Black Hawk County reviews proposed FY2026 budget; residents protest state tax mailer

BLACK HAWK COUNTY — The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors on April 1 held a public hearing on the proposed fiscal 2026 county budget and heard more than two hours of public comment, with persistent concerns about a state-required tax notice that many attendees said overstated likely tax increases.

Finance staff presented the budget’s headline figures and spending priorities. The presentation listed a countywide tax levy “about” $5.60 (presenter: “$5 and 60 almost $5.64”) and projected county property-tax collections of $34,958,098 for FY2026. The presentation said total county taxes across countywide and rural levies would be roughly $36.9 million — an increase of nearly $1.8 million from the prior year, according to the materials shown at the hearing.

The budget presentation emphasized that nearly half the county’s revenue is property tax, and that most spending is for salaries and benefits (presenter: about 50% of county spending). Staff outlined limited borrowing plans and a capital improvements program of roughly $6.6 million in department equipment requests over the next six years and proposed using a portion of unassigned fund balance to pay for equipment the county cannot finance with bonds under current state rules. The presenter said unassigned fund balance was about 62% of expenditures as of…