Municipal Services
Council/Mayor government
Comprehensive city plan: yes
City zoning ordinance in effect: yes
County zoning ordinance in effect: yes
Subdivision ordinance with design standards in effect: yes
Number of volunteer fire department personal: 40
Fire insurance class in city: 5
Fire insurance class outside city: 5
Police protection: eight person Harlan Police Department.
Industrial waste pickup service: yes
Percentage of city streets hard surfaced: 100%

Schools
Youth attend either the Harlan Community Schools (K-12) or the Shelby County Catholic Schools (pre-K - 8). Shelby County schools are among the state's leaders in combining a top-quality academic education, with a wide variety of successful extracurricular activities. For more information see the Education - K-12 tab in your resource guide.

Business & Industry
"Since 1995, 61 new businesses have opened and 62 business expanded."

Churches
Nineteen denominations provide religious fulfillment in the community.

Bragging Rights
In 1997, Harlan joined an elite group of technologically advanced communities when it constructed a Metropolitan Area Network, utilizing ATM technology, which provides high-speed data access, running at 155 Megabits per second, which is 100's of times faster than a traditional modem. The network supports voice, video, and data traffic simultaneously.

It is the home to a tremendous high school academic and athletic tradition with students scholarships totaling over $100,000, state championships in football (8 including 19 trips to the state playoffs ), girls golf (1), boys baseball (1) and wrestling (1); and its arts and music program includes one of the finest Jazz and Marching Band programs in the state consistently ranking in the top two in their class.

Other community highlights include: Tiny Lund Festival, which honors the late Tiny Lund who won the Daytona 500 in 1963 and one of the top 50 NASCAR drivers; home of former Iowa Gov. Nelson Kraschel; home of the Shelby County Speedway, home of the nation's original flight breakfast and community spirit that lead voters to increase their taxes as well as provide private donations to support industrial (CDS and Insul 8) and community expansion (Stamp Aquatic Center , Harlan Municipal Airport, Veterans Auditorium and Harlan Library).

Tourism
A progressive Parks & Recreation Board oversees the multifaceted city recreation program with league play for volleyball, softball, basketball, swimming and baseball.

The Norman D. Stamp Aquatic Center is the jewel of the over 70 acres of Harlan parks. Pioneer Park has a walking/jogging trail and a 10,000 sq. ft. handicap accessible Dream Playground for toddlers to teens.

Six baseball/softball diamonds at J.J. Jensen Park, Little George Lake's fishing and ice skating plus two 9-hole golf courses and 8 tennis courts add to the list of opportunities.

The McDowell Fitness Center offers a variety of aerobic exercise activities and equipment. Indoor swimming is available during the winter at the high school. Numerous soccer, flag football, basketball and baseball leagues are available for area youth.

The Shelby County Historical Museums offers four separate buildings featuring the history of Shelby County.

For your enjoyment within the county are two native wildlife areas, over 400 acres for public hunting, and the Loess Hills region west of Harlan is listed in the National Registry of Natural Landmarks and is only one of two sites in the world featuring Loess topography (the other site is along the Yellow River in China).

History
The platting of the territory by Dr. A.T. Ault, in August, 1858, for a new town to be known as Harlan, marked the downfall of the rival cities of Simoda and Shelbyville. In 1859, voters determined that the new Courthouse should be built in Harlan and thus the legacy of Simoda and Shelbyville ended. It is believed that Ault, a Republican, who came from eastern Iowa either knew U.S. Senator James Harlan (R-IA, 1855-1861) personally or through correspondence and named the city after the Senator.

Local Government

The City of Harlan
Mayor council form of government. The council, mayor and other city officers have such powers and perform such duties as are authorized and required by state law and by the ordinances, resolutions, rules and regulations of the city. The council consists of six (6) council members elected for terms of four (4) years. The mayor is elected for a term of two (2) years. The Mayor is not a member of the council and may not vote as a member of the council. The Mayor appoints a Police Chief, Treasurer, and City Attorney with confirmation by the council. The City Attorney and Treasurer are hired on a part-time basis. The City Council appoints the City Administrator and City Clerk. The City hires a Street Superintendent, Wastewater Superintendent, Superintendent of Communication, Librarian, City Clerk, and a Deputy City Clerk.

Public safety
Twenty-four-hour service is provided by a full time Police Chief and seven (7) police officers. Dispatch and communication services are provided by agreement with the Shelby County Communication Center. Emergency warning and notice is provided to the county's emergency response entities by the Shelby County Sheriff's Department located in Harlan.

Harlan Fire and Rescue Department
Staffed by forty (40) volunteer fire fighters, all of whom respond to emergency calls. The department serves parts of Lincoln, Center, Jackson, Fairview, and Monroe Townships. There are ten EMT's, eight First Responders, four Expert Rescuer technicians, and seven Fire Fighter-I's The department responds to approximately 55 calls per year. Harlan's ISO rating is 5 (highest rating for a volunteer fire dept.). The fire department's budget is raised by township tax levy, city budget and by various fund-raising activities that take place throughout the year.

Emergency medical transit
Provided by Shelby County Ambulance Commission, under agreement with the County, City and Myrtue Memorial Hospital -- the three (3) entities equally fund the ambulance service which is located in Harlan. Twenty-four-hour service is provided by Medivac Ambulance which has four ambulances and a wheel chair van. The 20-person staff includes six paramedics and 12 EMT-I's, one EMT-B & one EMT-A.

Gas, electric, water system, and cable/communications
Municipally owned and operated by the Harlan Municipal Utilities' Board of Trustees which are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council. The board has five (5) members including the Chair. The Board hires a General Manager, Administrative Assistant, Engineer, Gas and Water Distribution Superintendent, Electric Line Superintendent and Water Production Superintendent. TCI of the Heartlands also operates a competing cable system for the residents of Harlan.

City of Harlan Complex which houses both city government and the Harlan Police Department.

Harlan at a glance Contact Information