403A.5 Exercise of municipal housing powers — municipal housing agency.

1. Any municipality may create, in such municipality, a public body corporate and politic to be known as the “Municipal Housing Agency” of such municipality except that such agency shall not transact any business or exercise its powers hereunder until or unless the local governing body has elected to exercise its municipal housing powers through such an agency as prescribed in this section.

2. If the municipal housing agency is authorized to transact business and exercise powers hereunder, the mayor, by and with the advice and consent of the local governing body, shall appoint a board of commissioners of the municipal housing agency which board shall consist of five commissioners. The term of office for three of the commissioners originally appointed shall be two years and the term of office for two of the commissioners originally appointed shall be one year. Thereafter the term of office for each commissioner shall be two years. In cities having a population of more than one hundred thousand, the city council may establish, by ordinance, the number of commissioners at not less than five.

3. A commissioner shall receive no compensation for services, but shall be entitled to the necessary expenses, including traveling expenses, incurred in the discharge of a duty. Each commissioner shall hold office until a successor has been appointed and has qualified. A certificate of the appointment or reappointment of any commissioner shall be filed with the clerk of the municipality, and the certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the due and proper appointment of the commissioner.

4. a. The powers of a municipal housing agency shall be exercised by the commissioners. A majority of the commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting business and exercising the powers of the agency, and for all other purposes. Action may be taken by the agency upon a vote of a majority of the commissioners present, unless in any case the bylaws shall require a larger number. Any persons may be appointed as commissioners if they reside within the area of operation of the agency, which area shall be conterminous with the area of operation of the municipality, and if they are otherwise eligible for appointments under this chapter.

b. The mayor shall designate a chairperson and vice chairperson from among the commissioners. An agency may employ an executive director, technical experts and such other agents and employees, permanent and temporary, as it may require, and the agency may determine their qualifications, duties, and compensation. For such legal service as it may require, an agency may employ or retain its own counsel and legal staff. An agency authorized to transact business and exercise powers under this chapter shall file, with the local governing body, on or before September 30 of each year, a report of its activities for the preceding fiscal year, which report shall include a complete financial statement setting forth its assets, liabilities, income, and operating expense as of the end of such fiscal year. At the time of filing the report, the agency shall publish in a newspaper of general circulation in the community a notice to the effect that such report has been filed with the municipality, and that the report is available for inspection during business hours in the office of the city clerk and in the office of the agency.

c. For inefficiency, or neglect of duty, or misconduct in office, a commissioner may be removed by a majority vote of the governing body of the municipality only after a hearing before the body, and after the commissioner shall have been given a copy of the charges at least ten days prior to such hearing, and after the commissioner shall have had an opportunity to be heard in person or by counsel.

5. A municipality may itself exercise the powers in connection with municipal housing as defined in this chapter, or may, if the local governing body by resolution determines such action to be in the public interest, elect to have such powers exercised by the municipal housing agency, if one exists or is subsequently established in the community. In the event the local governing body makes such determination, the municipal housing agency shall be vested with all of the municipal housing project powers in the same manner as though all such powers were conferred on such agency instead of the municipality. If the local governing body does not elect to make such determination, the municipality in its discretion may exercise its municipal housing project powers through a board or commissioner, or through such officers of the municipality as the local governing body may by resolution determine.

6. A municipality or a municipal housing agency may not proceed with a housing project until a study or a report and recommendation on housing available within the community is made public by the municipality or agency and is included in its recommendations for a housing project. Recommendations must receive majority approval from the local governing body before proceeding on the housing project.

[C58, §403.19; C62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §403A.5]

95 Acts, ch 114, §5; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §158

Referred to in §403A.2, 403A.22