The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) brought sweeping changes to our nation’s healthcare system. With that in mind, city officials…

Labor is the biggest part of any city’s budget, which makes it extremely important to keep up-to-date on the latest laws, trends…

Checking into the background of potential employees is an important part of the hiring process. This includes a thorough review of an…

There are times due to illness, emergency or an immediate position vacancy that a community finds itself without a city clerk. To…

Iowa’s Public Employment Relations Act (PERA) is covered in Chapter 20 of the Code of Iowa and contains procedures by which employees can collectively…

Computers and other electronic devices are a normal part of the city operations and communications with citizens, businesses, other government agencies and…

Federal regulations require cities to establish drug and alcohol testing programs for certain employees who work in safety sensitive positions. These safety…

When performance evaluations are done effectively, they can become more than a dreaded once-annual discussion that glosses over the years’ activities and…

​When bringing on a new employee it is important to understand that orientation and onboarding are not the same. Orientation is a…

Given the advantages of using contract services, many employers may be tempted to reclassify an existing employee as an “independent contractor” or…

One of the most important and critical decisions in a person’s life is whether to resign their current job or position and…

The two most important pieces of policy advice in regard to employment termination is to make sure all job performance issues have…

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes minimum wage, overtime pay and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and…

To be in compliance with federal and state law, cities need to post information regarding certain personnel laws. These laws require employers…

​When cities provide employees with fringe benefits, those benefits are subject to federal income taxes unless federal law specifically excludes it. Health…

Cities need to take measures to prevent all types of unlawful harassment, including harassment based on an employee’s disability, age, religion, national…

In 2011, several Iowa corporate and community leaders came together to discuss the health of Iowans. They recognized that making progress toward…

Preventing Discrimination Employers are required to comply with laws that protect applicants and employees from discrimination. This includes making employment decisions based…

The Index of Iowa Laws links to Code of Iowa chapters and sections that are applicable to municipal government. Users should be…

​The federal legislation covering employment rights of military reservists is called the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). USERRA affects…

Exempt vs Non-Exempt Cities cannot simply make an employee “salaried” (paid a set amount per pay period regardless of the hours worked)…

Public safety employees often put in long hours responding to fires and accidents, conducting time sensitive investigations and providing support for sporting events,…

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and…

Employers are under no obligation to provide paid vacation, sick or holiday time to employees under any state or federal law. As…

​Pro-rating costs of personnel can be beneficial in cost analysis of services provided by the city. Personnel costs include the gross wages,…

​City employees receive retirement benefits from one of two state-sponsored systems. Most city employees (and elected officials that receive coverage) are covered…

Training can generally be placed into two categories: job specific or staff development. Job Specific Training is offered for numerous municipal positions by…

Unemployment Insurance is a federal program financed through the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA). The intent is to pay benefits to eligible…

Coverage Chapter 35C of the Code of Iowa provides the basis of the veterans’ preference law and states that military veterans of…

Many cities have seen significant increases to their health insurance costs while also receiving citizen requests for additional recreational opportunities. As a…

Resident Responsibilities Citizen cooperation is important to having safe and efficient snow and ice removal. To encourage this cooperation many communities have ordinances…

Workers’ compensation involves a key tradeoff between the employer and employee. The employer agrees to compensate an employee for lost time from…

Anger and complaints from local citizens may be a challenge to address, but learning the source of the issue and providing information…

Workplace safety is about preventing employee injuries and illnesses in a wide variety of work environments. It is up to both management…

Age Restrictions For teens younger than 18 years, The Fair Labor Standards Act(FLSA) restricts the hours of work and nature of occupations.…