28.5 - COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AREAS. - Iowa Statutes

28.5 COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AREAS. 1. The purpose of a community empowerment area is to enable local citizens to lead collaborative efforts involving early care, education, health, and human services programs on behalf of the children, families, and other citizens residing in the area. Leadership functions may include but are not limited to strategic planning for and oversight and managing of such programs and the funding made available to the community empowerment area for such programs from federal, state, local, and private sources. The initial focus of the purpose is to improve results for families with young children. 2. Each county and school district in the state shall have the option of participating in a community empowerment area. A community empowerment area shall be designated by using existing school district and county boundaries to the extent possible. 3. The designation of a community empowerment area and the creation of a community empowerment area board are subject to the approval of the Iowa empowerment board. Criteria used by the Iowa empowerment board in approving the designation of a community empowerment area shall include but are not limited to the existence of a large enough geographic area and population to efficiently and effectively administer the responsibilities and authority of the community empowerment area. The Iowa empowerment board shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A providing procedures for the initial designation of community empowerment areas and for later changing the initially designated areas.          Section History: Recent Form 98 Acts, ch 1206, §5, 20 C99, §7I.4 99 Acts, ch 190, §19, 20 CS99, §28.5 2005 Acts, ch 148, §10 Referred to in §28.9