Senate File 75 - Reprinted SENATE FILE 75 BY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1018) (As Amended and Passed by the Senate March 10, 2025 ) A BILL FOR An Act relating to county supervisors, concerning county 1 supervisor representation plans and county supervisor 2 vacancies, and including effective date provisions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 SF 75 (2) 91 th/ns/mb
S.F. 75 DIVISION I 1 PLAN THREE COUNTY SUPERVISOR REPRESENTATION PLANS AND SPECIAL 2 ELECTIONS 3 Section 1. Section 331.206, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 4 2025, is amended to read as follows: 5 a. The plan used under subsection 1 shall be selected by the 6 board or by a special election as provided in section 331.207 . 7 A plan selected by the board shall remain in effect for at 8 least six years and shall only be changed by a special election 9 as provided in section 331.207. However, a county with the 10 main campus of an institution of higher learning governed by 11 the state board of regents shall use plan three for the 12 election of supervisors. 13 Sec. 2. Section 331.207, subsections 2, 5, and 6, Code 2025, 14 are amended to read as follows: 15 2. The petition shall be filed with the county commissioner 16 by June 1 of an odd-numbered year, subject to subsection 6 7 . 17 The special election shall be held on the first Tuesday after 18 the first Monday in August November of the odd-numbered year. 19 Notice of the special election shall be published once each 20 week for three successive weeks in an official newspaper of the 21 county, shall state the representation plans to be submitted to 22 the electors, and shall state the date of the special election. 23 The last in the series of publications shall occur not less 24 than four nor more than twenty days before the election. 25 5. If the plan adopted by a plurality of the ballots cast 26 in the special election represents a change from plan one to 27 plan two or three, or from plan two to plan three, as 28 each plan is defined in section 331.206 , the temporary county 29 redistricting commission shall divide the county into districts 30 as provided in sections 331.209 and 331.210 . The plan shall 31 be completed not later than November 1 December 31 following 32 the special election and shall be submitted to the state 33 commissioner of elections. The plan shall become effective the 34 following January 1. 35 -1- SF 75 (2) 91 th/ns/mb 1/ 4
S.F. 75 6. Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the 1 contrary, a county with a population of sixty thousand or 2 more based on the most recent federal decennial census that 3 elects supervisors under plan three shall not change from 4 plan three to plan one or plan two pursuant to a special 5 election under this section unless a plan one or plan two 6 representation plan is adopted by a two-thirds vote of the 7 ballots cast in the special election. This subsection does not 8 apply to a county with the main campus of an institution of 9 higher learning governed by the state board of regents required 10 to use plan three under section 331.206, subsection 2. 11 Sec. 3. TRANSITION PROVISION. 12 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 13 a county with the main campus of an institution of higher 14 learning governed by the state board of regents that does not 15 use plan three for the election of supervisors, as defined in 16 section 331.206, as of the effective date of this Act, shall 17 elect supervisors using plan three during the 2026 general 18 election, using a representation plan drawn pursuant to section 19 331.210A, subsection 2, paragraph f, and the requirements of 20 this section. 21 2. A county required to use a representation plan as 22 provided in this section shall establish a temporary county 23 redistricting commission by the later of thirty days after the 24 effective date of this Act or May 15, 2025, and shall complete 25 a precinct plan, in conformity with the requirements of 26 sections 331.209 and 331.210A, no later than October 1, 2025. 27 The precinct plan shall be submitted to the state commissioner 28 of elections and the legislative services agency shall draw and 29 publish the representation plan by January 1, 2026. 30 DIVISION II 31 COUNTY SUPERVISOR VACANCIES 32 Sec. 4. Section 43.6, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended 33 to read as follows: 34 2. When a vacancy occurs in the office of county supervisor 35 -2- SF 75 (2) 91 th/ns/mb 2/ 4
S.F. 75 or any of the offices listed in section 39.17 and more than 1 seventy days remain in the term of office following the next 2 general election, the office shall be filled for the balance 3 of the unexpired term at that general election unless the 4 vacancy has been filled by a special election called more 5 than seventy-three days before the primary election. If 6 the vacancy occurs more than seventy-three days before the 7 primary election, political party candidates for that office 8 at the next general election shall be nominated at the primary 9 election. If an appointment to fill the vacancy in office is 10 made in accordance with section 69.14A, subsection 1, paragraph 11 a , eighty-eight or more days before the primary election and 12 a petition requesting a special election has not been received 13 within fourteen days after the appointment is made, candidates 14 for the office shall be nominated at the primary election. 15 Sec. 5. Section 69.14A, subsection 1, paragraph a, 16 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as 17 follows: 18 By If the population of the county is less than one hundred 19 twenty-five thousand based on the most recent federal decennial 20 census and if the county does not include the main campus of 21 an institution of higher learning governed by the state board 22 of regents, by appointment by the committee of county officers 23 designated to fill the vacancy in section 69.8 . 24 Sec. 6. Section 69.14A, subsection 1, paragraph b, 25 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as 26 follows: 27 By If the population of the county is one hundred 28 twenty-five thousand or more based on the most recent federal 29 decennial census or the county includes the main campus of an 30 institution of higher learning governed by the state board of 31 regents, by special election held to fill the office for the 32 remaining balance of the unexpired term. 33 Sec. 7. Section 331.201, subsection 3, Code 2025, is amended 34 to read as follows: 35 -3- SF 75 (2) 91 th/ns/mb 3/ 4
S.F. 75 3. The office of supervisor is an elective office except 1 that if a vacancy occurs on the board, a successor may be 2 appointed to the unexpired term as provided in section 69.14A , 3 subsection 1, paragraph a , if the population of the county is 4 less than one hundred twenty-five thousand based on the most 5 recent federal decennial census and if the county does not 6 include the main campus of an institution of higher learning 7 governed by the state board of regents . 8 Sec. 8. Section 331.214, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 9 2025, is amended to read as follows: 10 c. If the board declares a vacancy under this subsection and 11 the remaining balance of the supervisors unexpired term is two 12 and one-half years or more, a special election shall be held to 13 fill the office as provided in section 69.14A, subsection 1 , 14 paragraph c , if the population of the county is one hundred 15 twenty-five thousand or more based on the most recent federal 16 decennial census or the county includes the main campus of an 17 institution of higher learning governed by the state board of 18 regents . However, if the population of the county is less 19 than one hundred twenty-five thousand based on the most recent 20 federal decennial census and if the county does not include the 21 main campus of an institution of higher learning governed by 22 the state board of regents, an appointment shall be made to 23 fill the office as provided in section 69.14A, subsection 1, 24 paragraph a . 25 DIVISION III 26 EFFECTIVE DATE 27 Sec. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 28 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 29 -4- SF 75 (2) 91 th/ns/mb 4/ 4