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Des Moines launches long-range financial review as city warns revenues are tight
Summary
City staff told council candidates that constrained property- and sales-tax revenue and high tax-exempt property make the general fund tight; the city is starting a long-range financial plan and a development-impact analysis to project fiscal effects of land-use choices.
Des Moines City staff told council candidates on Friday that the city’s general fund faces sustained pressure and that officials are beginning a long-range financial plan and a development-impact analysis to clarify the fiscal effects of future land-use and policy choices.
The presentation, delivered by the city manager, laid out why officials say the city must look beyond traditional revenues: property tax and sales tax returns to the city are a small share of local tax bills and are constrained by state limits.
The overview and context: Des Moines is largely residential and has a high share of tax-exempt property, officials said, which limits the tax base that supports core services. “About 8.3% of your property tax comes to the city,” the city manager said during the presentation. Using a concrete…
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