Draft chapter 17: City Council

§ 17.03 Exercise Of Power

The 2026 draft's § 17.03 beside the current code's § 17.03: removed words are struck through, added words underlined.

Comparison with a draft: not adopted. The archive holds no public hearing, ordinance or vote adopting the recodified Code through the October 20, 2026 meeting packet. Until one is adopted, every page here compares the consolidated code with a draft that can still change: the revised draft with the October 6 changes is not in the archive.

A comparison with the August 2026 draft recodification prepared by Iowa Codification for the City. The draft has not been adopted and can still change; the current code (unofficial compilation) governs until a recodified Code is adopted. Matches between sections are made by machine from the texts and are reviewed where uncertain.

Wording changed minor wording (98% same words)

What changed

The Council shall exercise a power only by the passage of a motion, a resolution, an amendment, or an ordinance in the following manner:
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 364.3[1]) 364.3(1))
1. Action by Council. Passage of an ordinance, amendment, or resolution requires a majority vote of all of the members of the Council. Passage of a motion requires a majority vote of a quorum of the Council. A resolution must be passed to spend public funds in excess of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) $100,000.00 on a public improvement project, or to accept public improvements and facilities upon their completion. Each Council member's member’s vote on a measure must be recorded. A measure which that fails to receive sufficient votes for passage shall be considered defeated.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.4)
2. Overriding Mayor's Mayor’s Veto. Within thirty (30) 30 days after the Mayor's Mayor’s veto, the Council may pass the measure again by a vote of not less than two-thirds of all of the members of the Council.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[2]) 380.6(2))
3. Measures Become Effective. Measures passed by the Council become effective in one of the following ways:
A. An ordinance or amendment signed by the Mayor becomes effective when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, unless a subsequent effective date is provided within the ordinance or amendment.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[Ja]) 380.6(1)(a))
B. A resolution signed by the Mayor becomes effective immediately upon signing.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[lb]) 380.6(1)(b))
C. A motion becomes effective immediately upon passage of the motion by the Council.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[1c]) 380.6(1)(c]))
D. If the Mayor vetoes an ordinance, amendment amendment, or resolution and the Council repasses the measure after the Mayor's Mayor’s veto, a resolution becomes effective immediately upon repassage, and an ordinance or amendment becomes a law when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, unless a subsequent effective date is provided within the ordinance or amendment.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[2]) 380.6(2))
E. If the Mayor takes no action on an ordinance, amendment amendment, or resolution, a resolution becomes effective fourteen (14) 14 days after the date of passage, and an ordinance or amendment becomes law when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, but not sooner than 14 days after the date of passage, unless a subsequent effective date is provided within the ordinance or amendment.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[3]) 380.6(3))
"All “All of the members of the Council" Council” refers to all of the seats of the Council including a vacant seat and a seat where the member is absent absent, but does not include a seat where the Council member declines to vote by reason of a conflict of interest.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.4) 380.1(a))

Word-level comparison of the current text with the draft's; spacing and paragraph breaks come from the documents' text. Footnotes are left out.

Current code

§ 17.03 Exercise Of Power

The Council shall exercise a power only by the passage of a motion, a resolution, an amendment, or an ordinance in the following manner:

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 364.3[1])

1. Action by Council. Passage of an ordinance, amendment, or resolution requires a majority vote of all of the members of the Council. Passage of a motion requires a majority vote of a quorum of the Council. A resolution must be passed to spend public funds in excess of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) on a public improvement project, or to accept public improvements and facilities upon their completion. Each Council member's vote on a measure must be recorded. A measure which fails to receive sufficient votes for passage shall be considered defeated.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.4)

2. Overriding Mayor's Veto. Within thirty (30) days after the Mayor's veto, the Council may pass the measure again by a vote of not less than two-thirds of all of the members of the Council.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[2])

3. Measures Become Effective. Measures passed by the Council become effective in one of the following ways:

A. An ordinance or amendment signed by the Mayor becomes effective when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, unless a subsequent effective date is provided within the ordinance or amendment.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[Ja])

B. A resolution signed by the Mayor becomes effective immediately upon signing.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[lb])

C. A motion becomes effective immediately upon passage of the motion by the Council.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[1c])

D. If the Mayor vetoes an ordinance, amendment or resolution and the Council repasses the measure after the Mayor's veto, a resolution becomes effective immediately upon repassage, and an ordinance or amendment becomes a law when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, unless a subsequent effective date is provided within the ordinance or amendment.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[2])

E. If the Mayor takes no action on an ordinance, amendment or resolution, a resolution becomes effective fourteen (14) days after the date of passage, and an ordinance or amendment becomes law when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, but not sooner than 14 days after the date of passage, unless a subsequent effective date is provided within the ordinance or amendment.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6[3])

"All of the members of the Council" refers to all of the seats of the Council including a vacant seat and a seat where the member is absent but does not include a seat where the Council member declines to vote by reason of a conflict of interest.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.4)

2010 Code, Chapter 17 · source page

2026 draft

§ 17.03 Exercise Of Power

The Council shall exercise a power only by the passage of a motion, a resolution, an amendment, or an ordinance in the following manner:

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 364.3(1))

1. Action by Council. Passage of an ordinance, amendment, or resolution requires a majority vote of all of the members of the Council. Passage of a motion requires a majority vote of a quorum of the Council. A resolution must be passed to spend public funds in excess of $100,000.00 on a public improvement project, or to accept public improvements and facilities upon their completion. Each Council member’s vote on a measure must be recorded. A measure that fails to receive sufficient votes for passage shall be considered defeated.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.4)

2. Overriding Mayor’s Veto. Within 30 days after the Mayor’s veto, the Council may pass the measure again by a vote of not less than two-thirds of all of the members of the Council.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6(2))

3. Measures Become Effective. Measures passed by the Council become effective in one of the following ways:

A. An ordinance or amendment signed by the Mayor becomes effective when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, unless a subsequent effective date is provided within the ordinance or amendment.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6(1)(a))

B. A resolution signed by the Mayor becomes effective immediately upon signing.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6(1)(b))

C. A motion becomes effective immediately upon passage of the motion by the Council.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6(1)(c]))

D. If the Mayor vetoes an ordinance, amendment, or resolution and the Council repasses the measure after the Mayor’s veto, a resolution becomes effective immediately upon repassage, and an ordinance or amendment becomes a law when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, unless a subsequent effective date is provided within the ordinance or amendment.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6(2))

E. If the Mayor takes no action on an ordinance, amendment, or resolution, a resolution becomes effective 14 days after the date of passage, and an ordinance or amendment becomes law when the ordinance or a summary of the ordinance is published, but not sooner than 14 days after the date of passage, unless a subsequent effective date is provided within the ordinance or amendment.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.6(3))

“All of the members of the Council” refers to all of the seats of the Council including a vacant seat and a seat where the member is absent, but does not include a seat where the Council member declines to vote by reason of a conflict of interest.

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 380.1(a))

August 2026 draft · page 46

Back to draft chapter 17 · All changes

Data last updated October 23, 2026. Built from the archive's documents; see how the data is built.