Iowa Smart Planning Task Force Report

In the 2010 legislative session, the General Assembly passed and the Governor signed into law Senate File 2389 (SF 2389), which provided guidance for Smart Planning in Iowa and established the Iowa Smart Planning Task Force. This Task Force was charged with recommending policies and strategies for creating a stronger planning culture in Iowa, producing more resilient and sustainable communities. The Task Force, along with its two committees and four workgroups, met throughout the summer and fall of 2010 to identify and review best practices, consult local and national experts, and craft recommendations in the best interest of Iowans. A public input process was also implemented, resulting in improved recommendations.

State Government Reorganization Commission, Answers and Recommendations to Select Information Technology Issues, 2009.

The State Government Reorganization Commission asked the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to provide answers to questions pertaining to process improvements, and efficiencieswith the intent of reducing costs and discovering greater government efficiency.

Governor's Committee on Government Spending Reform : final report, 1996.

Final Report of the Governor's Committee on Government Spending, 1996. The Governor reconvened the Fisher Commission to see what could be done to maintain the fiscal discipline that had been evident since the State spending reforms were put in place, 1992.

Executive Order Number Seventy One, March, 2011

The act new policies that encourage a job-friendly environment can take Iowa a significant way forward in our effort to compete for new jobs, much of that work can be undone by a bureaucracy that fails to understand the critical relationship between burdensome regulation and job creation

Transit Manager's Handbook, September, 2010

This handbook provides an overview of public transit in Iowa and how to do business with the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) Office of Public Transit (OPT). It is intended to be a tool to assist transit managers navigate through the many policies, procedures and requirements of state and federal government. This handbook can be used to provide orientation for new personnel; to help clarify the relationships and required procedures for existing personnel; and to provide easier accessibility to regulations and procedures. Input on the content of the handbook to increase its usefulness is encouraged at any time.

Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System Member Handbook, September 2011

The IPERS Member Handbook summarizes the retirement plan that is provided for most employees of Iowa’s schools, cities, counties, townships, state agencies, and other governmental units. This publication explains the rights and benefits of IPERS membership in as clear and useful a manner as possible; however, it is not intended to be a complete presentation of the IPERS law and policies. Benefits provided under IPERS differ for Special service members—sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and those working in other protection occupations, such as firefighters, police, correctional officers, and conservation officers. This publication explains what these differences are. To help you find information that applies only to you, IPERS also publishes a variety of booklets and brochures to guide you through IPERS benefits at specific stages of your career, from membership enrollment to retirement. These educational resources are available for viewing or printing from our website at www.ipers.org. You may also contact IPERS and request a free printed copy. Alternative formats containing the information in this publication are available upon request. Note: This publication reflects the law as of July 2011. Some provisions will become effective at later dates, as noted. Any inconsistencies or inadvertent omissions will be resolved in favor of the law.

Independent auditor’s report of the State of Iowa on internal control over financial reporting and on compliance and other matters based on an audit of financial statements performed in accordance with government auditing standards for the year ended June 30, 2011

Independent auditor’s report of the State of Iowa on internal control over financial reporting and on compliance and other matters based on an audit of financial statements performed in accordance with government auditing standards for the year ended June 30, 2011

Investigation of Earlham Community School District Employee’s Personal Use of a School Vehicle, July 6, 2012

We received a complaint in late September 2011 that an Earlham School District employee had borrowed a school vehicle for her personal use for one month, with the Superintendent’s permission. The school board had discussed the circumstances of the borrowed district vehicle in closed session. The complainant believed this was contrary to Iowa law and also believed no action had been taken against the school employee who borrowed the vehicle or the superintendent who allowed the personal use of the vehicle. He was aware the school district’s attorney reviewed the matter and determined the employee and superintendent violated no law or district policies. Since the school board discussed the matter only in closed session, it was unknown what, if any, discipline was taken against the employees and whether such actions were condoned by the district. We agreed to investigate to determine if the actions of school officials or employees violated Iowa law and if the response from the school board was appropriate.

Building World-Class Schools for Iowa: A Legislative Brief, January 14, 2013

The Iowa Department of Education has joined the Office of the Governor to prepare a set of legislative proposals that will bring Iowa closer to its goal of providing a world-class education to all children, no mater where they live. This legislative brief serves as an overview of the legislation, which I encourage you to read and discuss in greater detail. the goals behind these policies are straightforward: Comprehensive and systematically raise and support the teaching profession while expanding efforts to customize instruction to every student's passion and talents. Iowa's children deserve the best education can provide so they leave our schools with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful and rewarding lives. Iowa has many good schools with hard-working, talented educators who deserves our respect and appreciation. While we honor the past work of generations of Iowans who built a strong foundation, it is our responsibility - and our turn - to make a focused, dedicated effort to improve Iowa's schools. We stand at a pivotal moment in Iowa storied education history, in which we have the opportunity and will as community to make the transition from being "good" to being "great".

Pieces of Iowa’s Past, March 13, 2013

Pieces of Iowa’s Past, published by the Iowa State Capitol Tour Guides weekly during the legislative session, features historical facts about Iowa, the Capitol, and the early workings of state government. All historical publications are reproduced here with the actual spelling, punctuation, and grammar retained. THIS WEEK: Judge Reuben Noble Praises the Iowa State Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition BACKGROUND: REUBEN NOBLE REUBEN NOBLE was born on the 14th of April, 1821, in Ada County, Mississippi, where his father was a farmer. When he was eighteen years of age, Noble began to study law and was admitted to the bar at twenty-one. In 1843, he came to Iowa, making his home at Garnavillo, in Clayton County. In 1854, Noble was elected to the legislature as a free soil Whig and upon the organization of the House was chosen Speaker, serving in the regular session of 1854 and extraordinary session of 1855. At the first Republican State Convention of 1856, he was placed at the head of the ticket for presidential elector. Four years later, he was a delegate to the National Convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln for president. Up to the time of the attempt of the Republicans to remove President Johnson by impeachment, Noble had been a prominent leader of that party. But approving of the policies of the President, he left the Republicans and from that time became a Democrat. In 1866, Noble was nominated by the Democrats for Representative in Congress but was defeated by William B. Allison. In 1886, he was one of the organizers of the Pioneer Lawmakers’ Association and was its first president, never missing a session during the remainder of his life. Noble was the leader of the bar of northeastern Iowa beginning in 1850. As a compliment to his high standing and eminent qualifications as a jurist, the citizens of the Tenth Judicial District elected him to tthe office of district judge in the fall of 1874. (History of Iowa from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/Volume 4)

Metric Training for the Transportation Industry Module V - Motor Vehicle Licensing and Enforcement, HR-376

"Metric Training For The Highway Industry", HR-376 was designed to produce training materials for the various divisions of the Iowa DOT, local government and the highway construction industry. The project materials were to be used to introduce the highway industry in Iowa to metric measurements in their daily activities. Five modules were developed and used in training over 1,000 DOT, county, city, consultant and contractor staff in the use of metric measurements. The training modules developed deal with the planning through operation areas of highway transportation. The materials and selection of modules were developed with the aid of an advisory personnel from the highway industry. Each module is design as a four hour block of instruction and a stand along module for specific types of personnel. Each module is subdivided into four chapters with chapter one and four covering general topics common to all subjects. Chapters two and three are aimed at hands on experience for a specific group and subject. This module includes: Module 5 - Motor Vehicle Enforcement. Examples from Iowa and Federal Motor Vehicle Codes are used as examples for hands on training for the vehicle enforcement type personnel using this module.

Planning for disaster : local government's role in civil preparedness,1975

This handbook deals with the duties and responsibilities of a mayor of a city, a member of a county board of supervisor or a sheriff of a county from the standpoint of their relationship with a county/municipal civil defense and emergency planing administration.

Iowa Emergency Response Plan, October, 2010

The State of Iowa has adopted a multi-hazard approach to managing the consequences of emergency/disaster response. Underlying this approach is the principle that a standard set of generic functional capabilities can be employed to effectively address a wide variety of hazardous conditions and categories of incidents, whether these have a known probability of occurring or are totally unforeseen. Therefore, to the greatest extent possible, the activities described and assigned in this plan are organized along functional lines first, rather than by agency, type of hazard, or type of incident. Contained in this section of the Plan, known as the ―Basic Plan,‖ are instructions, policies, and explanatory information related to many or all of the agencies/entities involved in emergency/ disaster response, as well as information about the legal and administrative foundations for the Plan, the state’s characteristics and significant hazards, lines of succession for the state’s chief executive, plan activation requirements, and the structure of the response organization.

State of Iowa Employee Handbook, November 2014

This information is based on Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS) rules and policies and does not create an employment contract. Much of the information in this handbook is also covered in the State’s collective bargaining agreements. Where there are differences between a collective bargaining agreement and this handbook, the collective bargaining agreement prevails for employees covered by the agreement. Where there are differences between this handbook and DAS rules and policies, DAS rules and policies prevail.

Iowa Interstate Corridor Plan, 2013

The purpose of this Interstate Corridor Plan (plan) is to provide the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) with an initial screening and prioritization of interstate corridors/segments. This process evaluates the entire interstate system, independent of current financial constraints, using a select group of criteria weighted in terms of their relative significance. The resulting segments would then represent those areas that should be considered for further study (e.g., environmental, design, engineering), with the possibility of being considered for programming by the Iowa Transportation Commission. There was a dominant theme present in conversations with those department stakeholders who have a keen interest in the product of this planning effort. A statement that was often heard was that staff needed more information to help answer the question, “Where do we need to be looking to next, and when?” There was a strong desire to be able to use this plan to help populate that initial pool of candidate segments that would progress towards further study, as discussed below. It was this theme that framed the need for this plan and ultimately guided its development. Further study: As acknowledged at the beginning of this section, the product of this planning effort will be an initial screening and prioritization of interstate corridors/segments. While this initial screening will assist the Iowa DOT in identifying those areas that should be considered for further study, the plan will not identify specific projects or alternatives that could be directly considered as part of the programming process. Bridging the gap between this plan and the programming process are a variety of environmental, design, and engineering activities conducted by various Iowa DOT offices. It is these activities that will further refine the priority corridors/segments identified in this plan into candidate projects. In addition, should the evaluation process developed through this planning effort prove to be successful, it is possible that there will be additional applications, such as future primary system highway plans and statewide freight plans.