Here are the basic built-in, state-implemented components:
• A military pension tax exemption for veterans who relocate to HBI communities.
• A hiring preference program that includes transferring a professional license into Iowa.
• Automatic in-state tuition rates at all Iowa colleges and universities for relocating veterans, spouses and dependents.
• Participation in a statewide online jobs database specifically aimed at skill sets attained in the military.
A community’s incentive package is expected to go above and beyond the basic requirements of earning a Home Base Iowa designation, which are:
• Getting 10 percent of area businesses to commit to hire a specified number of veterans by 2018, whether it is one or 100 or any number. Home Base Iowa won’t publish that total, but 10 percent of all private area businesses must sign on as part of the program.
• Submitting an incentive plan that goes above and beyond the statewide program and any regular government veterans benefits.
• Communities must agree to prominently display the Home Base Iowa Community designation. One $60 roadside metal sign must be displayed on a prominently entry point to the community.
• The community obtains written backing in seeking the designation from the appropriate local governing body — in the case of counties, the board of supervisors. Jasper County has already completed this step.