This bill amends current law to allow county boards of supervisors in Iowa to employ professional engineering firms as the county engineer, rather than solely hiring licensed civil engineers directly. The new provisions specify that the board may enter into an agreement with a professional engineering entity, which must employ one or more licensed civil engineers to fulfill the duties of the county engineer. The term of employment for these engineers remains capped at three years, with the board retaining the authority to terminate employment at any time.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that the board must approve a bond provided by the professional engineering entity, which will cover the licensed civil engineers employed by the entity, treating the entity as if it were a single licensed civil engineer for bonding purposes. This change aims to enhance flexibility in hiring practices for county engineering services while ensuring that the necessary oversight and accountability measures remain in place.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 309.17, 309.18