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Severe Weather Awareness WeekAre you ready for severe weather? March 27 through 31 is Severe Weather Awareness Week. Make sure you and your household are prepared for severe weather by following these three steps:
1. Make a plan. 2. Build a kit. 3. Be aware.
As a reminder, outdoor warning sirens are only intended to reach people who are outdoors; the sirens are not meant to serve as a warning system for people inside homes or other buildings, especially as advances in building and window construction continually improve and limit the level of sound entering homes and businesses. The best preparedness plans include multiple weather warning notification systems, including weather radios and text and email alerts.
Sign up for Alert Iowa to receive emergency and public safety messages.
Learn more about severe weather preparedness at BeReadyIowa.gov.
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New Property Tax Lookup Tool Now AvailableLinn County has created a new online tool that provides increased transparency of the property tax collection and distribution process. The site includes interactive maps, a dashboard, and charts that show countywide property tax statistics, the tax bill cycle, property tax levy rates for all taxing jurisdictions in the county, where property tax dollars are going, and last three years of an individual property’s tax bill.
By using this site, taxpayers can look up their property and see how their tax bill compares to other like properties in their area; compare their current property tax bill to the last three years; and see how their property taxes are distributed among the different taxing jurisdictions, such as their city of residence, school district, and county. When entering and an address in the mapping tool, it will display a pie chart with the exact dollar amount and percentage of taxes going to each taxing jurisdiction. |
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Property Tax AssessmentsLinn County property owners are receiving their 2023 assessments and many have had questions regarding the increase from 2021 assessments. These increases are part of a nationwide trend and represent the market change over a two-year period from January 2021 through December 2022.
It is important to know that assessed value is not the same as taxable value. Assessed value is the actual market value of a property, according to sales in that market. Taxable value is the portion of a property’s assessed value that is subject to property tax. The taxable value is determined by the State’s assessment limitation (also called the rollback) that limits the taxable value of a property. This means that property taxes do not increase by the same percentage as assessments. In fact, as assessed values go up, the assessment limitation drops to limit the taxable value increase.
Iowa code requires residential property to be valued (assessed) at market value in odd numbered years. The market value is determined by what buyers are paying for houses. The 2023 assessed values in Linn County are based on sales of residential property that occurred in Linn County in 2022. Visit Linn County's website for more information, including videos that help explain the process as well as information about how to request a review of your 2023 assessment.
For property located within the Cedar Rapids city limits, contact the Cedar Rapids City Assessor's Office.
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The Mental Health Access Center Celebrates Two Years of Helping PeopleOn March 9, 2023, the Linn County Mental Health Access Center celebrated its two-year anniversary. Access Center Director Erin Foster took time to reflect on the Center's beginnings, the 2,000 triages and consultations staff has conducted with patients, and looks forward to the future in a guest blog post in the Linn County Connection Blog.
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Read the Planning & Development Department Year in ReviewIn 2022, Linn County Planning & Development led programs that continued Linn County's focus on renewable energy, sustainable food systems, and safe building practices. Learn more about these accomplishments and other highlights from 2022 in the Linn County Planning & Development 2022 Year in Review.
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Linn County Sustainability Department to Host Earth Month Series Throughout AprilThe Linn County Sustainability Department, along with its Green Iowa AmeriCorps members, is hosting four environmental events during April to celebrate Earth Month. Topics include the history of redlining in Linn County, disaster action planning, neighborhood revitalization, and a booth at Ecofest. The events are free and open to the public. Learn more about these events and how to attend.
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Read the Linn County Sustainability Department 2022 Year in ReviewIn 2022, the Linn County Sustainability Department led important programs that continued Linn County’s focus on environmental sustainability, resource protection, and creating a resilient community for all Linn County residents. Work included updating Linn County's annual greenhouse gas inventory, creating an internal sustainability plan that sets goals for the three-year period of 2023-2025, and the continued partnership with GreenIowa AmeriCorps. Read the 2022 report.
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Linn County Food Systems Council Awards Grants to Increase Food SecurityThe Linn County Food Systems Council has awarded $132,300 in grants to 12 local organizations through its Food Access, Resiliency, and Equity (FARE) Grant Program. The FARE Grant Program is funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The Linn County Board of Supervisors allocated $250,000 from Linn County's ARPA funding to support local food initiatives to increase food security. The remaining funding will be awarded through future FARE grant cycles. The next FARE grant cycle will open in July 2023.
The Food Systems Council established the FARE grant program to support food related businesses and nonprofit organizations in Linn County that continue to play a key role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, promote public health and wellness, and address systemic food-related challenges.
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Fairfax Mayor Special ElectionThe City of Fairfax has called for a special election to fill the mayor vacancy for the term that ends in December 2023. The election will be held May 2, 2023. The candidate filing deadline is April 7 at 5 p.m. Eligible voters can vote early absentee or in person on Election Day. Learn more about this election on the Elections Services webpage.
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Bertram Road Realignment Project UnderwayThe realignment portion of the Bertram Blue Bridge project is underway. The project includes removing the existing road, realigning the road for the new bridge, and installing new culverts. Parts of Bertram Rd are closed and will remain closed until the completion of the entire Bertram Blue Bridge project in October 2023. The 146-year-old historic Blue Bridge will be moved to the Indian Creek Nature Center and included in the Center's nature trail. Learn more about this project, sign up for road work updates, and watch the livestream camera on the Bertram Bridge Relocation & Replacement project webpage! |
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Upcoming EventsSubscribe now and get notified of future events posted in our Calendar section! |
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Stay Informed.
Sign Up For Notify Me.Linn County makes it easy for you to stay informed about County news, services, and events by offering email and/or text message notifications. Topics available for subscription include: - News releases
- Blog posts
- Road construction updates
- Snow removal updates
- eNewsletters
- Meeting notices
- Agendas
- and more!
Visit Linn County’s website at LinnCountyIowa.gov/NotifyMe to sign-up to receive the information that is important to you. There is no cost to subscribe. Text messages are subject to standard text messaging rates. |
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