1. If it should develop that any type of public improvement, other than the forces of nature, has caused such a change in the district as to effectively sever and cut off some of the land in the district from other lands in the district and from the improvements in the district in such a way as to deprive the land of any further benefits from the improvement, or in some manner to divide the benefits that may be derived from two separated portions of the improvement, then the board of supervisors or the board of trustees in charge may upon notice to interested parties and hearing as provided by this subchapter, parts 1 through 5, for the original establishment of a district make an order to remove lands so deprived of benefits from the district without any reclassification, or may subdivide the district into two separate entities if the public improvement splits the district into two separate units, each of which may still derive some separate benefits from the separated portions of the district.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 468.188

  • district: means a district defined by a county and one or more cities within the county pursuant to an agreement entered into by the county and cities in accordance with chapter 28E and this part with respect to drainage improvements which the county and cities determine benefit the property located in the cities and the designated unincorporated area of the county. See Iowa Code 468.585
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • levee: shall be construed to include, in addition to its ordinary and accepted meaning, embankments, revetments, retards, or any other approved system of construction which may be deemed necessary to adequately protect the banks of any river or stream, within or adjacent to any county, from wash, cutting, or erosion. See Iowa Code 468.3
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
 2. If the public improvement is such as to leave two separate portions of the improvement that are still operable and of benefit to the land on each side of the division made by the public improvement, then the board may divide the district into two separate units so that each may perform further work on the improvements in their respective parts, but neither shall be charged for work completed on the opposite side of the new improvement that divides them and may only be charged for the work done in that portion of the district remaining on their side of the division.
 3. The same authority provided in this section shall vest in the board of supervisors or the board of trustees in the event a drainage district in any manner relinquishes its control over any portion of its improvements or its obligation to maintain same to another district and lands may be removed from the district or the district may be divided as provided in this section.
 4. The board may further in dividing the district award to each of the separated portions of the district the improvement remaining in each portion, determine the value of the improvement so remaining on each side and secondly determine the contributions of the lands in the separated portions to the improvements and the upkeep of the earlier district, and if the contribution is proportionate neither side shall owe the other portion of the district any money, but if contribution is disproportionate, the board shall determine an equitable adjustment and the amount of payment required for one portion to pay to the other to buy the existing improvement.
 5. If land is eliminated from any further benefits, there need not be any reclassification and the board may remove the same from the district in the same manner as if the land has been destroyed in whole by the erosion of a river and spread any deficiency in assessment among the remaining lands as provided by section 468.49.
 6. “Type of public improvement” for the purpose of this section includes drainage or levee improvements or new highways.
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