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Polk County to place five-year fairgrounds operating levy on Nov. ballot after unanimous vote
Summary
The Polk County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted Resolution 26-05 May 20, 2026, starting the process to place a local option operating tax of up to $0.12 per $1,000 assessed value for five years on the Nov. 3 ballot to fund the Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center; public hearings are set for June 10.
Polk County commissioners on May 20 adopted Resolution 26-05 to start the process of placing a local option operating tax on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot to operate and maintain the Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center. Mr. Greg Henson presented the proposal and recommended placing “a local option tax in the amount of not to exceed 12 cents per thousand assessed value for a duration of 5 years.”
Henson told the board the next step is a pair of public hearings set for June 10 — one at 9:00 a.m. during the regularly scheduled board meeting and another at 6:00 p.m. to allow working residents to attend — after which the board can decide whether to place the measure on the ballot and transmit the draft ballot language to the county clerk for public review. “Once that is reviewed and approved, then we come back before the board and pass a resolution to put it on the ballot,” Henson said.
A motion to adopt Resolution 26-05 and the draft ballot language was moved and seconded; the board voted in favor and the motion passed unanimously. The resolution and an accompanying draft ballot measure were included in the meeting packet and staff said they would ratify the publication of the public hearing notice.
The measure would be a local option tax applied at a rate not to exceed $0.12 per $1,000 of assessed value for five years to support ongoing operation and maintenance of the fairgrounds and event center. Henson said the board previously considered but did not place a similar question on the May election and that the June hearings are part of the formal process to move the question to the November ballot.
The board did not record any dissent during the discussion; Commissioner Shelly was invited to ask questions and had none. The county clerk will receive the draft ballot language for review and the board will return to formally place the measure on the ballot following that review.
