Cedar Rapids council advances repeal of Citizen Review Board ordinance to comply with Iowa law

The Cedar Rapids City Council approved a first reading on July 22 to repeal Chapter 74 of the municipal code, which established a Citizen Review Board (CRB), saying the repeal is necessary to comply with Senate File 311.

City Community Development Director Jennifer Pratt told the council the board "was established under chapter 74 of the municipal code back on February 9." Pratt said the recently enacted Senate File 311 "stated that a city with a veil service commission, which we do have, shall not establish a board or other entity for the purpose of citizen review of the contact conduct of officers," and noted August 16 as an implementation deadline.

The repeal drew several public objections. Angel Ramirez, who identified themself as a state representative and as president of Advocates for Social Justice, urged the council to "reject the proposal to repeal chapter 74" and instead to amend the ordinance to remove only those provisions that conflict with SF 311. Ramirez and other speakers, including clergy, neighborhood leaders and CRB supporters, argued Chapter 74 contains multiple functions unrelated to individual officer discipline—such as policy review, data analysis and community outreach—that they said should be retained.

City Attorney’s office and other staff recommended repeal and replacement as the cleanest path. During council debate several members said they supported preserving as many CRB functions as state law allows but were divided on the process. Council member Tyler Olson moved to approve the ordinance on first reading; Council member Poe seconded the motion and the vote carried. Council members publicly opposed the full repeal and said they expected staff to return with a replacement ordinance shaped by community engagement.

Next steps: the council approved a first reading; staff said they will hold focus groups and community interviews in August and September and return a replacement ordinance recommendation to council, with possible second and third readings scheduled for August 12. The city attorney advised that while it is possible to craft narrow amendments, the practical approach staff prefers is to "repeal and replace" to produce a cleaner, functioning ordinance.

Why it matters: the CRB was created after 2020 reform efforts; supporters said it increased transparency and community engagement with the police department. Opponents of outright repeal told council removing the entire chapter would eliminate functions the community and police have used for oversight and relationship-building. The council’s action begins a statutory compliance process that still leaves the substantive structure of citizen oversight open to redesign and community input.

A formal vote on final repeal was not completed; tonight’s action advanced the ordinance to the next step in the council process.