1. A real property owner within the boundaries of a city may file a petition for severance with the city council if the petitioner’s real property, if severed, would be eligible for annexation by a different city and if such annexation would not create an island. Contiguous property owners may file a combined petition under this section.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 368.25A

  • Annexation: means the addition of territory to a city. See Iowa Code 368.1
  • Board: means the city development board established in section 368. See Iowa Code 368.1
  • Clerk: means the recording and recordkeeping officer of a city regardless of title. See Iowa Code 362.2
  • Council: means the governing body of a city. See Iowa Code 362.2
  • Island: means land which is not part of a city and which is completely surrounded by the corporate boundaries of one or more cities. See Iowa Code 368.1
  • Ordinance: means a city law of a general and permanent nature. See Iowa Code 362.2
  • property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • real property: include lands, tenements, hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • Severance: means the deletion of territory from a city. See Iowa Code 368.1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Territory: means the land area or areas proposed to be incorporated, annexed, or severed, whether or not contiguous to all other areas proposed to be incorporated, annexed, or severed. See Iowa Code 368.1
 2. The petition shall be filed with the city council of the city from which severance is sought and the city council of the city to which annexation is requested. The petition shall be in substantially the form required of an application under section 368.7.
 3. If the city councils of both cities approve the petition, the petition shall be filed with the board. Approval by either city council may be conditioned upon an agreement entered into by the cities providing for the transition of property taxes or the sharing of property tax revenues from the real property described in the petition for a period not to exceed forty years and providing for all necessary zoning ordinance changes within a period not to exceed ten years. An agreement between cities under this subsection shall be filed with the board at the same time the approved petition is filed. An agreement may include additional transition provisions relating to the transfer or sharing of property tax revenues for property outside the boundaries of the territory described in the petition and any other provisions deemed by the cities to be in the public interest if such actions are within the authority of the cities.
 4. Following receipt of a petition, the board shall initiate proceedings to sever the territory from the city in which it is located and annex the territory to the annexing city. The board shall notify both cities of the severance and annexation proceedings and shall hold a public hearing on the severance, annexation, and any agreement between the cities pursuant to subsection 3. The board shall give notice of the hearing in the same manner as notice of a public meeting in section 368.11, subsection 5.
 5. The board may only approve the petition if the board also approves any agreements between the cities pursuant to subsection 3, and filed with the board. The board may only approve or deny the severance and annexation of the territory described in the petition, and the order of the board approving the petition is not subject to approval at an election.
 6. The severance and annexation approved by the board is completed when the board files with the secretary of state and the clerk of each city involved in the severance and annexation, and records with the recorder of each county which contains a portion of any city or territory involved, copies of the proceedings including the petition, any agreements between the cities, the order of the board approving the petition, proofs of service and publication of required notices, and any other material deemed by the board to be of primary importance to the proceedings. The board shall also file with the state department of transportation a copy of the map and legal land description of each completed severance and annexation under this section.
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