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 these firms must employ one or more licensed civil engineers who will be responsible for fulfilling the duties of the county engineer under an agreement with the board. The term of employment for these engineers remains capped at three years, with the board retaining the authority to terminate the 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