Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa House and Senate have yet to agree on a property tax reduction plan as the 2023 Iowa legislature enters its 13th week.
Senator Dan Dawson, a Republican from Council Bluffs, is chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. He’s sponsored three different bills on the subject.
Assessments are naturally going up because the sale prices of homes and farmland has gone up over the past few years, but lawmakers are discussing ways to limit how much city and county property tax collections may grow annually. Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver.
One of Dawson’s proposals would consolidate most local government operations under one general property tax levy, getting rid of special levies. Dawson cites the example of civic center levies, which he says were built long ago and the ongoing operation of those facilities should be part of the general city or county budget.
Senator Pam Jochum of Dubuque is the top Democrat on the senate’s tax policy committee. Jochum says she’s optimistic Republicans and Democrats can find common ground on a property tax reduction plan.
Jochum and Dawson made their comments this weekend on Iowa Press on Iowa PBS. House Republicans have introduced a bill that would lower the property tax levy for state school funding and have the state cover a larger share of local public school budgets. It also would require schools to use cash reserves or other sources to come up with 10 percent of a construction project’s cost before asking voters to approve a borrowing money for the project. House Speaker Pat Grassley says House and Senate Republicans are not close to agreeing on a common approach to property tax adjustments.
