FAQ
1. What do County Supervisors in Iowa do?
See this handout from the Iowa State Association of Counties: ISAC Brochure
A county supervisor’s duty is to “protect and preserve the rights, privileges, and property of the county or of its residents, and to preserve and improve the peace, safety, health, welfare, comfort, and convenience of its residents.” But what does that mean?
They oversee all of the following for the county:
• Agriculture and Conservation
• Budgeting
• Business Management and Finance
• Collective Bargaining
• Court System
• Drainage Districts
• Elections
• Health and Human Services
• Libraries
• Planning, Zoning, and Public Safety
• Public Health
• Secondary Roads and Bridges
• Supervision of Personnel
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While County Supervisors do not have direct authority over the Sheriff's department or the County Auditor, for example, they do review the budget and staffing plans and approve those functions, which creates indirect authority over all. So it's a very broad job!
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2. Will adding 2 County Supervisors increase my taxes?
We cannot say for sure. Two Supervisors' salaries amount to less than $160,000 annually, while the budget for 2024-25 for Dallas County is over $31 million. Two salaries are fairly small compared to the overall budget and do not necessarily merit an increase in budget.
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3. Is this a partisan or political party issue? Who is backing this?
No. This is a fully bipartisan issue and is not backed by a political party in Dallas County. 15 Mayors across Dallas County, representing all parties and approximately 90% of the county population began this initiative by passing city resolutions and asking the Board of Supervisors to add this to the November ballot. The Board stated they wanted to hear from the residents of Dallas County, and the Mayors moved forward to get 5,000 signatures from residents across the county on a petition.
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4. What do the County Supervisors think of this ballot question?
The Board of Supervisors has not taken a public position on this question. The Board stated that in order to add it to the ballot in November, the Supervisors needed to hear from Dallas County residents. With the submission of 5,000 signatures, they have acknowledged this is a broad, bipartisan, county-wide initiative.
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5. If this passes in November, when will the 2 new Supervisors be elected?
If this ballot initiative passes on November 5, Dallas County will be redistricted in 2025, and the two new Supervisors will be elected in 2026 with the next General Election. Those Supervisors' terms would begin January 1, 2027.
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6. Who will the 2 new Supervisors be? What areas will they represent?
Unknown. If this passes, the county will be redistricted in 2025. Once those districts are known, some candidates may emerge. However, all of that is secondary to the question of whether to have 5 districts or the current 3. The expectation for 5 districts would be broader representation across the county, giving voice to needs of small, medium, and larger communities.
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7. How did this initiative start?
15 Mayors of Dallas County cities that represent all parties and approximately 90% of the county population began this initiative by passing city resolutions and asking the Board of Supervisors to add this to the November ballot. The Board stated they wanted to hear from the residents of Dallas County, and the Mayors moved forward to get 5,000 signatures from residents across the county on a petition.
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