Property tax a major issue in Supervisor race

MARENGO — “I think we’re really going to have to hone in on property tax,” said Iowa County Supervisor Abigail Maas in an interview about the coming general election.

Property tax rates are on the minds of voters as they consider who will fill two seats on the Iowa County Board of Supervisors next year.

Seth Meyer and Jason Grimm are challenging Maas in the race.

During a board meeting in September, the incumbent said she knows a small business paying $20,000 in property tax. That’s too much, she said.

The State is working on legislation for property tax relief, Maas said.

Keeping services while keeping property taxes down won’t be easy. “It’s going to have to come to some hard decisions,” said Maas. The county will have to decide what is essential land what is required by state code.

To provide other services at a lower cost, the county will have to look at collaboration with other counties, towns and private businesses, Maas said. That option could reduce high administrative costs.

Counties have been required by state law to increase the pay of their county sheriffs, and Iowa County is still trying to figure out how to pay for the increase and keep enough deputies to cover the county.

Towns that struggle to pay for their own officers depend on the county to cover their area, and the county has to pick up the tab as well.

Unified law enforcement is still an option, Maas said, but it’s not going to make fiscal sense at this time because of the way the law is written.

Maas has proposed changes to Iowa law that will make a county-wide law enforcement agency feasible.

“This has become a popular topic,” Maas said. More counties are looking that direction. Legislative changes could make it more viable.

Some services could be transferred to private companies, Maas said. She’s working on identifying where those are.

The state is reorganizing its mental health districts for the same reason. “I think the intensions are good,” Maas said.

The counties that have facilities and provide services will administer those facilities and services, and counties such as Iowa County will get people to those resources.

Having fewer districts reduces administrative costs. That’s similar to what supervisors are going to have to look at in Iowa County, Maas said.

Some things the county can’t control, such as building insurance, “and they keep absorbing more and more of our budget,” Maas said.

“The majority of your property tax do to salaries and benefits,” said Maas. The county may not be able to pay as much in the future.

Twenty-five years ago, everybody wanted to work for the county, said Maas, not because of the pay but because of the benefits.

Today, wages and benefits are both high, but the county still has a lot of applicants for positions, so maybe it doesn’t have to offer as much money, Maas said.

Maas grew up outside Parnell and attended high school in Williamsburg. She and her husband farm a century farm outside of Conroy.

(“On the Ballot” is a Hometown Current series profiling candidates in Benton, Iowa and Poweshiek Counties. Articles will run as candidates are interviewed. Candidates who do not respond to requests for interviews will not be included in the series.)