Council adopts 2025 property tax levies; rates fall but revenue outcome depends on assessed values

Council adopts 2025 property tax levies; rates fall but revenue outcome depends on assessed values The Republic City Council approved final passage of an ordinance setting the 2025 property tax levies after a staff presentation explaining the calculation, permitted growth rate and fund-specific rates. The final vote was 6-0. City Chief Financial Officer Bob Ford told council the city used the state-provided permitted growth rate — 2.9 percent for the year, the smaller of the options authorized under the Hancock Amendment — when calculating new levy rates. Ford presented the proposed rates as: general operating 0.3985 per $100 of assessed value; parks and recreation 0.1074 per $100; and streets 0.0613 per $100, for a combined rate of 0.5672 per $100 of assessed value. Ford emphasized that a lower tax rate does not always mean a lower bill for individual taxpayers because assessments vary by property. "Once again, you may see, if you're in a situation where you have a lower tax rate, but your home has appreciated in value greater than the average, you may actually have an increase in your tax burden even though the rate has fallen," Ford said. Ford also summarized revenue and budget context that informed the levy decision: staff discussed an operating surplus in the current budget and the planned use of debt proceeds for capital projects, including drawing on State Revolving Fund (SRF) debt to complete wastewater work. Ford asked council to approve the levy ordinance for final passage; council approved the ordinance on a roll-call vote. The council approved second reading earlier in the meeting and then approved final passage of bill 25-28 setting the 2025 property tax levies by a recorded vote of 6-0. The record indicates the ordinance as adopted and that detailed calculations and the recorded workshop presentation are available online for public review; the meeting record does not list an individual mover or seconder for the final roll-call vote.