Twelve Central Iowa communities have signed a memorandum of understanding that recognizes the Central Iowa Code Consortium, the group’s executive committee announced.

The communities include Des Moines, Bondurant, Clive, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Waukee, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights. Two other communities are expected to sign the memorandum of understanding in the coming weeks.

The consortium is a collaborative effort to improve consistency in the adoption and enforcement of construction codes in Central Iowa. The idea was first raised through the Capital Crossroads planning effort as one of the five pilot projects looking into the possibilities of local government collaboration. Capital Crossroads brings together nearly 700 volunteers, and partners with the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Prairie Meadows, Catch Des Moines and the United Way of Central Iowa to set goals and create a vision for the community’s future.

The code consortium, which helped guide communities through adoption of the 2015 and 2018 codes, is currently working through the 2021 process. The consortium continues to be a collaborative effort among all participating communities to review code changes, recommend changes to these codes, and produce a metro “model” code for all communities to consider through their local code adoption process.

The group is currently soliciting applications from industry and local government staff to participate in the code review and drafting process. See more information or submit an application.