Local residents having been voicing concerns about their property tax bills increasing. They have been speaking to area legislators that the costs are becoming prohibitive in some cases. They are asking the legislators to try and slow the pace of the increases as costs for necessities such as food and gas have also increased.
A House committee has unanimously voted for legislation that would prevent the property tax bill on an Iowa residence or agland from going up more than 3% a year. Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The legislation does have a property improvement exception, so a property tax bill could go up more than three percent if someone spent $100,000 building an addition on a house, for example. A Senate committee has voted for a three percent cap on most property tax bill increases but using a slightly different mechanism. Republican Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, says he’s talking almost daily with Kaufmann about property tax limitations.
The bill that cleared the House Ways and Means Committee also calls for all bond referendums to be decided in November General Elections. It proposes a reduction in the local school district levy, replacing over $200 million in property taxes with state tax revenue. Representative Dave Jacoby of Coralville says Democrats on the committee voted for the overall package.
But Jacoby says Democrats would like to see some assurances that the state would be required to provide local school districts with that $200 million every year, to avoid budget woes for public schools.
