must be reasonably 

related to the city’s administrative expenses in the exercise of its police 

power. These expenses include the reasonable costs of inspecting, 

licensing, supervising, or otherwise regulating the activity the city is 

franchising. This holding, however, does not require the city to calculate its 

administrative expenses to a mathematical certainty. See Bloom v. City of 

Fort Collins, 784 P.2d 304, 308 (Colo. 1989) (holding special fees are not 

required to be determined to a mathematical exactitude as long as the 

ordinance creating the fee is “reasonably designed to defray the cost of the 

particular service rendered by the municipality”). 

There is a broad presumption that an ordinance is valid when the 

legislature vests the power in a city council to regulate, license, and control. 

Star Transp. Co. v. City of Mason City, 195 Iowa 930, 953, 192 N.W. 873, 

882 (1923). In determining whether an ordinance creates a valid fee or an 

illegal tax, we have stated: 

“Where the grant [of power] is not made for revenue, but 

for regulation merely, a much narrower construction is to be 

applied” than where it confers the power also of raising 

revenue. But even where it is for regulation merely, “a fee for 

the license may still be exacted, but it must be such a fee only 

as will legitimately assist in the regulation; and it should not 

exceed the necessary or probable expense of issuing the license 

and of inspecting and regulating the business which it covers. 

. . . But the limitation of the license fee to the necessary 

expenses will still leave a considerable field for the exercise of 

discretion when the amount of the fee is to be determined. . . . 

In fixing upon the fee, it is proper and reasonable to take into 

account, not the expense merely of direct regulation, but all the 
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incidental consequences that may be likely to subject the 

public to cost in consequence of the business licensed. In 

some cases, the incidental consequences are much the most 

important, and, indeed, are what are principally had in view 

when the fee is decided upon. . . . And all reasonable 

intendments must favor the fairness and justness of a fee thus 

fixed; it will not be held excessive unless it is manifestly 

something more than a fee or regulation.” 

Id. at 955-56, 192 N.W. at 883 (alterations in original) (citation omitted). 

Under these principles, a city has the authority to assess a franchise 

fee expressed as a percentage of the gross receipts derived from the utility’s 

sale of its services to the public, so long as the charge is reasonably related 

to the reasonable costs of inspecting, licensing, supervising, or otherwise 

regulating the activity that is being franchised. 

 V. Application of Law to Facts. 

 In order for Kragnes to prevail on her motion for partial summary 

judgment, the record must show “there is no genuine issue as to any 

material fact and that [she] is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” 

Iowa R. Civ. P. 1.981(3). Our review of the record indicates a genuine issue 

of material fact exists as to whether all or part of the franchise fees are 

reasonably related to the City’s administrative expenses. The summary 

proposal distributed by the city manager’s office stated “[t]here is no 

statutory limit on the level of franchise fee to be collected, although as with 

any user fee it should bear a relationship to the cost to the city of the 

utility’s occupancy of public areas in the city.” 

Examining the record in the light most favorable to the City and 

drawing all legitimate inferences from the record, there is no question the 

grant of the franchises to the utility causes the City to incur some ongoing 

administrative expenses in the exercise of its police power. These expenses 

would include the reasonable costs of inspecting, supervising, and 

otherwise regulating the gas and electric utility franchises. Just because 
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the record is replete with references that the City used some portion of the 

franchise fees for purposes other than administrative expenses, this fact 

does not mean that the City is not using other streams of revenue to cover 

the administrative expenses it incurs as a result of granting MidAmerican 

the gas and electric utility franchises. Therefore, at this stage of the 

proceedings, the district court should not have declared the entire franchise 

fees assessed by the City to MidAmerican customers for the gas and electric 

services to be illegal taxes. Accordingly, we must reverse the district court’s 

order granting Kragnes’s second motion for partial summary judgment. 

 VI. Disposition and Directions.

 Because under this record a genuine issue of material fact exists as to 

whether all or part of the franchise fees charged by the City on gas and 

electric services are reasonably related to the City’s administrative expenses 

in exercising its police power, we reverse the decision of the district court 

and remand the case to determine the class certification question and for a 

trial on the merits. At trial, the district court shall determine what, if any, 

part of the franchise fees are related to the City’s administrative expenses in 

exercising its police power, including the costs associated with any 

incidental consequences of the franchised services. If after trial the district 

court determines that none of the franchise fees are reasonably related to 

the City’s administrative expenses, the court shall issue the appropriate 

order disallowing the franchise fees as contained in the ordinances. 

However, if the district court determines that all or part of the franchise fees 

are reasonably related to the City’s administrative expenses, the court shall 

enforce the ordinances up to an amount equal to the fees reasonably related 

to the City’s administrative expenses in exercising its police power. Cf. State 

ex rel. Turner v. Younker Bros., Inc., 210 N.W.2d 550, 565 (Iowa 1973) 
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(holding a department store was not allowed to collect finance charges on its 

retail installment contracts and revolving charge accounts that were in 

excess of the interest rate allowed by statute; however, the store was 

allowed to assess finance charges in the amount allowed by statute); Ehlers 

v. Iowa Warehouse Co., 188 N.W.2d 368, 373 (Iowa 1971) (holding an 

employer may partially enforce a noncompete agreement to the extent it is 

reasonable under the circumstances). 

REVERSED AND CASE REMANDED WITH DIRECTIONS.