Legislative Letters
THE CITY OF
City Manager's Office
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864
(563) 589-4110 phone
(563) 589-4149 fax
ctymgr@cityofdubuque.org
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April 28, 2005
VIA Email and
1 sl Class Mail
Mike.con nolly@leqis.state.ia.us
The Honorable Mike Connolly
Iowa State Senator
2600 Renaissance Dr #3
Dubuque, IA 52001
Re: HF 847
Dear Senator Connolly,
I am writing to encourage you to vote no on HF 847, a property tax limitation bill.
This bill would negatively impact the available property tax base for cities.
HF 847 makes several changes relating to property taxes, assessments and
local budgeting requirements. This bill would tie together the taxable valuation
growth for residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial classes of property
and limit the increase of the taxable valuation to the lowest percentage for all of
these classes or 4.0%, whichever is lowest. State revenue projections based
upon this scenario would decrease revenues for taxing authorities by $51.8
million statewide in the first year and $267.4 million by 2016. HF 847 does not
provide for a comprehensive approach to real property tax reform rather this bill
will worsen an antiquated rollback system that doesn't work.
This bill would also require cities to fund essential services that are already
mandated by the Iowa Code. This mandate includes some services such as
street improvements, street lights and refuse collection are funded by other
funding sources yet through HF 847 they will be tied to general fund property tax
dollars. HF 847 would further restrict local city budgets.
As you know, the impact of funding cuts in 2003 to local governments was
approximately $60 million statewide. These cuts were devastating to the City of
Dubuque as it resulted in a reduction of $1,195,425 in revenue or 3.54 percent of
Service
People
Integrity
Responsibility
Innovation
Teamwork
the general fund operating expense. Should the legislature pass HF 847, the
impact would be significant and would likely mean increased fees for existing
services, reduction of services and expenses through the elimination of city staff.
As a member of the Senate Ways and Means subcommittee, I strongly
encourage you to oppose HF 847. Thank you for your continued support.
Sin/felYA /' ffL
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Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MCVM:cms
Cc: Mayor Terry Duggan
Dubuque City Council
Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities
Rick Engelken, City Assessor
Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Dawn Lang, Budget Director
May 9,2005
VIA Email and
1 st Class Mail
<< Email >>
<<CompleteLOCALName _Address>>
Re: Amendment S-3310 of HF 882
Dear <<Title>> <<Lasb>,
I am writing to encourage you to support Amendment S-3310 of HF 882, the
Standing Appropriations bill. This bill would establish a floor to the residential
rollback of 47.964% for three years. During that time the Iowa Department of
Management and the Iowa Department of Revenue would be required to study
the effects of establishing a residential rollback floor and reports their findings to
the Legislature by January 15, 2009.
The residential roll back system is an outdated method of taxation that was
meant to be a short-term fix to bring the distribution of revenues from Agricultural,
Industrial, Commercial and Residential revenues in balance. This system
continues to represent an annual decline in revenues and reduces our revenue
base despite escalating costs in services (i.e. insurance, fuel).
The city of Dubuque did an analysis of what our revenues would have been if the
rollback would have been frozen in fiscal year 2004 to try and measure impact.
In FY 04 the residential taxable value revenue with rollback at .513874 equaled
$8,443,617. In FY 05 the actual residential taxable value revenues with rollback
at .484560% were $8,558,527 and in FY 06 are estimated to be $8,660,755.
However, had a rollback floor been established in FY 04, the impact to
commercial businesses in the city if Dubuque would have been a reduction of
$1,136,688 ($ 517,758 in FY 05 and $618,930 in FY 06) in commercial revenue
needed. The residential rollback creates an undue burden on other classes of
service and I strongly encourage you support Amendment S-3310 of HF 882.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MCVM:ksf
cc: Mayor Terry Duggan
Dubuque City Council
Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities
Rick Engelken, City Assessor
Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Dawn Lang, Budget Director
The Honorable Mike Connolly
Iowa State Senator
2600 Renaissance Dr #3
Dubuque, IA 52001
The Honorable Pam Jochum
Iowa State Representative
2368 Jackson
Dubuque, IA 52001
The Honorable Steven Lukan
Iowa State Representative
7365 Columbus Street
New Vienna IA 52065
The Honorable Tom Hancock
Iowa State Senator
310 E Main Street
Epworth, lA, 52045
The Honorable Pat Murphy
Iowa State Representative
155 N. Grandview Avenue
Dubuque, IA 52001
The Honorable Ray Zirkelbach
Iowa State Representative
637 W. First Street
Monticello, IA 52310
The Honorable Roger Stewart
Iowa State Senator
3936317 Avenue
Preston, IA 52069
The Honorable Thomas
Schueller
Iowa State Representative
503 W. Platt Street
Maquoketa,IA 52060
May 2,2005
VIA Email and
1 st Class Mail
<<Email>>
<<CompleteLOCALName _Address>>
Re: HF 861
Dear <<Title>> <<Lash>,
I am writing to thank you for your support in retaining the rights of cities to form a
municipal utility and to encourage you to vote no for HF 861, the
telecommunication utility legislation, and the proposed amendment H-1474. This
bill, even with the amendment, substantially restricts the ability of a new
municipal utility from proceeding in the establishment and financing of a
telecommunications utility. The additional requirements proposed in HF 861 are
onerous as current Iowa law already imposes fair and reasonable limitations on
the establishment and financing of municipal telecommunications utilities.
HF 861 and amendment H-1474 would require an extensive and costly feasibility
study which would be used to limit the ability of a city to exceed the cost of the
system unless an additional election was held. This would impact a city's ability
to expand the system to newly annexed property. In addition, the bill requires that
only revenues from the facility itself can be used to finance the system - which
makes the ability for the city to finalize the project virtually impossible. The bill
contains requirements regarding feasibility studies that have the practical effect
of barring a proposal from ever being considered by the public.
I strongly encourage you to oppose HF 861. Thank you for your continued
support.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MCVM:cs
Cc: Mayor Terry Duggan
Dubuque City Council
Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities
Rick Dickinson, Greater Dubuque Development Corporation
Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
The Honorable Mike Connolly
Iowa State Senator
2600 Renaissance Dr #3
Dubuque, IA 52001
The Honorable Pam Jochum
Iowa State Representative
2368 Jackson
Dubuque, IA 52001
The Honorable Tom Hancock
Iowa State Senator
310 E Main Street
Epworth, lA, 52045
The Honorable Steven Lukan
Iowa State Representative
7365 Columbus Street
New Vienna IA 52065
The Honorable Roger Stewart
Iowa State Senator
3936317 Avenue
Preston, IA 52069
The Honorable Ray Zirkelbach
Iowa State Representative
637 W. First Street
Monticello, IA 52310
May 2, 2005
VIA Email and
1 st Class Mail
<<Email>>
<<CompleteLOCALName _Address>>
Re: HF 861
Dear <<Title>> <<Lash>,
I am writing to encourage you to vote no for HF 861, the telecommunication utility
legislation, and the proposed amendment H-1474. This bill, even with the
amendment, substantially restricts the ability of a new municipal utility from
proceeding in the establishment and financing of a telecommunications utility.
The additional requirements proposed in HF 861 are onerous as current Iowa law
already imposes fair and reasonable limitations on the establishment and
financing of municipal telecommunications utilities.
HF 861 and amendment H-1474 would require an extensive and costly feasibility
study which would be used to limit the ability of a city to exceed the cost of the
system unless an additional election was held. This would impact a city's ability
to expand the system to newly annexed property. In addition, the bill requires that
only revenues from the facility itself can be used to finance the system which
makes the ability for the city to finalize the project virtually impossible. The bill
contains requirements regarding feasibility studies that have the practical effect
of barring a proposal from ever being considered by the public.
I strongly encourage you to oppose HF 861. Thank you for your continued
support.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MCVM:cs
Cc: Mayor Terry Duggan
Dubuque City Council
Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities
Rick Dickinson, Greater Dubuque Development Corporation
Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
The Honorable Pat Murphy
Iowa State Representative
155 N. Grandview Avenue
Dubuque, IA 52001
The Honorable Thomas Schueller
Iowa State Representative
503 W. Platt Street
Maquoketa, IA 52060