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IA League Cities Priorities 05 IOWA LEAGUE Qf CITIES . Prioritie The League's mission is to keep cities moving forward through innovation, efficiencies, and collaboration. Doing so allows cities the ability to provide essential services and quality of life programs and facilities. More than 77 percent of Iowans live within a city and the League and its members want to ensure that these citizens are safe and able to the enjoy life within their com- munity, regardless of its size. Small, medium or large, each city is unique and must be embraced. For while some city services may vary, the hometown feel of an Iowa community will not. Members of the Iowa League of Cities adopted five legislative priorities for 2005 focusing on areas important to the future of their communities. These legislative priorities include compre- hensive components for property tax reform, economic development, infrastructure investment, community safety, and representative government. All five priorities are aimed at achieving one common goal: Giving cities the opportunity to continue building on past accomplishments while paving the way into the future. Many factors have led to calls for comprehensive property tax reform in Iowa, from the governor calling the system "broken" to proposed bills that failed to address significant problems in the current system. The Iowa League of Cities and the Iowa State Association of Counties are proposing a comprehensive package of reforms designed to increase accountability, equity, and stability in Iowa's tax system. Highlights of the proposal include three areas of focus: 1) Assessment and Valuation; 2) Budgeting and Taxation; and 3) Constraints and Limitations. Assessment and Valuation Property needs to be valued so the property owner pays an appropriate share of the tax burden. The property tax base should be broadened and the rollback formula eliminated. Under the proposal, the state would no longer pay over $100 million for the homestead credit, which has become too small to adequately help taxpay- ers. It would be replaced with a 50 percent homeowner's exemption worth between $10,000 and $150,000. Budgeting and Taxation Reforming the property tax structure means improving accountability among all levels of government. Citizens will gain more understanding from improved budget forms and more information public hear- ings. They will also be able to monitor their cities' and counties' policies regarding target ending balances in certain funds. The state should fund any property tax credits it approves and any mandates it implements. Constraints and Limitations Restraints imposed on city and county budgets should be fundamentally changed. Under the proposal the $8.10 general fund levy limit for cities and the general basic and rural basic level for counties will be removed. In their place, an inflationary property tax limitation will be imposed on those funds to directly limit the total amount of property taxes levied while still leaving local govemments with fiscal flexibility. This comprehensive tax reform would result in many property owners, especially commercial property owners, pay- ing less in property taxes. Alternative revenue sources can provide further reductions. For example, cities must keep the ability to collect a utility franchise fee, and the cap on the hotel/motel tax should be increased. Investment Priority: Support legislation that protects and in Iowa's street and highway infrastructure through an equitable allocation of rev- enues between '$tate, county and city government, Increase the $25,000 bid threshold for public improvements to eáse administration costs incurred in small vertical infrastructure projects. Street and highway infrastructure is essential to ensuring the safety of citizens and the economic vitality of Iowa. Neither of these goals can be achieved unless a continued investment is made into both the state and local street and highway infrastructure. Citizens always want what is closest to them to be fixed first. Faced with a Jimited amount of road use tax fund (RUTF) dollars, cities are forced to spend on new construction needs or the mainte1\ance and repair of existing infrastructure. After spend- ing RUTF money, construction needs must then come out of the city's general fund or be borrowed via ¡¡ loan that falls within the city's debt capacity. Safety is p¡¡ramount in terms of keeping a well-maintained infrastructure, Today, manyJowans commute to and fro.", work. They drive on highways and streets that are widely interconnected, so it is . tant th"t the infrastructure system' be supported as a whole, Past legislation has enco1.11'¡[ged Cities and co ' òn the needs highw¡¡ys between théir juriSdictions, and it is essentîà1 to continue thi . . The public bid threshold Was .established to ba.lance the ability of locål.goverritnent tosp.nd taxp'ayers'm public pr()j,ects. Sp'eridingpublic money.istinÝtmey for P"!'>.je~ scalêcan'¡'éman¡¡ged weflwithou oldt-Gr ve LoITie Bennett, City Administrator, Humboldt, (515) 332-3435 Robert Blok, Council Member, Asbury, (563) 683-4436 Nancy Carmichael, City Clerl<jTreasurer, Coming, (641) 322-4230 Carol Ann Diekema, City Coordinator, Monroe, (641) 259.3490 Julie Egland, Council Member, StOITn Lake, (712) 732-8000 Mary Gross, Mayor, Holstein, (712) 368-4898 Marl<Jackson, City Administrator, Story City, (51S) 733-2121 AJ. Johnson, City Administrator, Muscatine, (563) 264-1550 Walter Mcintosh, Mayor, Ume Springs, (563) 566-4405 Oan Nicholson, Council Member, Dubuque, (563) 589-4100 Jeff Pomeranz, City Manager, West Des Moines, (515) 222-3610 Dee Vanderhoef, Council Member, Iowa City, (319) 356-5010 Chris Ward, City Manager, West Uberty, (319) 627-2418 Peggy White, Council Member, CaITolI, (712) 792-1000 Prioritie The League's mission is to keep cities moving forward through innovation, efficiencies, and collaboration. Doing so allows cities the ability to provide essential services and quality of life programs and facilities. More than 77 percent of Iowans live within a city and the League and its members want to ensure that these citizens are safe and able to the erD°Y life within their com- munity, regardless of its size. Small, medium or large, each city is unique and must be embraced. For while some city services may vary, the hometown feel of an Iowa community will not. Members of the Iowa League of Cities adopted five legislative priorities for 2005 focusing on areas important to the future of their communities. These legislative priorities include compre- hensive components for property tax reform, economic development, infrastructure investment, community safety, and representative government. All five priorities are aimed at achieving one common goal: Giving cities the opportunity to continue building on past accomplishments while paving the way into the future. Many factors have led to calls for comprehensive property tax reform in Iowa, from the governor calling the system "broken" to proposed bills that failed to address significant problems in the current system. The Iowa League of Cities and the Iowa State Association of Counties are proposing a comprehensive package of reforms desii,'1'ed to increase accountability, equity, and stability in Iowa's tax system. Highlights of the proposal include three areas of focus: 1) Assessment and Valuation; 2) Budgeting and Taxation; and 3) Constraints and Limitations. Assessment and Valuation Property needs to be valued so the property owner pays an appropriate share of the tax burden. The property tax base should be broadened and the rollback formula eliminated. Under the proposal, the state would no longer pay over $100 million for the homestead credit, which has become too small to adequately help taxpay- ers. It would be replaced with a 50 percent homeowner's exemption worth between $10,000 and $150,000. Budgeting and Taxation Reforn1ing the property tax structure means improving accountability among allleve1s of government. Citizens will gain more understanding from improved budget forms and more information public hear- ings. They will also be able to monitor their cities' and counties' policies regarding target ending balances in certain funds. The state should fund any property tax credits it approves and any mandates it implements. Constraints and Limitations Restraints imposed on city and county budgets should be fundamentally changed. Under the proposal the $8.10 general fund levy limit for cities and the genera] basic and rural basic level for counties will be removed. 1n their place, an inflationary property tax limitation will be imposed on those funds to directly limit the total amount of property taxes levied while still leaving local govemments with fiscal flexibility. This comprehensive tax reform would result in many property owners, especially commercial property ovmers, pay- ing less in property taxes. Altemative revenue sources can provide further reductions. For example, cities must keep the ability to collect a utility franchise fee, and the cap on the hotel/motel tax should be increased.