The Iowa House is considering a proposal that would require legislative approval before state agencies pursue or accept major federal grants, ensuring that elected lawmakers, not just administrators, have a say in decisions that can commit taxpayers to long-term obligations. The bill mirrors key components of ITR Foundation’s Fiscal Independence Act by combining legislative oversight with greater ...
Voters in Austin, Texas overwhelmingly rejected a property tax increase, signaling frustration with rising costs and prompting the city to pursue an independent efficiency audit to improve accountability and control spending. Efficiency audits can identify waste, streamline operations, and generate meaningful savings—often improving services while reducing costs. Local governments in Iowa should u...
Local governments in Iowa do not have unlimited authority over property taxes, they can only levy taxes as authorized by the state and must operate within state law. Home Rule provides flexibility in managing local affairs, but the legislature retains ultimate control, especially over taxation. The current debate over property tax reform is ultimately about priorities: ensuring essential services ...
A crowd of engaged residents gathered in Rockwell City last week for a conversation on one of Iowa’s most pressing issues: property taxes. Hosted by local community members, the event featured ITR Foundation Research Director Sarah Curry, who provided a clear, practical walkthrough of how Iowa’s property tax system works and how taxpayers can better understand what’s happening in their own communi...
Property taxes are rising faster than incomes: In both Iowa and Texas, collections have surged well beyond inflation and population growth, putting increasing pressure on homeowners and businesses. The core driver is spending growth: As local government budgets expand, property tax bills follow—making spending restraint central to any long-term solution. Lasting relief requires structural reform: ...
The challenge ahead is to remain engaged in global markets while ensuring that Iowa’s economy, institutions, and essential systems are resilient against external pressure and influence.
What rollback does: Iowa’s rollback limits how much of a property’s value is taxed, ensuring taxable values grow more slowly than market values, helping prevent sudden spikes in property tax bills. How it works: The rollback is recalculated each year for residential and agricultural property to cap statewide taxable value growth, adjusting automatically as valuations rise or fall. Why it matters: ...
The proposed 2% caps on property tax growth are described as rigid limits, but that ignores important details. Each reform proposal includes allowances such as new construction, inflation adjustments, or debt service exemptions, meaning property tax revenue would still grow, just at a slower and more sustainable pace. Property taxes are only one part of local government funding. Cities and countie...
Why lawmakers are acting now: Iowa legislators have been considering oversight measures in Medicaid and SNAP to strengthen program integrity, prevent fraud, and prepare for new federal policies that will penalize states with high error or fraud rates. National problems highlight the risk: Large-scale fraud uncovered in states like Minnesota, and an estimated $186 billion in improper payments natio...
ITR Foundation Policy Director John Hendrickson spoke to a full room of taxpayers and local officials in Bettendorf, continuing the organization’s effort to engage communities across Iowa on fiscal policy and tax reform. Hendrickson highlighted how Iowa’s tax competitiveness improved through disciplined budgeting, citing the state’s transition to a 3.8% flat income tax, elimination of the inherita...
Most county budgets get spent in full because of the mentality to “spend it or lose it.” The system should be changed so that it begins working more efficiently. As an attorney with a financial background and entrepreneurial experience, I became concerned about the direction my county was heading. I ran for and was elected County Attorney of Muscatine County, a position I held for 10 years. At th...
Populism reflects real frustration with cultural decline and economic instability — but the solution matters. The key divide is whether populism empowers people or expands government power. National conservatism risks centralizing authority, using executive power, tariffs, and industrial policy in ways that blur constitutional limits and shift decision-making from citizens to politicians. Freedom ...
National conservatism argues that conservatism must prioritize the nation’s common good, restoring sovereignty, moral order, and national cohesion after decades of emphasizing individual autonomy above all else. It contends that markets alone cannot preserve communities or national strength, and that prudent policies — including protective tariffs, immigration limits, and restrained foreign policy...
Spending discipline will be critical as lawmakers build the FY2027 budget. New revenue estimates show modest slowing in revenue growth for the current year, reinforcing the need for careful budgeting as policymakers navigate economic uncertainty. Iowa faces new fiscal pressures despite economic positives. Slower revenue growth, federal policy changes, agricultural softness, and national economic u...
Iowa has made major progress on tax reform, moving from 43rd to 17th in the Tax Foundation’s Tax Competitiveness Index after cutting income and corporate tax rates—but high property taxes remain a major weakness in the state’s tax structure. Property taxes have grown rapidly, increasing more than 107% over the past two decades and reaching over $6 billion annually, largely driven by local governme...
Iowa is the first state approved for a federal “Returning Education to the States” waiver, allowing it to consolidate several federal programs into a $9.5 million block grant and giving the state greater flexibility in how education funds are used. The move reflects a broader shift away from federal micromanagement toward state-led education policy, aligning with long-standing conservative argumen...
In recent years, Iowa has seen dramatic improvements in tax competitiveness. According to the Tax Foundation’s Tax Competitiveness Index, the state’s tax policy improved enough between 2020 and 2025 to move from a rank of 43 to a rank of 17. Still, Iowa has one glaring hole in its tax policy: a high and burdensome property tax. If the state wants to maintain a vibrant population, substantial prope...
Some states are funding rising spending with wealth taxes and targeted levies instead of restraining government growth. This marks a shift away from broad, neutral tax policy. A growing divide is emerging between states expanding government and those prioritizing tax competitiveness. Policy choices today will shape migration, investment, and job growth tomorrow. Targeted taxes, including those on ...
Turnout in the March special election remained extremely low across the participating districts. Across the 12 contests, just 6,336 votes were cast out of 136,901 registered voters — a turnout of only 4.6 percent. Individual district turnout varied significantly. The highest turnout occurred in Sibley-Ocheyedan CSD, where 34.8 percent of registered voters participated in the PPEL renewal election....
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes described his colleague Justice Pierce Butler as a “monolith, there are no seems that the frost can get through. He is of one piece.” Justice Louis Brandeis regarded him as “one of the most powerful on [the] bench.” William D. Mitchell, who served as Butler’s law partner and later Attorney General in President Herbert Hoover’s administration, described him as a “domin...
Regulations aren’t just technical rules, they function like stealth taxes, often carrying real economic costs while being issued with limited public oversight. A local REINS Act would require city councils and county boards of supervisors to approve new department rules and include a public cost-benefit analysis before those regulations take effect. The goal is stronger checks and balances at the ...
Award-winning revitalization faces legal challenge. Even as Jefferson earns praise for downtown redevelopment, it is defending a lawsuit alleging it improperly moved about $800,000 from its water utility fund to economic development accounts. The dispute centers on process and safeguards. Plaintiffs argue the city failed to prove a lawful surplus, skipped required budget steps, and did not establi...