2023 Iowa Code › Title IX - LOCAL GOVERNMENT › Chapter 331 - COUNTY HOME RULE IMPLEMENTATION › Section 331.248 - Charter of consolidation.

331.248 Charter of consolidation.
1. The charter commission proposing a city-county consolidated form of government shall prepare, adopt, and cause to be submitted to the voters the charter.
2. The charter for a city-county consolidated form of government shall:
a. Provide for adjustment of existing bonded indebtedness and other obligations in a manner which will provide for a fair and equitable burden of taxation for debt service.
b. Provide for establishment of service areas, except that formation of a city-county consolidated form of government shall not affect the assignment of electric utility service territories pursuant to chapter 476, and shall not affect the rights of a city to grant a franchise under chapter 364.
c. Provide for the transfer or other disposition of property and other rights, claims, assets, and franchises of the county and each city consolidated under the alternative form.
d. Provide the official name of the city-county consolidated government.
e. Provide for the transfer, reorganization, abolition, absorption, and adjustment of boundaries of all existing boards, bureaus, commissions, agencies, special districts, and political subdivisions of the city-county consolidated government.
f. Provide for the exercise of home rule power and authority not inconsistent with state law.
g. Provide for a governing body of an odd number of members, not less than five, but which may exceed the number of members specified in sections 331.201, 331.203, and 331.204. The titles of the members of the governing body shall be determined by the charter.
h. Provide for a representation plan for the governing body which representation plan may differ from the representation plans provided in section 331.206 and in chapter 372. If the plan calls for representation by districts and the charter has been approved in a county whose population is one hundred eighty thousand or more, the plan shall be drawn pursuant to section 331.210A, subsection 2, paragraph “f”. The initial representation plan for such a county shall be drawn as provided in section 331.210A, subsection 2, paragraph “f”, within one hundred twenty days after the election at which the charter is approved. For the initial representation plan, the charter commission shall assume the role of the governing body for purposes of this paragraph and section 331.210A, subsection 2, paragraphs “d” through “f”.
i. Provide for the initial compensation for members of the governing body and for a method of changing the compensation.
3. The charter may grant the legislative body of the consolidated government the authority to transfer, reorganize, and provide a method for adjusting the boundaries of the entities within the consolidated government.
4. a. The consolidation charter may include other provisions which the commission elects to include and which are not irreconcilable with state law. These provisions may include but are not limited to the following:
(1) Provide for a method of selecting officers of the governing body and fixing their terms of office which may differ from the requirements of sections 331.208 through 331.211 and the provisions of chapter 372.
(2) Provide for meetings of the governing body and rules of procedure which may differ from the requirements of section 331.213, except that the meetings shall be scheduled and conducted in compliance with chapter 21.
(3) Provide for combining the duties of elected officials of the county, for eliminating elected offices and the assumption of the duties of those offices by appointed officials, and for adding to, deleting from, or otherwise changing the duties of officials, elected or otherwise, of the county and each consolidated city. If the charter provides that one or more elective offices are combined, the board of supervisors shall appoint one of the elective officers of the combined offices to serve until new officers have been elected at the general election in the even-numbered year and have qualified for office. If the charter calls for the elimination of an elective office, that elective officer’s term of office shall expire on the date specified in the charter.
(4) Provide for the organization of city and county departments, agencies, or boards. The organization plan may provide for the abolition or consolidation of a department, agency, board, or commission and the assumption of its powers and duties by the governing body or by another department, agency, board, or commission.
(5) Provide for a method for the governing body or another office to exercise the powers and duties of the township trustees, in lieu of their election or appointment.
(6) Provide for a chief executive officer, a method of selecting that officer, the compensation for that officer, a method of changing the compensation, and the powers and duties of that officer.
(7) If the charter provides for a chief executive office, provide for the appointment of a chief executive officer pro tem, the compensation for that officer, a method of changing the compensation, and the manner in which that officer would exercise the powers and duties of the chief executive officer.
(8) Provide for the appointment of a city manager, a method for determining and changing the compensation for the city manager, and the powers and duties of the city manager.
b. This subsection does not apply to the board of trustees of a county hospital or to the board of trustees of a city hospital.
88 Acts, ch 1229, §20; 91 Acts, ch 256, §21, 22; 2004 Acts, ch 1066, §15 – 17, 31; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §180
Referred to in §331.231, 331.261, 372.1, 373.4