County approves lean $52 million budget
Source: SiouxCityJournal.com, by Bret Hayworth
March 12, 2008
Some property owners will see slight tax decrease
SIOUX CITY -- Recognizing the man approaching to make a comment, several Woodbury County Supervisors called out a greeting.
"Morning, Jack." "Hello, Jack."
Jack Burright of Pierson, Iowa, a longtime critic of county budgets, then gave the supervisors a comparatively tame assessment minutes before the board adopted the budget.
The board voted unanimously to approve a $51.8 million 2008-09 year budget that had been wrung out over several weeks of meetings. The budget, which covers the period from July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009, has a slight property tax decrease for city residents and a slight increase for those living in unincorporated portions of the county.
"Last year, my taxes held the line, but it looks like (this year) taxes will take a jump," Burright said. But he said it was a small increase, so he wasn't upset.
Yet before he left, Burright stated, "I'll keep an eye on you."
Board chairman Doug Walish responded to Burright, "This board realizes people are being pinched a little bit" in family budgets, so the supervisors were mindful of keeping the tax burden low.
Burright was one of two people to speak about the budget during the public hearing before the supervisors voted.
Janeese Martin, executive director of the Taxpayers Research Council of Sioux City, also surprised the supervisors, who elsewhere in the meeting voted themselves and other elected county officials pay raises ranging from 4 percent to 6 percent. Martin said that for the first time in seven years she's reviewed the county budget process "an actual tax decrease on businesses" was part of the budget.
"First time in seven years, I've given you a compliment," Martin said with a chuckle.
In an interview, Dennis Butler, the county budget/tax analyst, said the budget was lean.
"(The supervisors) try to hold the line every which way they can," Butler said. "The actual operational cost in individual departments, excluding secondary roads and mental health (departments), basically they tried to keep them the same. They know we are under constraints here and the taxpayer is definitely under constraints.
There are differences on the 2008-09 tax burden, depending on whether the land is in town, agriculture land or commercial.
Butler summarized that Sioux City homeowners with a property assessed at $100,000 will see a county tax decrease from $364.64 in this year to $350.81 next year, a drop of 3.8 percent. Those in rural towns will have a 1.97 percent increase, with their taxes on a $100,000-assessed home rising from $364.65 for 2007-08 to $371.85 in 2008-09.
Additionally, agricultural land will have a tax increase of about 10 percent, while urban industrial, urban commercial and rural commercial properties will see tax decreases in the year ahead.
County and city governments in Iowa must set budgets by March 15. School boards have until April 15 to set their budgets.
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