Legal Resources

Various Topics

There are several webinar recordings and documents available on our password-protected Legal Resources page.  These resources were developed by Whitfield & Eddy Law specifically with county extension councils in mind.  They have been curated from past council training sessions and in response to council needs and requests.

To request the password, please contact Jennifer Vit or Julie Baumler and note on which county extension council you serve.

Topics Include:

Employment Law

• Is It Legal? (2023)
• Best Practices for Personnel Committees and Personnel Records
• Hiring, Firing, and Managing Staff
• Is This Legal? (2022)
• Fair Labor Standards
• ABCs of Employment Law
• Family Medical Leave Act Basics

Council Operations

• Conflicts of Interest for County Extension Councils and County Employees
• Is It Legal? (2023)
• Custodian of Public Record

Additional legal webinars

• Divorce, Custody, and Family Law

Personnel

Best Practices for Personnel Committees and Personnel Records

This webinar can be found on the password-protected Legal Resources page.

Clarifying Discrimination Complaint Questions

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisor Regenea Hurte and HR Partner Ruth Appleton share some insights on what discrimination is and looks like, the process for reporting concerns, and some available resources to help staff navigate those concerns. From the September 12, 2022 Second Monday Live for Extension and Outreach staff

Finance

Property Tax Impacts for Extension Districts

Ag Extension Districts in Iowa rely on property taxes as the major source of revenue. This webinar explores Iowa’s property tax landscape in terms of property tax assessment and valuation by property class; trends across small, medium, and large-sized communities; and revenue implications of these trends on Extension Districts. Note: The main content of the webinar is in the first 31 minutes; the remainder of the time is breakout session activity and Q/A wrap-up.

Carryover Projection & Usage

Instructs how councils can use a carryover analysis to do year-end financial planning. 

Resources

• Video
• Power Point
• PDF

Extension Council Fiduciary Responsibilities

State of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand and citizens of Iowa explain fiduciary responsibilities of our elected extension council members. 

Resources

• State of Iowa Auditor website

Program

Behavior & Rule Management for Fairs and Events

In December 2021, Iowa 4-H implemented Positive Youth Development guidelines to aid county extension staff and extension councils in navigating possible behavior and rule infractions as they pertain to fairs and events. This webinar is a joint endeavor from IECA and Iowa 4-H to inform council members of the new guidance issued by Iowa 4-H.  The training, held on January 11, 2022 for an extension council audience, is facilitated by Mike Anderson, State Ag & Natural Resources Program Manager for Iowa 4-H Youth Development.

Resources

• Positive Youth Development Guidelines: Behavior & Rule Management for Fairs and Events
• Iowa 4-H Code of Conduct for Volunteers 4HP 3400 (Regulation)
• Iowa 4-H Code of Conduct for Youth and Families 4HP 3410 (Regulation)
• Iowa Exhibitor Youth Code of Ethics (Regulation)

What Every Council Needs to Know About 4-H

This webinar series is a joint endeavor between IECA and Iowa 4-H to share with council members some basic information about the 4-H program.  The trainings are facilitated by Jen Hargrove, Positive Youth Development & Vibrant Clubs Specialist for Iowa 4-H Youth Development.

Part I: Community Clubs

The full webinar recording is around 53 minutes in length.  For specific segments of the recording, please see the list of video clips (length of video in minutes:seconds is listed after each segment):

• What are 4-H clubs and learning communities? 16:47
• Characteristics of a 4-H Club 4:54
• Building Vibrant 4-H Clubs 8:59
• 4-H Name and Emblem 2:25 
• Comparison of 4-H Clubs vs Clover Kids 4:45
• Positive Youth Development 4:16
• Iowa 4-H Equation 4:16
• Experiential Learning Model and Targeting Life Skills 5:57 
• Why 4-H? 3:34
• 4-H Thriving Model 3:34
• Opportunities Beyond the County and Role of Fairs, Achievement Shows, and Exhibitions 6:32 
• Are Your Clubs Vibrant? 2:10 
• Role of County Extension Councils 1:22

Resources

• Webinar Power Point
• Vibrant 4-H Clubs
• Definitions and Requirements of 4-H Clover Kids
• Definitions and Requirements of Iowa 4-H Clubs 
• We are Iowa 4-H: Organization Fundamentals
• Positive Youth Development resources & research
• Targeting Life Skills
• Tufts University Research on 4-H Clubs

Part II: K-12 Outreach

• Video
• Webinar Power Point

Council Operations 

Council Meetings

Margaret E. Johnson, JD, Deputy Director of the Iowa Public Information Board explains the importance of Iowa Sunshine Laws pertaining to extension councils.

Resources

• Iowa Public Information Board resources: 
• Iowa Sunshine Laws: Open Meetings and Open Records in Iowa -  PDF
• Simplified Parliamentary Procedures, Extension Store  #1781
• Council Meeting Consent Agenda
• Council Meetings Roles and Responsibilities

Civil Rights

Serving All Iowans

Presentation and discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion in our councils and our programs.

The Next Step in Civil Rights: Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity

Insight on how being culturally aware and sensitive helps Extension Districts continue to move forward in meeting our vision and mission goal of Serving All Iowans. 

Resources

• View the PowerPoint slides