City presenter says proposed FY 2026–27 tax rate will remain $9.92; staff shows typical homeowner’s total municipal cost declines

Clive staff presented the city’s proposed FY 2026–27 budget at a statutorily required property-tax hearing on March 26 and said the city intends to keep its property-tax rate at $9.92 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.

The presenter told the council and audience that “the city has decided to keep the property tax rate at $9.92 per thousand of taxable valuation,” and emphasized Clive has pursued a policy of holding or lowering its levy for the past decade. The presentation included example calculations using both the county mailer’s $110,000 hypothetical and a more representative $318,000 Clive home. Staff said the $318,000 example would produce about a $116.92 reduction in total municipal costs (about a 4.2% decrease) while a typical Clive business would see a modest 1.2% increase.

Why it matters: the presenter said the additional revenue the city expects next year is driven largely by reassessments that raised taxable valuations, not by an increase in the city’s tax rate. The presenter noted that Clive accounts for roughly 30% of a homeowner’s full property-tax bill in Polk or Dallas counties and encouraged residents to use the city’s online calculator at cityofclive.com to estimate their own bills rather than rely on the county’s required $110,000 hypothetical. “That’s why we created a calculator so folks could go and put their actual dollar figure in,” staff said.

The presentation also outlined budget priorities that guided the proposal: maintaining adequate reserves, preserving infrastructure and public safety capacity, revitalizing parts of the city including the 86th Street corridor, and protecting the Clive green belt. Staff described the full budget package — including capital and utility funds — as approximately $95,000,000 and said the largest general-fund expenditures are public safety, followed by recreation and library services and public works.

Officials said the city continues to use local option sales and service tax revenue partly for property-tax relief and to pay debt on the Public Safety Building. The presenter cited collaborative arrangements with neighboring Urbandale and other communities (including closest-unit response and shared apparatus agreements) as a cost-saving strategy for fire and EMS services.

Next steps: staff said budget materials and an updated calculator will be posted on the city website by the end of the next day and reminded the council the formal budget-adoption public hearing is scheduled for the April 9 meeting, when the council may set dates for further consideration.