By Jim Magdefrau
VINTON – Benton County citizens met with the Benton County Board of Supervisors at the hearing for the proposed tax asking for the 2026 fiscal year budget. No action was taken at the hearing held March 26, 2025, at the service center in Vinton.
Hayley Rippel, auditor, explained differences between assessed and taxable valuation, and how the state applied rollbacks effect different classifications of values. The amount of valuation growth in the county affects the general basic and rural basic levies.
The legislature has forced the county to reduce both of these levies, due to our growth in the values being over 2% allowed amount. The County is always working in three calendar years at once. Current tax collection is based on the 2023 Values. FY 26 Budget is based off of the 2024 valuations. The Assessor is now also sending out the 2025 Assessments which will be utilized for the FY 27 Budget. These are assessment increases, not tax dollar increases. We realizing this is all confusing, and this is one of those unfunded mandates passed down to the county level to do this mailing that is hard to understand. The total levy that the county collects in tax dollars is not only the county’s dollars, but portions are also disbursed to the cities, schools, fire districts, townships, Ag Extension, E911 and EMA and Assessor. All of these entities make up the consolidated tax levies.
Public input
Input from the public centered on rollbacks, state unfunded mandates and exemptions.
One citizen saw a new $350,000 vehicle for the sheriff’s office as wasted money, saying, “We don’t need an assault vehicle in Benton County,” he said. He felt money for security is also wasted money, pointing out Benton County is one of only three counties in Iowa where one is required to go through security to get your driver’s license and pay you taxes.
He added, “I think just about everybody that comes in and asks for a wage increase got it. I think everybody in here is asking for a tax decrease. Are we going to get that?”
He continued, “Our Social Security didn’t go up as much as our taxes are. We’re
going negative every year. Our buying power keeps going down and down and
down. When’s it going to stop?”
Supervisor Chairman Tracy Seeman explained how equalization works and affects the county’s budget, as well as Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and its impact on school and county budgets.
Another citizen looked at commercial tax rates, and compared taxes between Benton and Boone Counties, who are similar in population, but Benton pays more in property taxes. People come to Benton County for its lower cost of living. If they wanted higher cost of living, they’d live in Iowa City or Cedar Rapids. Higher taxes might drive these people away from Benton County.
Pay increases were also discussed, focusing on union, non-union and elected officials. The need for security at the courthouse and service center was also debated as well.
The hearing was for maximum levy. Budget approval has to be done by the end of April.
A citizen also commented, “So there just seems to be no accountability from any level exactly, which is a problem. That’s why we vote for people and we expect them — when we vote for them — to do their bidding for us and it seems to me that none of that is working the way it should be. We have representatives that should be going to Des Moines to fight for our needs.”
Supervisor Ron Tippett commented, “I hear what everybody’s saying and I believe we need to make some cuts.”
They also looked at ways to better explain the forms that are used for the levy, and using a larger room for next year’s hearing, plus holding it in the evening.
Jim Magdefrau 