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Bremer County supervisors table FY27 budget after public hearing on rising levies and fund balance
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Summary
Supervisors opened a public hearing on the FY27 budget, heard a resident's concerns about a $1,100 tax increase and extensive board debate over wage, benefit and capital choices, then voted to table final adoption for one week to clean up numbers and consider removing courthouse items and a maintenance position.
Bremer County supervisors opened a public hearing on the FY27 budget on April 21 and, after more than an hour of staff briefing and public comment, voted to table formal adoption until next week so staff can present revised figures.
County staff member Cassandra told the board the proposed budget took account of a countywide wage study (a 2.8% cost-of-living increase with additional targeted raises for lower-paid positions) and kept employer and employee health-insurance contributions unchanged for FY27. She said the proposed countywide levy rate is $5.032055 (up from $5.023465 last year) and that the county projects deficits in the general basic and general supplemental funds that the current fund balance can absorb in the short term.
During the public-hearing portion, Washington Township resident Jeff Sage said his tax bill “has gone up $1,100 for the year” and asked why his taxes had nearly doubled. Supervisors and staff explained the assessor’s revaluation raised his property’s gross taxable value by roughly 35–38% and advised him to consult the assessor’s office on formal appeal deadlines and options.
Supervisors debated several paths forward. One supervisor urged removing courthouse-related capital items and a proposed maintenance position (noting $71,554 in salary savings if that position were excluded) to reduce the projected draw on fund balance. Others warned that simply relying on fund balance is not sustainable and stressed the need to study shared services, benefit redesigns and other structural changes before FY28. One member said, “a vote against us today is a vote against those people that we’ve identified in the past few years that were the reason we did a wage study,” arguing against cutting targeted raises.
After discussion, a motion to table the resolution to adopt the FY27 budget was made and seconded; the board carried the motion by voice vote and directed staff to return next week with updated line items and the effect of removing selected courthouse expenses and the maintenance position. The supervisors said the follow-up will present a single revised dollar figure and will not require another public hearing.
