Ames council reviews FY25–26 budget, directs staff to draft a county auditor mailing addendum and to evaluate one‑time project timing

City of Ames officials spent much of a special meeting on Jan. 31 reviewing the recommended FY2025–26 budget, hearing staff presentations on property valuations and levy calculations and approving several staff follow‑ups intended to clarify taxpayer communications and to prioritize one‑time spending.

The city’s recommended property tax package would raise the combined city levy by 16 cents (about 1.59%), increasing the recommended overall levy to roughly $10.25 per $1,000 of taxable valuation and generating about $1.5 million in additional property tax revenue, city staff said. Staff told council the proposed general‑fund requirement for operations rises by roughly $1.0 million year‑over‑year and that part of the requested revenue increase reflects $1.1 million in additional operational property‑tax receipts and a recommended increase in debt service of about $458,000.

City finance staff said the recommended levy change reflects a roughly 2.6% year‑over‑year growth in taxable valuation for Ames, the effects of the state residential “rollback” and other state replacement payments that partially offset levy need. The presentation showed how a $100,000 assessed residential property would see a tax‑bill change of about $18–$19 under the proposed levy and rollback calculations, while noting individual bills will vary by school district and other levying authorities.

Why it matters: Council members emphasized that the county auditor’s mandated taxpayer notice—sent statewide—uses a standard example that may…