Extension councils and staff have until November 15 to provide feedback about the draft MOU and addendums.
If they haven’t already, councils are encouraged to set aside some time to review the draft memorandum of understanding that was made available on October 14 (see links below).
The MOU is a legal document outlining the responsibilities for both extension districts and Iowa State University. It’s each council member's responsibility as an elected official to understand the document their council is approving and signing. The MOU renewal only comes around once in your elected term, making it important for each council member to think critically about the document and how its guidelines will impact their county.
Here are some suggested questions extension councils should consider as they review the draft documents:
- Do you have a scheduled council meeting before November 15? How will you discuss or share MOU feedback as a group?
- Has your council discussed your current model structure? Do you want to remain in the same model? Counties may change model type with the new MOU if desired; the change in county model structure would be implemented July 1, 2023, with the new MOU.
- Have you studied the proposed increase in the County Services Support Fee? Have you “run the numbers” on how that will impact your budget?
If you have questions about the Shared Services Support Fee, I encourage you to look at the reports that show what shared services that fee provides your county (see links below).
Direct links to the MOU and each of the three addendums:
- 2023-2026 ISU Extension and Outreach MOU -- DRAFT | Revisions as of October 12, 2022
- Addendum A - Model 1 -- DRAFT | Revisions as of October 12, 2022 (with October 19 correction)
- Addendum A - Model 2 -- DRAFT | Revisions as of October 12, 2022 (with October 19 correction)
- Addendum A - Model 3 -- DRAFT | Revisions as of October 12, 2022 (with October 19 correction)
Direct links to Shared Services Support Fee documentation:
- Shared Services Support Fee proposal
- Annual County Shared Services Support Fee Financial Reports | Includes actual income and expenses from past fiscal years
After November 15, legal counsel will finalize the MOU and addendum. County extension districts will be invited to a Virtual Town Hall in January to review the changes and the process for signatures. Your extension council chair will sign the MOU and Addendum A for your county with our goal to have all MOU’s completed by April 30. The new MOU is implemented July 1, 2023.