The latest information from Aaron Todd at the Rebuild Iowa Office:
SF2265 is on the tentative House calendar for Wednesday (note: as of 3:00 it has not come up for debate or vote). An amendment is being offered with the bill. It includes:
The amendment replaces the amendment that was adopted in the House Local Government Committee. It contains some of the provisions that were in that amendment, but not all. For example, it includes a definition of “development” that was suggested by Farm Bureau, and adds some realtor and business representation on the task force as suggested by the Iowa Association of Realtors, but it does NOT change some of the “shall” language regarding smart planning principles to “may.” In other words, the “shalls” in the original bill (link to discussion of original bill, SSB 3096, here) are still included.
The task force will now be led by the Iowa Department of Management or their designee instead of the Rebuild Iowa Office, but RIO will help in any way needed.
The comprehensive planning guidance language in Section 2 of the bill will include a few more ties to flood mitigation in the plan.
Regarding funding, the amendment says “The director of the department of management, or the director’s designee, shall seek funding to support municipal comprehensive planning in this state.”
The amendment places more focus on local and regional planning, and less on state coordination.
The task force is asked to develop a model ordinance for regulation of a .2% floodplain of political subdivisions, and requires definition of the term “two-tenths percent floodplain” as applicable to the ordinance’s provisions. Provisions to be considered in the model ordinance are the same as were previously required in SF2316 to be considered by the DNR, RIO, League of Cities, et al. in developing a model ordinance:
• Requirements for flood insurance for property
• Requirements for new development or modification or improvement of existing development to mitigate the effects of future flooding
• The effect of flood control levees
• The use of fill and offsets required for the use of fill
• Categories of development that should be prohibited
• Interaction with regulations by FEMA
• Any other issues the taskforce finds should be addressed in the model ordinance
