91 counties increased their property tax revenue on a per capita basis since last year.
Any Iowan looking at their property tax bills can see that they keep going up year after year, but how much exactly? And how much property tax pain are you and your family about to experience from the spending decisions your locally elected officials are making?
ITR Foundation has compiled the year-over-year changes in property tax revenue and population for each of Iowa’s 99 counties. Statewide, counties are increasing their property tax collections by more than seven percent (+7.6%). This increase is on top of other increases: more than six percent for cities (+6.6%) and more than five percent for school districts (+5.4%). Combined, Iowans will spend more than $6 billion in property taxes to fund local governments next year.
Even without factoring in the burden of cities and school districts, five counties inflicted Unspeakable Pain according to ITR Foundation’s scale, meaning they increased their property tax revenue by more than 20% per person. Another 25 counties levied Excruciating Pain (+9-20%); 20 caused Severe Pain (+6-9%); 17 imposed Moderate Pain (+4-6%); and 24 delivered Mild Pain (+0-4%). Taxpayers in only eight counties were spared painful increases when their county governments were able to pass budgets that decreased property taxes on a per capita basis.
Those counties increasing their property tax revenue more than 20% per capita are the winners of this year’s county property tax pain awards, including:
If these property tax increases are too much for you to bear, ITR Foundation has discussed a remedy in these three posts:
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