March 28, 2024

Union County tax levy drops to No. 4 in Iowa

Debt service is still second-highest

The county’s tax levy dropped again for the 2014-15 fiscal year, ranking Union County fourth in the state of Iowa.

This is the second drop since holding the highest county tax levy in the state for the 2012-13 fiscal year. Union County residents can expect to pay 13.71302 dollars per thousand, trailing Clarke, Lucas and Wayne counties.

Clarke County surpassed Lucas and Wayne with their 2014-15 tax levy of 15.41076 dollars per thousand.

But remember, just because the county levy is down does not mean total taxes are lower for 2014-15.

“You still have all those other taxing entities like the city, school, hospital and townships,” Union County Auditor Sandy Hysell said. “The county is just a piece of that pie.”

An increase in land valuation can also have an impact on total dollars spent on taxes.

Union County Board of Supervisors Chairman Dennis Brown said it has been a conscious decision to be conservative with their spending.

“We are trying to be proactive so we are not caught short on something that could cost us a lot more,” Brown said. “And we are continuing to pay down the debt, as we get those bonds paid off, there is less that we have to tax.”

Debt service

One area of focus for the county is the debt service at 2.13958 dollars per thousand. It ranks second highest in the state behind Taylor County.

“If you look back over the years, it is steadily going down,” Hysell said.

The total debt for the county is about $7,690,00 as of the end of the fiscal year 2013-14. The original debt total from bonding was about $12,740,000.

Union County recently paid off the second of six different bonds and is on pace to cross off two more in the 2017 fiscal year. This includes paying off the largest bond of more than $5 million that was used for the CHS bean mill plant.

“We can’t take credit for all of that,” Brown said. “We have very good elected officials and department heads that understand the situation and are going out of their way to be thrifty.”

The two remaining bonds — originally $4,245,000 and $3,980,000 — are slated to be paid off in 2023 and 2024 respectively. They were used for road and bridge projects.

“We hope to continue (reducing the debt), but it is always year to year,” Brown said. “We try to have enough in reserve in case of an emergency ... so far we have been able to make it work.”