The Linn County Board of Supervisors today unanimously approved Linn County’s fiscal year 2017 budget of $107.6 million with no change in the countywide tax rate and a $0.05 decrease in the rural tax rate. The countywide levy rate for FY17 will be $6.14 per $1,000 of taxable value, the same as last year. This makes Linn County’s levy rate the second lowest among comparable counties in Iowa.
The rural services levy, which is in addition to the countywide levy rate for residents who live in unincorporated Linn County, will be reduced by an additional $0.05 from last year due to Local Option Sales Tax revenue increase. The $1.48 million in property tax relief for rural residents in FY17 is equal to a 98 cent reduction.
Homeowners in cities will see no change in the county portion of their property tax bills. Rural residents will see a small decrease in their tax bills of $4 on a $100,000 home due to the Local Option Sales Tax levy rate reduction.
Commercial and industrial property taxes in Linn County will remain the same as in FY16.
Agricultural property owners will pay 2.5 percent more in FY17 due to the state rollback that increases the taxable value of agricultural land to 46 percent from 45 percent of assessed value after decreasing annually from 100 percent in FY08.
Property taxes levied account for $63 million, or 58 percent of the total budget.
“This budget is a result of successful budget discussions in more than 20 public meetings that started back in November. We worked closely with departments, going line by line with their budgets and examining how dollars are spent. We are proud of this fiscally responsible budget that allows us to provide valuable services to Linn County residents without raising property taxes,” said Ben Rogers, Linn County Board of Supervisors chairperson.
The Board of Supervisors today also unanimously approved the Compensation Board’s recommendation of a 3.5 percent salary increase for the Linn County Attorney and Sheriff and a 3 percent salary increase for the Board of Supervisors, Auditor, Recorder and Treasurer.
Linn County government accounts for approximately 16 percent of property taxes paid by Linn County property owners in incorporated areas. The remaining 84 percent of property taxes goes to the property taxpayer’s city of residence, school district and other taxing bodies in the county. Linn County taxes represent slightly more than one-third of property taxes for rural residents.
Linn County’s 2017 fiscal year is July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017.