Linn County Supervisor Chair Louis J. Zumbach presented Linn County’s 2023 State of the County address on May 18, 2023, at the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center. Zumbach was joined in the presentation by Linn County Assessor Jerry Witt, Budget Director Sara Bearrows, Finance Director Dawn Jindrich, and Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks, all of whom spoke at the event.
Zumbach touched on some of the County’s accomplishments while making the budget the focus of his remarks:
“I have always felt that the budget is the most important part of our job as Supervisors. This year, this Board has had to deal with some unprecedented issues when developing our FY24 budget. To start with, the County—like so many others—has had to deal with inflation levels that have not been seen since the 1970s…Linn County faced a total shortfall of around $3.6 million in FY24, which starts July 1. With fiscal discipline, your Linn County Board of Supervisors, along with department heads and your other elected officials, worked diligently to resolve this deficit with as little effect on taxpayers as possible and without eliminating services…In the future, I believe your County Board of Supervisors will have to be a lot more conscious of what our true statutory needs are and how those needs are different from our discretional wants,” Zumbach said.
Witt shared information about homestead tax credits for veterans and people 65 and older. He also explained the property assessment process and explained why most homeowners are seeing increased assessments this year across the country
Bearrows and Jindrich shared information about Linn County’s recently adopted fiscal year 2024 budget and the County’s financial outlook for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 (PDF) based on new property tax legislation passed in Iowa.
Maybanks discussed challenges facing the County Attorney’s Office and their commitment to public safety in the face of challenges.
“To me, being transparent means talking openly about our challenges and working together to identify responsible solutions,” Zumbach said.
Watch a recording of the presentation.The event was also livestreamed on Linn County’s Facebook page.
The event was free and open to the public.