Iowa County balks at 10% property tax hike

(Editor’s note: This story has been edited to correct style errors.)

MARENGO — Even with minimal raises for employees, cutting one new sheriff’s vehicle and moving expenses to different funds, covering projected expenses for the county in fiscal year 2026 would require a property tax increase of 9-11%.

Supervisors said they will not vote for that.

Following a lengthy discussion and numerous calculations, Supervisors decided they may be left with no option but cutting all department by a given percentage or letting some employees go.

Earlier this month, Supervisors asked department heads to find areas in which they could cut their budgets so the county could give non-union employees small pay increases.

The sheriff’s department had requested four new vehicles, but dropped one from his budget, said Supervisor Jon Degen. That will save about $50,000. The sheriff is also moving some money to another account, which is billable, saving an additional $20,000, he said.

Degen said Building Maintenance Director Dylan Healey had made some cuts as well.

After adding items that had been missing in previous budget discussions, removing items supervisors and department heads felt they could cut and moving money to other funds where possible, Supervisors were still short.

Even with an increase of $137,000 in taxes from increased valuation, the county will have to find $1 million more, said Supervisor Abigail Maas, which is an increase in taxes of more than 10%.

The numbers don’t include a 15% pay increase for the county sheriff that would make his salary comparable to officials in like-sized municipalities as mandated by state law. Supervisors are proposing a 4% increase for the sheriff this year.

The county doesn’t have the money for 15%, said Supervisor Kevin Heitshusen.

The county will never have enough money for it, said Supervisor Chris Montross.

The numbers include a tentative 3% pay increase for union employees, but they don’t include pay raises for non-union employees.

Montross said he wouldn’t feel right about not giving employees raises of any kind.

Supervisor Seth Meyer said he didn’t feel right dismissing some employees to pay for raises for others.

The county will have to raise the property tax levy, Heitshusen concluded.

“I’m not raising property taxes by over 10%,” Maas said. But the county has to come up with more than $900,000 somewhere.

Maas said she’d like to get any tax increase down to 6% or less. She suggested decreasing department budgets by a uniform amount and letting department heads figure out what to cut.

The county would have to cut 10% from the budgets or cut nine employees, Maas said.

Whatever the board does, it will be breaking the $10 million mark in total property tax revenue, Maas said.

The Board of Supervisors meets every Friday at 9 a.m. in the East Annex, 970 Court Ave. The meetings are public.

Meetings are streamed live and recorded via YouTube on the Iowa County, Iowa, Supervisors channel.