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…

City Clerk Contingency Preparedness Guide There may be occasions when a community finds itself temporarily without a city clerk due to illness,…

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

Computers, mobile devices, and artificial intelligence are now standard in municipal operations for engaging citizens, running secure government networks, and streamlining internal…

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 year’s activities and…

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

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…

Determining whether or not to terminate an employee is one of the most difficult decisions a supervisor or city leader has to…

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…

Hiring Basics Hiring for the public sector means building a team to serve the community. Public service jobs offer strong job security,…

This index includes links to Code of Iowa citations that apply to city government operations. Please understand that there is a large…

​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 City governments rely on highly skilled staff to…

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.…