Black Hawk County adopts FY2026 budget, sets tax asking at $38.29 million

The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved and adopted the county’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget and approved appropriations at 100% of the budget, setting total tax askings at $38,285,148.

The budget hearing and subsequent vote followed a presentation by Michelle Wietner, Black Hawk County finance director, who said the county’s total property-tax collection increase for FY2026 is 3.7%, producing $32,285,148 in property-tax collections after adjustments. “After all that is done, our total property tax collections increase is 3.7%. So we’re below 4% now. The amount is $32,285,148,” Wietner said during the presentation.

Why it matters: The budget establishes county levy rates, spending priorities and plans for capital projects and borrowing that affect residential, commercial and agricultural property owners across Black Hawk County.

Wietner’s presentation and the board’s discussion highlighted several key points that shaped the adopted plan: the board did not add any new positions for FY2026; salary increases were absorbed within departmental budgets where possible; the county plans to use a combination of fund balance (reserves), bonding and ARPA allocations to meet capital needs; and debt service is planned to increase modestly to…