Senate File 170 - Introduced SENATE FILE 170 BY KLIMESH A BILL FOR An Act relating to the composition and procedures of county 1 compensation boards. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1578XS (3) 90 js/ns
S.F. 170 Section 1. Section 331.321, subsection 1, paragraph l, Code 1 2023, is amended by striking the paragraph. 2 Sec. 2. Section 331.322, subsection 6, Code 2023, is amended 3 to read as follows: 4 6. Review and adopt the final compensation schedule of the 5 county compensation board and determine the final compensation 6 schedule in accordance with section 331.907 . 7 Sec. 3. Section 331.905, subsection 1, Code 2023, is amended 8 by striking the subsection and inserting in lieu thereof the 9 following: 10 1. There is created in each county a compensation board, 11 which shall be composed of the following seven members: 12 a. Two members of the board of supervisors, who shall serve 13 two-year, staggered terms of office. The board of supervisors 14 shall adopt a rotation designating each seat on the board of 15 supervisors in a rotation to serve on the county compensation 16 board. The adopted rotation shall not be changed except when 17 membership of the board of supervisors is increased pursuant to 18 section 331.203 or decreased pursuant to section 331.204. 19 b. Two residents of the county, who shall serve two-year 20 terms, appointed by the two members serving pursuant to 21 paragraph a at the time of appointment. 22 c. (1) Three elected county officers from the following 23 pool of county officers: 24 (a) The county attorney. 25 (b) The county auditor. 26 (c) The county recorder. 27 (d) The county sheriff. 28 (e) The county treasurer. 29 (2) The members selected pursuant to this paragraph shall 30 serve two-year, staggered terms, which shall begin with the 31 county attorney and county auditor and thereafter follow the 32 order in which the members are listed in subparagraph (1). 33 Sec. 4. Section 331.905, subsections 2 and 4, Code 2023, are 34 amended to read as follows: 35 -1- LSB 1578XS (3) 90 js/ns 1/ 4
S.F. 170 2. The members of the county compensation board shall be 1 appointed to four-year, staggered terms of office. The members 2 of the county compensation board shall not be officers or 3 employees of the state or a political subdivision of the state. 4 A term shall be effective on the first of July of the year of 5 appointment and a vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired 6 term in the same manner as the original appointment. 7 4. The county compensation board shall elect a chairperson 8 and vice chairperson annually from among its membership. 9 The county compensation board shall meet at the call of the 10 chairperson or upon written request of a majority of its 11 membership. The county compensation board shall meet at least 12 twice before submitting its recommended compensation schedule 13 pursuant to section 331.907. One meeting must be a public 14 hearing. The concurrence of a majority of the members of the 15 county compensation board shall determine any matter relating 16 to its duties. 17 Sec. 5. Section 331.907, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2023, are 18 amended to read as follows: 19 1. The annual compensation of the auditor, treasurer, 20 recorder, sheriff, county attorney, and supervisors shall 21 be determined as provided in this section . The county 22 compensation board annually shall review the compensation paid 23 to three comparable officers in other counties of this state, 24 three comparable officers in other states, and three comparable 25 officers in private enterprise , and the federal government . 26 In setting the salary of the county sheriff, the county 27 compensation board shall set the sheriffs salary so that it 28 is comparable to salaries paid to professional law enforcement 29 administrators and command officers of the state patrol, 30 the division of criminal investigation of the department of 31 public safety, and city police chiefs employed by cities of 32 similar population to the population of the county. The county 33 compensation board shall prepare a compensation schedule for 34 the elective elected county officers for the succeeding fiscal 35 -2- LSB 1578XS (3) 90 js/ns 2/ 4
S.F. 170 year and the recommended salary for any elected county officer 1 shall not be lower than the salary of the person holding 2 the office in the year immediately preceding the most recent 3 election . A final recommended compensation schedule requires 4 a majority vote of the membership of the county compensation 5 board. 6 2. At the public hearing held on the county budget as 7 provided in section 331.434 , the county compensation board 8 shall submit its recommended compensation schedule for the 9 next fiscal year to the board of supervisors for inclusion in 10 the county budget. The board of supervisors shall review and 11 adopt the recommended compensation schedule for the elected 12 county officers and determine the final compensation schedule 13 which shall not exceed the compensation schedule recommended 14 by the county compensation board. In determining the final 15 compensation schedule if the board of supervisors wishes to 16 reduce the amount of the recommended compensation schedule, 17 the amount of salary increase proposed for each elected 18 county officer, except as provided in subsection 3 , shall be 19 reduced an equal percentage . A copy of the final compensation 20 schedule shall be filed with the county budget at the office 21 of the director of the department of management. The final 22 compensation schedule takes effect on July 1 following its 23 adoption by the board of supervisors. 24 EXPLANATION 25 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 26 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 27 This bill relates to the composition and procedures of 28 county compensation boards. Under current law, a county 29 compensation board is composed of seven members who serve 30 four-year, staggered terms. Two of the members are appointed 31 by the county board of supervisors and one member is appointed 32 by each of the county auditor, the county attorney, the county 33 recorder, the county treasurer, and the county sheriff. The 34 county compensation board reviews the compensation paid to 35 -3- LSB 1578XS (3) 90 js/ns 3/ 4
S.F. 170 comparable officers in other counties of this state, other 1 states, private enterprise, and the federal government. A 2 county compensation board submits a recommended compensation 3 schedule to the board of supervisors, who may approve a higher 4 salary increase or reduce the amount of the recommended salary 5 increase by an equal amount for each elected county officer. 6 Under the bill, a county compensation board is composed of 7 two members of the board of supervisors who serve two-year, 8 staggered terms and rotate with the other members of the board 9 of supervisors; two members who are residents of the county 10 who serve two-year terms and are appointed by the members 11 of the board of supervisors who are serving on the county 12 compensation board at the time of the appointment; and three 13 members determined by a rotation of the county attorney, county 14 auditor, county recorder, county sheriff, and county treasurer 15 as provided in the bill. 16 The bill requires the county compensation board to meet at 17 least twice before submitting a final recommended compensation 18 schedule to the board of supervisors. One meeting must be a 19 public hearing. The county compensation board shall review 20 the compensation paid to three comparable officers in other 21 counties of this state, three comparable officers in other 22 states, and three comparable officers in private enterprise. 23 The county compensation board cannot recommend a salary for any 24 elected county officer that is lower than the salary of the 25 person holding the office in the year immediately preceding 26 the most recent election. The bill requires the board of 27 supervisors to review and adopt the recommended compensation 28 schedule without alteration. 29 -4- LSB 1578XS (3) 90 js/ns 4/ 4