Shuttered and shelved

owa is still rebuilding from the natural disasters of 2008, but the Rebuild Iowa Office has closed its doors.

The office, RIO as it was known, was intended to be a temporary response to the tornadoes and severe flooding that ravaged Iowa three years ago. So its disappearance from the state's bureaucratic stable of acronyms was not unexpected.

But its sunset has sparked a partisan debate of sorts. Just about every subject does these days.

RIO was created by former Gov. Chet Culver. Now, Republican Gov. Terry Branstad has marked its closure by saying that he believes it was “ineffective.” His new, streamlined approach will be better, the governor contends. Unfortunately, thanks to record Missouri River flooding, we'll get to find out if Branstad is right.

Democrats tend to defend the office as an integral part of the recovery process, offering flooded-out homeowners and business owners a “one-stop shop” that coordinated information and programs. Some Democrats argued that RIO should be sustained, not shuttered.

The truth is in the middle. The office was a valuable clearinghouse for information and assistance. But like nearly every facet of the recovery, it had its problems and bureaucratic stumbles.

But debating the merits of the office is really less important than considering what came before RIO. And that's the 17-member Rebuild Iowa Commission, which brought together Iowans from across the state to hash out how future state policy should respond to the lessons of 2008.

It issued a 45-day report on immediate recovery needs and a 120-day report recommending broad policy changes and initiatives. Very little of that 120-day blueprint was ever acted upon by the General Assembly.

The commission made a series of recommendations calling on the state to lead the way on watershed management and land use practices that would help mitigate future flooding and blunt its impact. One provision, calling for statewide flood plain mapping, is, fortunately, under way. However, lawmakers have been much less willing to push for land use changes, provide new incentives to developers to use responsible practices or to provide adequate funding for existing watershed management and soil or water conservation programs.

When the dust settled on the 2011 legislative session, it marked yet another year without a new, major watershed management effort.

The commission recommended providing more options and flexibility for local governments seeking revenue to respond to recovery needs, but state leaders have mostly rejected revenue diversification efforts.

So when it comes to rebuilding Iowa, it's not the closed door but the shelved report that is its most troubling legacy.

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