Bills Associated with Iowa County Conservation System

Expands definitions of "bicycle," "land," and "recreational purposes" related to the use of private land for public recreation. 

Requires the division of soil conservation and water quality to carry out projects that promote and improve soil health and may implement projects to maintain, protect, and improve water quality. Allows financing entities to participate in funding authorized projects.

Expands tax exemption for classified as agricultural located in a levee and drainage district that is located adjacent to both the Mississippi River and the Iowa River and consists of at least 35,000 acres.

Restricts IPERS and other retirement systems, the Regents, and any other public fund from contracting with public funds managers that take actions based on economic boycotts (specifically fossil fuels, mining, guns), or environmental or social criteria that is not based solely on the financial interest of the funds and the beneficiaries.

Requires DNR to develop a long-term plan for the maintenance, acquisition, and protection of significant open space lands by July 1, 2024, and a long-range plan for the development, promotion, management, and acquisition of recreational trails by January 15, 2024. Repeals the current programs for management of open space properties and recreational trails.

Creates an online public notice portal for all statutorily required notices for the state, counties, cities, public school districts, and private or public agencies.

Division 1 makes several changes to Iowa Code relating to counties, including:  Provides for a taxable valuation growth limitation and automatic levy rate adjustment. For counties at or below the $3.50 per $1,000 limit for the General Basic fund, taxable valuation growth over 102.5% would trigger a calculation of current year taxes certified divided by 102.5% of assessed value to get effective tax rate. For counties over the $3.50 limit the threshold would be 103.25% of taxable valuation. The same would apply to the $3.95 per $1,000 limit for the Rural Basic Fund. The bill would include additions to basic levies authorized under Iowa Code 331.426 in setting the base year levy rates but strikes the code section for future use.

Division 2 makes several changes to Iowa Code relating to cities, including:  This bill would eliminate a number of city levies (~15) – the local library levy, civic center levy, and many others – and leave cities with five levies to utilize.  The general levy (often called the $8.10 levy) would be replaced with one larger levy that would be capped and allowed an annual percentage increase of up to 2.5%.

The bill also makes increases of roughly 30% to the allowable bonding thresholds for cities and counties, and applies a cost of living increase thereafter.  These bonding thresholds have not been increased in many years.

Division 3 eliminates the voter-approved public education and recreational tax levy (current maximum 13.5 cents).

Division 4 would eliminate the brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication levy (current maximum 33.75 cents). 

Division 5 would allow Lee County to make a local county decision with regard to its county seat and which county court buildings they must maintain.

Division 6 eliminates the current requirement that an annual report from the Iowa state sheriffs’ and deputies’ association be produced that details, based on a sampling of specified county data, the total annual county budget allocation to the sheriff and similar data.

Division 7 establishes a new homestead property tax credit specifically for Iowans 65 years of age and older.  The credit would be in addition to the existing homestead credit and would be $3250 in the first year and $6500 in each successive year.

Division 8 makes changes to the elderly property tax credit calculation to take into account the homestead credit.

Division 9 increases the military service property tax exemption to $4000 and removes the State’s responsibility for funding the exemption. 

Division 10 disallows commercial property in a new urban revitalization area from receiving a tax exemption unless the local government and the owner of the qualified real estate enter into a written assessment agreement specifying a minimum actual value until a specified termination date for the duration of the exemption period.  The bill would not allow residential properties in new urban revitalization areas to receive an exemption from school property taxes.

Division 11 allows cities over 200,000 to impose an additional 2.5 percent franchise fee (above the generally capped 5 percent) for public transit as long as those revenues are used to provide property tax relief.

Division 12 requires each county auditor to make an annual report to the department of management of the valuation by class of property for each taxing district in the county, which shall be used for determining the levy rates necessary to fund the budgets of the taxing districts for the following fiscal year. In addition, the county auditor is required to make an annual report to the governing body of each taxing district in the county of the assessed valuations of taxable property in the taxing district as reported to the department of management.

Division 13 moves the budget certification deadline for cities and counties to April 15 (from March 31). This division also requires cities, counties and school districts to supply information that can help county auditors put together taxpayer information similar to that outlined in Division 3 of the House’s property tax bill, HF 718.  Contains additional requirements including public budget hearings.

Division 14 allows counties to charge a $10 convenience fee for issuing driver’s licenses or non-operators identification cards to non-residents of the county.

Division 15 increases from $1.25 to $2.00 the writing fee assessed by county recorders for transactions involving all-terrain vehicles, water vessels and snowmobiles.