Waukee council opens public hearing on proposed FY26 property tax levy

The Waukee City Council opened a public hearing on a proposed fiscal year 2026 maximum property tax levy and budget proposal during a special meeting, City Director Burkhart said.

Director Burkhart told the council the city is "proposing to reduce the levy from 12 90 5 to 12 80." He said the fiscal 2026 rollback increased just over 1 percent, and that the net effect on most property tax statements would be about a 1.16 percent increase — "about $7 per $100,000 of assessed valuation," Burkhart said. He said the new dollars in the fiscal 2026 budget would help fund eight additional public safety positions and one economic development position, cover wage and benefit rollups, replace and add vehicles (mainly for police and engineering) and add two mowers for new parks.

The public hearing opened with no written correspondence received by the city clerk, Becky, the clerk noted. Director Burkhart said notices had been sent to residents and that this meeting establishes the maximum levy rate required by state law. He reiterated that the detailed budget and an approval vote will be presented at a second public hearing on April 21 at 5:30 p.m.

Two members of the public spoke during the hearing. Veronica Lack identified herself as a soil and water conservation commissioner for Dallas County and urged that budgeted funds protect water quality and support testing and filtration related to PFAS and other contaminants. Lack made a series of technical and health claims about PFAS, anhydrous ammonia and cyanobacteria and urged additional water protections; those statements are reported here as comments she made at the hearing. Rich Peters, who identified himself by name and address, asked for the city's annual budget and main expenditure categories. Director Burkhart said the proposed total budget for fiscal 2026 is about $157,000,000 and said the general fund is about $24,000,000; he added that roughly 60 percent of the general fund comes from property taxes and that about 60 percent of general fund spending goes to public safety.

Procedural motions during the special session included approval of the meeting agenda (unanimous roll-call yes votes by Council members Battenberg, Pierce, Kron, Sinclair and Grove) and a motion to adjourn after the public hearing. After the council closed the public hearing, the mayor declared the hearing closed and the council adjourned the special session; the detailed budget will be heard at the April 21 meeting.

The city posted last year’s complete budget online, Burkhart noted, and the city will post the new fiscal 2026 budget after council approval. The public record for this item will include the April 21 public hearing when the council considers the detailed budget and final levy.