Elections

Elections are held at the Hills Community Center, 110 E Main St. Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

A City/School election will be held Tuesday, November 4th, 2025.

      There are two seats on the City Council that are up for election, as well as the office of the mayor.

      The two City Council seats have four-year terms; the mayoral office has a two-year term.

      Terms would begin January 2, 2026, and conclude December 31, 2029, and December 31, 2027, respectively.

      Council members participate in two council meetings per month, plus infrequent work sessions and hearings. Council members are expected to review meeting packets prior to each meeting. The regular council meetings fall on the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of the month, from 7:00pm until business is concluded. Council meetings typically last one-half hour or less but can also run significantly longer.

      Council members should also expect to be contacted occasionally outside of meetings by residents with concerns.

      Mayoral responsibilities extend beyond chairing the meetings required of council members, and include serving on various boards in the county, and meeting with leaders of various organizations, state and local elected officials, and constituents. The mayor works closely with City staff during office hours (and sometimes after) to resolve issues, work on City projects, review and sign documents, long range planning, and develop content for meetings.

      Interested persons must file their candidacy papers at the Johnson County Auditor’s Office, located at 913 S Dubuque St in Iowa City no later than 5:00pm on Thursday, September 18, 2025.

      Candidacy papers include the Affidavit of Candidacy and the Nomination Petition.

•          Affidavit of Candidacy

              o   Once an affidavit is signed and notarized, it cannot be altered in any way. If any changes are needed, a new affidavit must be completed and notarized.

•          Nomination Petition

              o   The candidate must choose an office for which to run, prior to gathering signatures. (That is, you can’t put “mayor” and “city council” on the petition header.)

              o   Once nomination papers have been signed by constituents, the headers cannot be altered in any way.

              o   A minimum of 10 signatures are needed; it is recommended the candidate obtain at least a 10% greater number of signatures, in case any do not meet requirements.

              o   All signers must include a signature and the address of their residence – using a PO Box only for address invalidates the signature.

              o   Signatures on the back of pages or on pages without the nomination header are not valid.

      Candidacy papers are available in the Hills City Office at 201 N First St as well as at the Johnson County Auditor’s Office.