Newton City Council holds public hearing, leaves proposed FY 2027 tax levy unchanged

At a special meeting April 6, the Newton City Council opened a required public hearing on the proposed FY 2027 property tax levy and heard one public commenter urge the council to consider the impact of abatements on local residents and small businesses.

Brandy Connor, who identified herself as a lifelong Newton resident and business owner, told the council she is "tired of our taxes getting constantly railed," and asked whether the company referred to as TPI had received a tax abatement when it returned to Newton. Connor said past abatements — citing Maytag's earlier departure — contributed to local job loss and urged the council "to think twice before we're hurting our citizens." (Brandy Connor)

The chair told speakers the city is not changing the tax levy for fiscal year 2027: "We are not changing the tax levy," and noted the council set the proposed FY '27 levy at $17.1 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, the same rate used in 2026. The chair also said written answers on specific abatement questions would be provided later because some details cannot be discussed during the public hearing. (Council chair)

Council member Mills defended the levy level and the services it supports, saying the city relies on a combination of revenue sources "namely property taxes" to fund water, wastewater, fire and police services, road maintenance, snow removal and the library. "The vast majority of Newtonians want the level of service ... that our police, that our fire ... do each and every day," Mills said, urging the community to consider long-term consequences of reducing revenue. (Council member Mills)

After the public comment and council remarks, the chair asked for a motion to close the public hearing. The motion to close was moved by the chair and seconded by Council member Mills. A roll-call vote recorded affirmative "Aye" responses for Mills, Hallam, Roth, Dalton, Simbro and Volshoe; the motion to close the hearing passed unanimously. The chair then moved to adjourn and the meeting ended at 5:39 p.m. by voice vote. (Actions: motion to close public hearing — approved; motion to adjourn — approved.)

The chair referenced House File 718 as the statutory requirement for a separate public hearing on the levy and said the notice of the hearing was published in the Newton News on March 10, 2026. The chair reiterated the council had set the proposed FY '27 levy equal to the current year's rate and that any specific historical abatement records would be provided in writing to Ms. Connor. (Council chair)

Next steps: The council closed the hearing and took no levy change at this meeting. Residents who raised questions during the hearing were offered follow-up in writing; the chair also invited Ms. Connor to speak with the chair after adjournment for further discussion. (Procedure)

Sources: Newton City public hearing transcript, April 6, 2026.