Updated 3/23

Website:

https://blind.iowa.gov/administration/commission

Responsibilities of an Independent Commission Under Federal Law Pertaining to the Vocational Rehabilitation Program

As the Designated State Agency (DSA) responsible for providing vocational rehabilitation services to Iowans who are blind, we must submit a unified state plan every four years to the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). This plan is also updated every two years. The mid-plan updates were approved in 2022 and the full plan will be resubmitted in 2024.

On the state plan, the Iowa Commission for the Blind is listed as an Independent Commission. For more information regarding your responsibilities for the VR state plan and other VR program oversight, visit:

https://rsa.ed.gov/about/programs/vocational-rehabilitation-state-grants/SRC-independent-commission-resources

Meeting Procedures

The Chair and Secretary of the Board are appointed by the Governor. The Chair is responsible for setting the agenda, but in order to prevent accidental violation of open meetings laww, this is done by communicating the agenda to the Secretary. The Secretary compiles the agenda, sends to the other Commissioners and the public, and posts it on the IDB website. Other Board members should send requests for agenda items to the Secretary.

Like almost all official meetings, the Iowa Commission for the Blind uses Roberts Rules of Order to run its meetings. You can learn about this rule system at: http://www.rulesonline.com. The Board Chair, Board Secretary, and Assistant Attorney General can provide guidance to the other Board members regarding procedures during the meeting.

Calendar

The Board has regularly scheduled quarterly meetings in March, June, September, and December. In recent years, they have been scheduled on Tuesdays at noon. Scheduling meetings at noon allows individuals who are working a standard work week to attend over their lunch hour if they choose. As new IDB staff are required to attend a Commission Board meeting as part of their training, scheduling during the standard work day has been preferrable to scheduling during evenings or weekends, however, the schedule for the meetings is determined by the Board with the assistance of the Secretary.

Policy reviews occur as outlined in the Board Approval Policy

September Meeting

##Iowa Open Meetings & Open Records Laws Here is a great resource for learning more about requirements under these provisions of IOWA Code:

https://www.ipib.iowa.gov/open-meetings

Meeting Agendas & Board Packets

If a Board member has an item for discussion or action, they should please get this to the Secretary as soon as possible. Any non-emergency changes to an agenda should be made more than 24 hours in advance of the meeting.

Board agendas and packets are posted to our website at: https://blind.iowa.gov/iowa-commission-blind-board-meeting-packet-materials.

The Board packet typically contains:

We make every attempt to get the agenda and packet materials sent to Commissioners and posted on our website one week prior to a scheduled meeting. We are not always able to meet this time frame and are not required to do so by law. We are not required to provide board materials to members of the public, but in the interest of transparency, we make every effort to do so. Paper copies of Board packets are available upon request, however, in order to be as environmentally and fiscally responsible as possible, we do not send paper copies out automatically.

Board Meeting Recordings & Minutes

IDB is required to take, approve, and make available to the public minutes of all public meetings. The minutes are taken and prepared by the Board Secretary and approved at the next meeting. While IDB is not required to record and post meeting recordings, we do so in the interest of transparency. Recordings and minutes of previous Board meetings can be found at: https://blind.iowa.gov/Administration/Commission/Recordings-Minutes

Public Comment

Public comment is been limited to the public comment period unless public comment on a specific action item is requested by a Commissioner. Information on how to sign up to make public comment is written on each agenda. Public comment appears at the beginning of the meeting to make sure that the public has the opportunity to state opinions regarding action items before a vote is taken. While public input is valuable, the Board is not required by Iowa Code to provide time for public comment. The below is excerpted from the Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB) website’s FAQ:

Does a person who wants to speak at a meeting of a governmental agency have the legal right to do so?

Answer: No. While the open meetings act provides no mandate that a public agency must provide meeting time to any citizen with something to say, due process and democratic principles will dictate that a public body should hear those affected by proposed actions. Typically, many public agencies set aside time for a public forum or an open forum, but they are under no mandate under Chapter 21 to do so. Even when discussing a controversial item on its agenda, the public agency understandably does not have to provide time to each person at the meeting.

Action items

An item must be listed as an action item on the agenda for it to be voted on at that meeting.

Closed Sessions

Iowa’s Open Meetings Law (Chapter 21.5 outlines procedures for holding a closed session. IDB has only one purpose for holding a closed meeting. When requested by an applicant, applications for Gifts & Bequests loans or grants that are to be decided by the Commission Board are deliberated in closed session pursuant to item a below. An overview sheet is sent to each Commissioner prior to the meeting for items that require Board approval. Typically the Director does not send individual items that she is able to approve, but if Board members would like to see them, please let the director or secretary know and those can be forwarded to you. The Guidelines can be found at: https://idbpoliciesandprocedures.blot.im/gifts-and-bequests-guidelines

It is important to note that no business not specifically stated as the reason for entering closed session should be discussed in closed session. The Ombudsman’s office can request to examine closed session records if they receive a credible complaint.

Abbreviated Code Section 21.5 for reference:

1 OFFICIAL MEETINGS OPEN TO PUBLIC (OPEN MEETINGS), ß21.5 21.5 Closed session.

  1. A governmental body may hold a closed session only by affirmative public vote of either two-thirds of the members of the body or all of the members present at the meeting. A governmental body may hold a closed session only to the extent a closed session is necessary for any of the following reasons:
  1. To review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or federal law to be kept confidential or to be kept confidential as a condition for that governmental body’s possession or continued receipt of federal funds.
  1. The vote of each member on the question of holding the closed session and the reason for holding the closed session by reference to a specific exemption under this section shall be announced publicly at the open session and entered in the minutes. A governmental body shall not discuss any business during a closed session which does not directly relate to the specific reason announced as justification for the closed session.
  2. Final action by any governmental body on any matter shall be taken in an open session unless some other provision of the Code expressly permits such actions to be taken in closed session.
  3. A governmental body shall not exclude a member of the governmental body from attending a closed session, unless the member’s attendance at the closed session creates a conflict of interest for the member due to the specific reason announced as justification for holding the closed session.
    1. A governmental body shall keep detailed minutes of all discussion, persons present, and action occurring at a closed session, and shall also audio record all of the closed session.
    1. The detailed minutes and audio recording of a closed session shall be sealed and shall not be public records open to public inspection. However, upon order of the court in an action to enforce this chapter, the detailed minutes and audio recording shall be unsealed and examined by the court in camera. The court shall then determine what part, if any, of the minutes should be disclosed to the party seeking enforcement of this chapter for use in that enforcement proceeding. In determining whether any portion of the minutes or recording shall be disclosed to such a party for this purpose, the court shall weigh the prejudicial effects to the public interest of the disclosure of any portion of the minutes or recording in question, against its probative value as evidence in an enforcement proceeding. After such a determination, the court may permit inspection and use of all or portions of the detailed minutes and audio recording by the party seeking enforcement of this chapter. A governmental body shall keep the detailed minutes and audio recording of any closed session for a period of at least one year from the date of that meeting, except as otherwise required by law.
  1. This paragraph b does not require the office of ombudsman to obtain a court order to examine the detailed minutes and audio recording of a closed session when such examination is relevant to an investigation under chapter 2C and the information sought is not available through other reasonable means. Any portion of the minutes or recording released by a governmental body to the office of ombudsman shall remain confidential pursuant to section 2C.9.
  1. Nothing in this section requires a governmental body to hold a closed session to discuss or act upon any matter.

Board Continuing Education

The Assistant Attorney General provides Board member training when new Board members are appointed. Commissioners are welcome and encouraged to attend semi-annual New Staff Seminars to learn more about the history and operations of IDB.

The Director emails periodic updates to Commissioners. Subscribing to IDB Newsletters at: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/IACIO/subscriber/new?qsp=IACIO_30 will provide additional information as will attending monthly Director’s Forums or listening to the Director’s Forum or other IDB podcasts. Commissioners may also choose to follow IDB on social media.

IDB General Calendar of Events

Here is a list of major events that shape our agency’s work:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

October

November

December

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