At their Feb. 20 meeting, Manning City Council members unanimously passed a proclamation celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Home Rule Amendment to Iowa’s State Constitution. They join cities across the state in support of the legislation giving local control to municipal governance. Mayor, Harvey Dales, says most of the economic development in Manning is a result of the Home Rule Amendment. “The state tries to initiate it, but it’s up to the individual communities to make development happen. And that development is only possible because of home rule,” Dales says. Home Rule was passed in 1968, transitioning Iowa from a Dillon’s Rule state, where local government powers were derived from the state legislature, to one where local governments’ power originated from the State Constitution. The Iowa League of Cities will also commemorate the 50th anniversary with events planned throughout 2018.
