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Supervisors discuss SF 75, timeline for switch to district elections and temporary commission
Summary
Black Hawk County supervisors discussed implementation of SF 75, which moves the county from at-large to district-based supervisor elections; County Auditor Karen Showalter said the county must appoint a temporary precinct commission by May 15 and submit a precinct plan to the Secretary of State and LSA for district drawing.
Black Hawk County supervisors discussed SF 75 and the county’s obligations to shift from at-large to district-based supervisor elections during their April 22 meeting.
Karen Showalter, Black Hawk County auditor, told the board the county must appoint a temporary precinct commission and submit required documentation so the secretary of state’s office and the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) can prepare district plans. Showalter said the county has a scheduled call with the secretary of state’s office and that she planned to place a resolution on an upcoming board agenda to appoint the commission; the appointment must be confirmed by May 15 under the current timeline discussed by staff.
Board members raised legal and practical concerns about the change in election format, including whether shortening or altering current terms would raise constitutional issues and the costs and logistics of holding additional elections. Several supervisors said they expected further legal guidance and possible judicial resolution. Showalter and county staff described the procedural steps: the county provides a precinct plan (updated to account for annexations and other changes) and county staff will coordinate with GIS (Natalie Nunez was referenced as the GIS contact) to prepare the submission; LSA will draw districts from that precinct plan and return proposed districts for the county’s review later in the year.
Showalter told the board the deadlines allow the commission to work through the summer and that LSA has until the end of the year to complete district mapping; all five district seats would appear on the 2026 ballot under the schedule discussed. The board directed staff to move forward with appointment and documentation so the county can meet the statutory timing, while some members said they may pursue additional legal review.
No formal decision on litigation or an official legal challenge was recorded at the meeting; the board planned follow-up conversations after county staff receive written guidance from the secretary of state’s office.
