Winneshiek County property tax rates will go up

Posted: Tue, Mar 3, 2020 10:41 AM

The Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors will hold a budget hearing on Monday on their proposed 2020-2021 tax levy rate, which calls for a seven percent increase from this year.

A new state law requires two budget hearings when a local governmental body wants to increase property tax rates more than two percent. In Winneshiek County, the proposed tax rate for property within incorporated areas would go from $6.26 per $1,000 of taxable value to $6.69—a seven percent increase, while the rate for rural residents would increase from $8.21 to $8.64 per thousand—a five percent increase.

County supervisors say that the property tax rates are still within the historical range of tax rates, saying the rate is 16 cents per thousand lower than fiscal year 2013's rate and 11 cents higher than fiscal year 2016's rate.

The majority of the increase in property tax rates comes from higher costs of the police dispatch center, which is now being handled by the Emergency Management Commission, which can levy its own taxes as part of the county tax rate.