COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — State lawmakers representing Pottawattamie County met with the board of supervisors ahead of the 2025 legislative session. There was a lively discussion about the state's relatively high property taxes.
- As chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Sen. Dan Dawson wants to see reform to Iowa’s complicated system: “People don’t understand how the property taxes work because the city will point fingers at the county, the county points fingers at the school board, the school board points fingers at the assessors and if you’re a property taxpayer, where are you supposed to go?”
- Supervisors said many neighbors don’t understand their property tax statements. “Sixty percent of my taxes are schools, 20% is the little city of Crescent and 20% is the county, but we take the blame,” Supervisor Brian Shea said.
- Sen. Dawson said there are roughly 2,000 different taxing authorities in the state, making it hard to enact changes.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“And you don’t have to look any further than across the river to see how tough it is," Iowa State Rep. Brent Siegrist said.
Property tax reform is likely to be a hot topic in the Iowa legislature this year. I’m Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel at the Pottawattamie County Courthouse where state lawmakers met with the county board of supervisors.
Supervisor Tim Wichman: “What’s on the slate, what can we expect?”
On Tuesday morning, four of the six state lawmakers who represent Pottawattamie County briefed supervisors on the legislative session starting next week.
Public health, state parks and roads were all discussed, but property taxes were a key issue.
Supervisor Scott Belt: “The bottom line is, the people that voted them in, don’t understand it.”
As chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Dan Dawson wants to see reform to Iowa’s complicated system.
“People don’t understand how the property taxes work because the city will point fingers at the county, the county points fingers at the school board, the school board points fingers at the assessors and if you’re a property taxpayer, where are you supposed to go?” Dawson said.
Dawson says the biggest thing he hears from constituents is that they need property tax relief. Untangling the system is hard.
“We have over 2000 different taxing authorities in the state,” said Dawson. “So it’s very complicated because every time you move the lever it creates a cascade effect.”
Supervisors said many neighbors don’t understand their property tax statements.
“Sixty percent of my taxes are schools, 20% is the little city of Crescent and 20% is the county, but we take the blame,” Supervisor Brian Shea said.
“One of our largest charges going back into this next system is trying to find a more fair system that provides some relief,” said Dawson.
According to WalletHub, Iowa and Nebraska are among the ten states with the highest property taxes.
Legislators will be sworn in on Monday and then begin work with their assigned committees.
