Allamakee County approves salt purchase, IDOT maintenance agreement and transfers; auditor outlines property tax changes

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors on June 29 approved several road-related items and heard an overview of recent property tax legislation.

County Engineer Brian Ridenour reviewed bids for bulk highway de-icing salt and recommended the low bid from Compass Minerals America of $104.58 per ton. The board approved purchase of 1,200 tons at that price for a total of $125,496.00 (motion 26.236).

Ridenour also presented the annual roadway maintenance agreement among the City of Waukon, the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Allamakee County for snow and ice control; the board approved the agreement (motion 26.237). The board then approved transfers totaling $318,861.59 to Secondary Roads: $2,794.30 from General Basic and $316,067.29 from Rural Basic (motion 26.238).

During department updates, Auditor Denise Beyer summarized changes in state property tax law affecting the Homestead Credit. Beyer explained the prior Homestead Credit calculation ("$4,850 divided by $1,000 times the levy rate") is being phased out and replaced with a Homestead Exemption equal to 10% of taxable value, with a minimum exemption of $5,500 and a maximum of $20,000. Beyer said the state is not replacing tax dollars lost because of the exemptions. She also noted changes to road use tax under recent legislation. The board viewed road projects with the engineer following the updates.

The salt bid, maintenance agreement and transfers were approved by motions during the meeting; no public comment was recorded on these items.