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Story County supervisors approve edited objection letter on Senate File 75, set appointments timeline
Summary
Supervisors voted to send an edited letter regarding Senate File 75 to the governor's office and reviewed requirements created by the new law, including a temporary redistricting committee and deadlines for appointments and report completion.
The Story County Board of Supervisors on April 15 approved sending an edited letter about Senate File 75 to Governor Kim Reynolds' office and discussed questions about how the new law will affect the county's redistricting process.
County officials said the statute requires counties to establish a temporary redistricting committee (TRC) by May 15. The TRC may contain three, five or seven members; the county will appoint a majority and the Story County Republican Party chair will appoint the remainder. "You will establish a temporary redistricting committee by May fifteenth of this year," a county official said during the meeting.
The county's auditor's office and GIS staff explained that, under the statute, the Legislative Service Agency (LSA) will draw the districts and the TRC's role will largely be to provide precinct information and finalize worksheets for the county. "Because the Legislative Service Agency will actually draw our districts, I believe and this is where we're getting into questions for the SOS, I believe the TRC will be largely ceremonial," the auditor said. County staff also suggested using a three-member TRC composed of county data staff to expedite the required work: "I would just ask that the board make this a use the smallest number of people. A 3 member board, that's just my suggestion," a county official said.
Key deadlines and steps noted by county staff: appointments to the TRC must be made by May 15; the TRC's work must be completed by Oct. 1; the TRC will dissolve within 20 days after its report is final; all three supervisor seats will appear on the 2026 ballot and drawing lots will determine staggered term lengths. The county said it has outstanding questions for the Iowa Secretary of State's office and the Legislative Service Agency about how the LSA process will fit with county reporting requirements.
The board voted to send the letter to the governor's office with edits removing a request to "urge veto" because the bill had already been signed. The motion carried on a voice vote.
