Local leaders worry about state consolidation plans

DES MOINES — A committee reviewing Iowa’s various boards and commissions suggested the state eliminate over a quarter of those bodies in its report late last month, a suggestion that’s stirred up some resistance in Southeast Iowa from government officials who interact with those boards.

The 12-page report is a follow-up on a bill passed last session that aimed to “consolidate” the state government, collapsing it down from 37 cabinet-level departments to 16. In an Aug. 29 news release, Reynolds said the recent review of all 256 boards was “long overdue.”

The list of suggested eliminations is extensive, and includes a total of 69 panels across all areas of the state government. From the judicial branch’s Shorthand Reporter Board of Examiners to the joint executive-legislative Interstate Cooperation Commission, to agency boards like the HHS Community Action Agency Commission, to independent ones like the Area Education Agency Advisory Group.

Republican Washington County Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. said he agreed with the need to trim down state bureaucracy, but said the suggested approach lacked transparency.

The committee’s recommendations go board-by-board to propose that lawmakers “eliminate,” “Continue,” "Consolidate/Merge,“ or ”Reorganize/(make) other changes“ for every commission in the state. But they do not provide a reason for any of the recommendations, or define what they mean, or give details on who would take on responsibilities for any discontinued commission.

Seward said he worried the moves would shift authority to more isolated groups in Des Moines, where decision-makers were less likely to face consequences from voters if their choices were unpopular.

“The way the house, the senate and the governor rammed through a lot of the legislation last session, I don’t know if they’re willing to listen to anybody about anything,” he said. “Are they going to be trying to populate those (remaining) boards with people from the bureaucracy that will think top-down, or are they going to be populated by people on the ground, with boots-on-the ground experience who have skin in the game? … we need to listen to those people more than supposed experts.”

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Cara Sorrells is Washington County’s 911 Dispatch Supervisor, and a member (and clerk) of the statewide 911 Communications Council, which meets monthly and helps decide the flow of grant dollars to emergency management programs, among other things. It’s on the list of bodies proposed for elimination.

Sorrells said the group had received no explanation for its proposed elimination, nor had it received clarification about which of its duties — if any — would be picked up by other advisory bodies.

She worries the move, if it eventually passes in the legislature, will deprive Iowans of representation. With fewer boards to fill, there would be fewer chances to elevate community voices to the ears of state lawmakers.

“They lose that local representation for anything that effects them as far as 911 surcharge, the technology that their 911 center … has to implement and operate,” she said. “They lose a local voice on a lot of really important matters that impact them locally, here. Because their 911 call goes here, and we should have a voice in how that’s delivered, the cost, the training.”

The impact of each proposed elimination on local input would vary.

While the committee suggested eliminating the Area Education Agency Advisory Group, Grant Wood AEA Chief Administrator John Speer said the agencies could adapt to ensure continued community input.

“Our agency has several processes to solicit feedback on a regular basis from our partners, and those processes would not be impacted by the decision to eliminate one of the AEA’s advisory groups,” he said by email. “While the Boards and Commissions Review Committee’s proposal might call for disbanding this particular group and format, we would continue soliciting feedback and input from those represented groups through other methods.”

Others said they were in the dark about the local impact of proposed reforms.

One suggested elimination, of the Iowa Great Places Board, has some in the city of Washington on edge. The community was designated one of Iowa’s “Great Places” in summer of 2022, a status that makes it eligible for grant funds worth up to $400,000.

Implications of the state board’s suggested elimination are unclear for its 42 designated Great Places.

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“We don’t exactly know what it’s going to mean,” Washington Mayor Pro Tem and Great Places Committee Member Millie Youngquist said. “We do know there’s no money for grants this year.”

The full, 12-page Boards & Commissions Review Committee preliminary report can be found at the Iowa Governor’s Office website. The committee is expected to file its final recommendations by Sept. 30 according to a news release from the governor’s office.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com