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State Rep. Cindy Gold visits Lisbon, urges residents and officials to weigh in as statewide bills approach
Summary
State Rep. Cindy Gold met with Lisbon leaders to warn that several statewide measures — proposals on property-tax rollbacks and assessment rules, a new accessory-dwelling-unit law and statewide limits on short-term rentals — could limit local choices; she asked locals to share impacts and offered to convene follow-ups.
State Representative Cindy Gold visited Lisbon and urged local officials and residents to provide direct feedback as a number of statewide proposals and recent laws could reduce municipal control.
Gold, who said she serves as vice chair of the Local Government Committee and also sits on natural resources, judicial appropriations and transportation panels, told the council that some proposals circulating in Des Moines and other committees would treat small towns the same as large cities and that could be unfair to jurisdictions like Lisbon. "This is all hyperbole and fear-mongering because there hasn't even been a report yet," she said about circulating rumors, and she encouraged anyone with concerns to call her office.
Why it matters: Gold said small towns are often lumped into countywide formulas that favor large urban centers when legislatures set appropriations or limits tied to the top 10 counties by population. She highlighted three topics she has emphasized to colleagues: property-tax rollback and assessment proposals, a new state law that requires local allowance of accessory dwelling units, and a statewide requirement for nightly rentals.
On property taxes, Gold said homeowners often misunderstand where their bills go and that a large share — she cited "40 to 60%" — typically goes to local school districts. She discussed prior rollback examples used in the Legislature and urged alternatives that would preserve municipalities' budget predictability, saying, "My proposal is to freeze assessments" to avoid sudden shifts and allow multi-year budgeting rather than an abrupt rollback or an arbitrary cap.
On accessory dwelling units, Gold said the Legislature enacted a law this year requiring communities to allow ADUs in some form; she said she fought the measure and pushed for tighter rules to let towns retain more local control over how ADUs would be regulated. On short-term rentals, she said a statewide requirement to permit nightly rentals also passed in the past and that in some river towns 20–30% of homes have become short-term rentals, which she said can harm community fabric.
Gold also addressed tax-increment financing (TIF), saying she opposed wholesale elimination of the tool but supported stronger guidelines where abuses have occurred. She told the council she will try to convene mayors and city managers again during the legislative interim when bills move toward final committee action.
No formal action: Gold's remarks were informational; the council did not take a legislative position during the meeting. She asked Lisbon officials to report back on impacts or concerns so she can represent the community at the state level.
