Land Ownership Guide for Watershed Cleanups, March 2006

A river can wander through the land in any way it pleases. People, however, face a few legal restrictions when following rivers, lakes, and streams through privately owned land. Care must be taken not to trespass on private property.

09028-014 Tributary B to Fourmile Creek Final Report

The city of Ankeny is submitting this WIRB application for development of green urban stormwater practices on city and private property in the Fourmile Creek watershed. The stormwater project proposed includes stream restoration of the SE Tributary to Fourmile Creek (Tributary B), including weirs, bank shaping, toe protection, trees, and native plantings. The project also includes the creation of a native buffer along the stream channel in the city’s Summerbrook Park, installing four native planting beds, installing a pervious surface trail, installing a series of rain gardens/biorentention cells, and installing educational signage. Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District has committed $17,000 towards the native buffer and rain garden/biorentention cell. The city of Ankeny was also awarded a $100,000 I-JOBS grant from IDNR to complete the stormwater retrofit practices. The largest component of this project is public education. Our vision for this project is to take the entire 281 acre watershed and address it as a whole. We want to make a collaborative watershed that not only addresses the water entering the stream channel through adjacent properties, but takes each individual parcel within the watershed and strives to reduce contributions to the stormwater system. The stormwater issues of concern for Tributary B include stormwater volume, sediment, and nutrients. The stream restoration, best management practices (BMP) at Summerbrook Park, and BMPs on private property should help decrease the volume of stormwater and reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients that enter Tributary B and ultimately Fourmile Creek.

Parallel Research, Multiple Intellectual Property Right Protection Instruments, and the Correlation among R&D Projects, September 2005

The choice of a research path in attacking scientific and technological problems is a significant component of firms’ R&D strategy. One of the findings of the patent races literature is that, in a competitive market setting, firms’ noncooperative choices of research projects display an excessive degree of correlation, as compared to the socially optimal level. The paper revisits this question in a context in which firms have access to trade secrets, in addition to patents, to assert intellectual property rights (IPR) over their discoveries. We find that the availability of multiple IPR protection instruments can move the paths chosen by firms engaged in an R&D race toward the social optimum.

Uniform Manual Real Property Acquisition and Relocation Assistance Section II - Chapter 111 Uniform Rules and Procedures April, 2006

The purpose of this chapter is to implement Iowa Code chapter 316 and sections 6B.42, 6B.45, 6B.54 and 6B.55, as required by the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, Pub. L. 91-646, as amended by the Uniform Relocation Act Amendments of 1987, Title IV, Pub. L. No. 100-17 , Sec. 104, Pub. L. 105-117, and federal regulations adopted pursuant thereto.

Intellectual Property Rights and Crop-Improving R&D under Adaptive Destruction, June 2007

This paper studies how the strength of intellectual property rights (IPRs) affects investments in biological innovations when the value of an innovation is stochastically reduced to zero because of the evolution of pest resistance. We frame the problem as a research and development (R&D) investment game in a duopoly model of sequential innovation. We characterize the incentives to invest in R&D under two competing IPR regimes, which differ in their treatment of the follow-on innovations that become necessary because of pest adaptation. Depending on the magnitude of the R&D cost, ex ante firms might prefer an intellectual property regime with or without a “research exemption” provision. The study of the welfare function that also accounts for benefit spillovers to consumers—which is possible analytically under some parametric conditions, and numerically otherwise—shows that the ranking of the two IPR regimes depends critically on the extent of the R&D cost.

Iowa Community Private Well Study, 2004

Water fact sheet for Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Geological Bureau.

Welfare Impacts of Cross-Country Spillovers in Agricultural Research, 2007

The welfare implications of intellectual property protection (IPP) for private sector agricultural research are analyzed, focusing on the realistic cases in which countries provide different IPP levels, technology spills over across countries, and the public sector is involved in research. A model is developed to determine who benefits from, and who should pay for, the associated research. The paper contains some interesting results on the implications of a harmonization of IPP policies through multilateral agreements or via technology that allows research firms to prevent the copying of plants and animals that express traits that have emerged from their research.

2008 Iowa Real Property Appraisal Manual, May 2008

********NOTE: There are nine sections to this manual, all in separate files.************* **********NOTE: Large files may take longer to open******** The basis of real property assessment in Iowa is market value as defined in Iowa Code §441.21. Iowa Code §§ 421.17(17) and 441.21(h) provide that assessment jurisdictions follow the guidelines and rules in this manual to help achieve uniformity in assessments. Assessors are encouraged to use the International Association of Assessing Officers’ Standard on Mass Appraisal of Real Property in their mass appraisal practices. Estimating market value in mass appraisal involves accurately listing properties, developing a sales file that includes the primary influences on market value, and developing models for subsets of properties that share common market influences using recognized mass appraisal techniques. The assessment of an individual property should not be based solely on the sale price. The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) standard 6 says “In developing a mass appraisal, an appraiser must be aware of, understand, and correctly employ those recognized methods and techniques necessary to produce and communicate credible mass appraisals.” Accurate listing of property is the basis of a good mass appraisal program. On-site inspection and listing of property is essential in developing a good data base for revaluation. A physical review, including an on-site verification of property characteristics, should be conducted at least every four to six years. Land values should be reviewed every two years. Factors influencing the market of each property type should be identified and collected so that these factors can be considered in the mass appraisal model. It is equally important to maintain the data once it is collected. Accessing local government permit systems should be a part of a good data maintenance program along with an inspection program. Current cadastral maps and geographical information systems (GIS) are tools that are integral in checking accuracy of listings and maintaining a comprehensive data base.

Consumer Advisory Bulletin, Consumer “Private Right of Action” -- What Consumers Need to Know, August 2009

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about:Consumer “Private Right of Action” -- What Consumers Need to Know

Final Report: Legislative Property Tax Study Committee, January 2009

The Committee was authorized to meet three days during the 2007 Legislative Interim and two days during the 2008 Legislative Interim. The Committee met on September 12, 2007; November 7, 2007; December 5, 2007; November 14, 2008; and January 7, 2009, at the State Capitol, Des Moines, Iowa. In 2008, the Committee retained consultants from the Institute for Public Policy at George Washington University to study property taxation and other forms of revenue generation used by local governments in Iowa and other states.

Property Valuation Report, 2007

Iowa law requires every city and county assessor to submit to the Iowa Department of Revenue an annual Abstract of Assessment reflecting assessed values of real property. The Iowa Department of Revenue has received and reviewed each 2007 Abstract of Assessment and summarized the valuation data. The values reported on the Abstracts of Assessment are one hundred percent (100%) of the actual value of property as established by the assessors and approved by local boards of review.

Property Valuation Report, 2008

Iowa law requires every city and county assessor to submit to the Iowa Department of Revenue an annual Abstract of Assessment reflecting assessed values of real property. The Iowa Department of Revenue has received and reviewed each 2008 Abstract of Assessment and summarized the valuation data. The values reported on the Abstracts of Assessment are one hundred percent (100%) of the actual value of property as established by the assessors and approved by local boards of review.

Property Valuation Report, 2009

Iowa law requires every city and county assessor to submit to the Iowa Department of Revenue an annual Abstract of Assessment reflecting assessed values of real property. The Iowa Department of Revenue has received and reviewed each 2009 Abstract of Assessment and summarized the valuation data. The values reported on the Abstracts of Assessment are one hundred percent (100%) of the actual value of property as established by the assessors and approved by local boards of review.

Tax Exempt Property Report, 2008

Iowa law requires each assessor in the state to value tax exempt property within his or her jurisdiction, and report such values to the Director of Revenue each year. The following report lists the 2009 actual valuations of tax exempt property for the following types of property: religious institutions, literary societies and educational institutions, low rent housing, associations of war veterans, charitable and benevolent societies, libraries and art galleries, dwelling unit property, homes for soldiers, and racetracks. Also presented in this report are comparative 2008 exempt property values.

Tax Exempt Property Report, 2009

Iowa law requires each assessor in the state to value tax exempt property within his or her jurisdiction, and report such values to the Director of Revenue each year. The following report lists the 2009 actual valuations of tax exempt property for the following types of property: religious institutions, literary societies and educational institutions, low rent housing, associations of war veterans, charitable and benevolent societies, libraries and art galleries, dwelling unit property, homes for soldiers, and racetracks. Also presented in this report are comparative 2008 exempt property values.