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City says state mailer overstated tax increase; use online calculator for property‑specific estimate
Summary
Jason, a city staff member working on finance matters, told the council that a state tax notice overstated the likely city tax increase by using a statewide assumed 10% increase in assessed values; he said the city’s levy is unchanged and most taxpayers should see an increase under 2.5% tied to the state residential rollback change.
Jason, a city staff member responsible for finance information during the March 18 meeting, clarified apparent inconsistencies between a state‑issued tax notice mailed to residents and what Bettendorf expects most taxpayers to experience next year. The question was raised after several residents and at least one council member noted mailers stating a 12.5% increase in city taxes.
"These statements are an effort by the state to bring some transparency to local government taxing rates and tax dollars," Jason said. He explained the statewide notice assumes an approximate 10% increase in assessed value; because 2024 was not a reassessment year for most properties, that assumption inflates the estimate in the mailer. He said, "when all actuality, most taxpayers will see an increase of less than 2 and a half percent, and that's really just due to the change in the rollback. The residential rollback increased from 46.3% to 47.4%."
Jason added that the city is not changing its levy rate this year and reiterated staff’s recommendation that residents use the city’s online property tax estimator at bettendorf.org/myaddress to see parcel‑level comparisons of current versus proposed taxes. Council members asked who controls the rollback and assessment process; Jason said the state controls the rollback and the county assessor controls assessments.
Council members said the city should continue to explain tax impacts clearly during the budget process and highlighted the bettendorf.org/myaddress calculator as the most reliable way for individual taxpayers to determine their expected change.
