Local taxes › Cerro Gordo County › Ventura

City

Ventura

$2,390 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($28.32 per $1,000 of taxable value)¹

$860 a yearof that goes to the city ($10.22 per $1,000)

$799,063property taxes the city levies, FY27

$2.7Mcity budget, FY27, without city-run utilities (not yet reported)²

Who runs it

The city council passes ordinances, adopts the budget and sets the city’s property tax.

Chuck ShropshireVentura City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Joe SchmitVentura Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
Randy McCollomVentura City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Daryl HeinemannVentura City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
John QuintusVentura City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
Michael ThackeryVentura City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023

Officials are worked out from election results: every member whose four-year term is still running, plus appointments and titles Iowa Funnel has been told about. A resignation may not show yet.

Meetings and agendas

What the council is deciding: each agenda, the resolutions and ordinances on it, and a plain-language summary.

Iowa Funnel doesn’t read this city’s agendas yet. Every council and board posts its agenda at least 24 hours before it meets.

Property taxes

How the bill is collected · What each levy is for

Who gets a property owner’s tax bill in Ventura

Homes and businesses in most of Ventura pay a combined $27.61 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Cerro Gordo County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $10.22. Estimate your bill.

Everyone else$12.4045%
City of Ventura$10.2237%
Cerro Gordo County$4.9818%

Rates over time

Per $1,000 of taxable value: the typical combined rate people in Ventura pay, and the city government’s own piece of it.

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$30.42	$10.53
FY21	$30.67	$10.65
FY22	$30.24	$10.50
FY23	$29.33	$10.50
FY24	$29.08	$10.18
FY25	$27.40	$9.92
FY26	$29.05	$10.63
FY27	$28.32	$10.22

Show the numbers

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$30.42	$10.53
FY21	$30.67	$10.65
FY22	$30.24	$10.50
FY23	$29.33	$10.50
FY24	$29.08	$10.18
FY25	$27.40	$9.92
FY26	$29.05	$10.63
FY27	$28.32	$10.22

Compared with places this size³

Ventura’s city property tax rate of $10.22 per $1,000 is the 37th lowest of 185 Iowa cities with 470–1,000 people. The middle of the group is $12.99.

See all 185

#	Place	Rate per $1,000	People
1	Exira	$24.81	766
2	Rolfe	$22.67	505
3	Dayton	$22.51	766
4	Charter Oak	$21.32	521
5	Correctionville	$19.84	759
6	Pomeroy	$19.60	511
7	Allison	$19.06	937
8	Dumont	$19.04	614
9	Seymour	$18.78	646
10	Dexter	$18.69	631
11	Fonda	$18.52	636
12	Kanawha	$18.11	638
13	Swea City	$18.04	545
14	Greene	$17.91	971
15	Alden	$17.90	738
16	Elma	$17.82	493
17	Dows	$17.70	509
18	New Hartford	$17.69	555
19	Lansing	$17.67	959
20	Rockwell	$17.54	1,044
21	Walnut	$17.46	728
22	Murray	$17.44	609
23	Thompson	$17.25	478
24	Gowrie	$17.17	943
25	Colo	$17.14	856
26	Latimer	$16.96	477
27	Adair	$16.84	792
28	Eddyville	$16.82	965
29	Elk Horn	$16.78	631
30	Oxford	$16.70	715
31	Buffalo Center	$16.58	839
32	Whittemore	$16.54	478
33	Bancroft	$16.52	677
34	Titonka	$16.45	491
35	Eldon	$16.42	788
36	Early	$16.35	571
37	Truro	$16.34	515
38	Mechanicsville	$16.12	974
39	Scranton	$16.01	496
40	Armstrong	$15.87	847
41	Ruthven	$15.84	710
42	Minden	$15.77	581
43	Walker	$15.74	671
44	Newell	$15.49	850
45	Riceville	$15.31	807
46	Neola	$15.30	917
47	Sidney	$15.19	1,048
48	Russell	$15.18	475
49	Gilbertville	$15.15	792
50	Stanwood	$15.12	612
51	Stratford	$15.03	688
52	Griswold	$15.01	975
53	Zearing	$14.99	508
54	Readlyn	$14.99	857
55	Wyoming	$14.81	526
56	Humeston	$14.80	472
57	Hopkinton	$14.79	622
58	Essex	$14.76	721
59	Gilmore City	$14.60	484
60	Dunlap	$14.56	1,030
61	Garnavillo	$14.52	751
62	Maxwell	$14.50	862
63	Sabula	$14.38	498
64	Collins	$14.32	503
65	Clermont	$14.30	571
66	Moulton	$14.25	596
67	Mcgregor	$14.20	725
68	Olin	$14.19	652
69	Primghar	$14.18	893
70	Garwin	$14.08	469
71	Farragut	$14.07	480
72	Elgin	$14.05	676
73	Dow City	$13.94	477
74	Ossian	$13.88	777
75	Redfield	$13.73	719
76	Victor	$13.72	852
77	Edgewood	$13.64	908
78	Sioux Rapids	$13.63	722
79	Donnellson	$13.63	859
80	Gladbrook	$13.58	775
81	Rockford	$13.52	722
82	Boyden	$13.39	694
83	Baxter	$13.32	983
84	Anita	$13.28	953
85	Van Horne	$13.27	768
86	Keota	$13.21	888
87	Shellsburg	$13.20	987
88	De Soto	$13.18	937
89	Quasqueton	$13.12	587
90	Farmington	$13.10	583
91	Anthon	$13.05	534
92	Odebolt	$13.00	967
93	Coggon	$12.99	691
94	Earlville	$12.90	713
95	Brighton	$12.88	592
96	Danville	$12.87	910
97	Underwood	$12.85	973
98	Montrose	$12.78	734
99	Goldfield	$12.73	617
100	Wellsburg	$12.68	709
101	Delmar	$12.68	541
102	Badger	$12.67	540
103	Stanton	$12.62	664
104	Hospers	$12.58	703
105	Everly	$12.51	570
106	Hazleton	$12.48	711
107	West Point	$12.39	903
108	Hinton	$12.38	959
109	Preston	$12.38	940
110	Alburnett	$12.30	672
111	Hubbard	$12.30	837
112	Moravia	$12.27	625
113	Hedrick	$12.22	717
114	Carson	$12.22	772
115	Wheatland	$12.18	765
116	Schaller	$12.14	702
117	Winfield	$12.04	1,006
118	Afton	$11.96	864
119	Lowden	$11.93	767
120	Tabor	$11.88	983
121	Albert City	$11.88	627
122	Aurelia	$11.84	970
123	Merrill	$11.64	713
124	Ellsworth	$11.57	495
125	Morning Sun	$11.50	702
126	Battle Creek	$11.49	683
127	Wall Lake	$11.43	739
128	West Bend	$11.42	770
129	Dakota City	$11.39	764
130	Dunkerton	$11.30	840
131	Sutherland	$11.25	628
132	Arcadia	$11.23	588
133	Whiting	$11.21	725
134	Shelby	$11.17	730
135	Blairstown	$11.04	705
136	Manilla	$11.01	756
137	Hamburg	$10.95	863
138	Clarence	$10.94	991
139	Ireton	$10.93	571
140	Fontanelle	$10.88	684
141	Richland	$10.82	532
142	Grand Mound	$10.78	608
143	Cambridge	$10.53	844
144	Swisher	$10.39	909
145	Schleswig	$10.39	820
146	Melbourne	$10.38	771
147	Radcliffe	$10.37	540
148	Fredericksburg	$10.27	983
149	Ventura	$10.22	701
150	Inwood	$10.22	962
151	Milo	$10.20	762
152	Hartford	$10.16	729
153	What Cheer	$10.01	595
154	Newhall	$9.99	887
155	Cumming	$9.85	527
156	Graettinger	$9.81	810
157	Breda	$9.80	492
158	Doon	$9.78	640
159	Long Grove	$9.59	849
160	Paullina	$9.21	979
161	Winthrop	$8.94	814
162	Crescent	$8.72	626
163	Ainsworth	$8.62	511
164	Keosauqua	$8.58	944
165	Grand Junction	$8.57	715
166	Princeton	$8.24	917
167	Gilman	$8.10	530
168	Lakeside	$8.10	695
169	Kellogg	$8.10	597
170	Agency	$7.94	623
171	Hills	$7.94	911
172	Fremont	$7.86	688
173	Larchwood	$7.52	954
174	North English	$7.49	1,030
175	Sully	$7.41	891
176	Fruitland	$7.21	928
177	Lawton	$7.10	949
178	Wayland	$7.07	935
179	Raymond	$6.85	754
180	Keystone	$6.80	616
181	Shueyville	$6.79	725
182	New Virginia	$5.97	499
183	University Park	$5.27	476
184	Orleans	$4.13	503
185	Okoboji	$3.83	729

The $8.10 limit

Ventura’s general levy is $6.71 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $1.39 below the limit.⁴ 868 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

$8.10

FY23 $6.85 · FY24 $7.05 · FY25 $6.91 · FY26 $6.85 · FY27 $6.71 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

Outside the limit: $3.51 more⁵

Debt Service Levy$2.73 · $213,116
Liability, property & self insurance costs$0.71 · $55,375
Support of a Local Emerg. Mgmt. Comm.$0.07 · $5,340

The city’s levies, FY27

What the city raises from each levy. The general levy is capped by state law; the others are set aside for one purpose.

Consolidate General Fund$523,83466%
Debt Service Levy$213,11627%
Liability, property & self insurance costs$55,3757%
Support of a Local Emerg. Mgmt. Comm.$5,3401%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Ventura’s budget goes, FY26

Planned spending from all funds, including city-run utilities like water and sewer (“business type”), which some cities run and others don’t. Transfers between funds are left out. “Cities this size” is the average for the 184 Iowa cities closest in size (470–1,000 people).

Where it goes	Of each dollar	Cities this size (184)
Public Works	37¢	17¢
Debt Service	16¢	6¢
Public Safety	12¢	9¢
Business Type / Enterprise	12¢	41¢
General Government	10¢	11¢
Everything else	12¢	17¢

Planned spending, FY27

All funds: property taxes, utility and other fees, state and federal money. “Business type” is city-run utilities and enterprises like water or sewer.

Public Works$1.6M59%
Debt Service$381,14014%
Public Safety$312,45511%
General Government$208,9608%
Culture and Recreation$146,5975%
Capital Projects$54,0002%
Health and Social Services$10,0000%
Community and Economic Development$9,6000%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($274,389 in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23

Function	Budget	Spent
Public Works	$992,908	$258,020
Public Safety	$225,601	$223,327
Health and Social Services	$10,025	$7,468
General Government	$181,610	$171,866
Debt Service	$344,051	$361,480
Culture and Recreation	$134,037	$129,316
Community and Economic Development	$6,500	$4,079
Capital Projects	$1.0M	$1.5M
Business Type / Enterprise	$248,466	$247,631

What it spent each year

FY24 left out⁶

$3.5M

$1.9M

State money

What the State of Iowa pays the city each year, and whether it has kept up with prices. Does state money keep pace? ⁷

What the state pays the city every year

Road Use Tax for streets, the commercial and industrial tax “backfill”, and ambulance reimbursement, paid every year by formula: $103,013 in FY25, up 5% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 16% less. Grants are below.

Show the numbers

Source	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)	$98,434	$97,842	$100,431	$100,976
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)	–	$2,037	$15,605	$2,037

Grants and project money

State grants and money for specific projects (roads, development, natural resources) vary with what the city applies for and wins, so they aren’t counted as the state’s regular support.

$19,334

$2,252

State grants$2,252100%

Year	Grants and projects
FY19	$2,146
FY20	$2,319
FY21	$19,334
FY22	$1,990
FY23	$1,860
FY24	$2,749
FY25	$2,252

Show the numbers

Year	Grants and projects
FY19	$2,146
FY20	$2,319
FY21	$19,334
FY22	$1,990
FY23	$1,860
FY24	$2,749
FY25	$2,252

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

Road Use Tax (streets)−13%$92,626 → $100,976, up 9% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 13% less
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)−69%$5,264 → $2,037, down 61% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 69% less

Collected by the state for the city

The local option sales tax is a city tax voters approved; the state collects it with the state sales tax and sends it back. It isn’t state aid. It’s up 40% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 11% more.

$160,220

$156,888

Federal grants, for comparison: $53,305 in FY23.

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

City · 2

Ventura City Council At-Large

2 seats: the top 2 win.

Randy McCollom Winner6034.5%
Chuck Shropshire Winner6034.5%
John Horrigan 5431.0%

Ventura Mayor

Joe Schmit Unopposed84100.0%

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Ventura; official results are on each county auditor’s site.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress⁸

Doug Campbell (Sen. 30)Jane Bloomingdale (Rep. 60)

U.S. House:District 2

Cerro Gordo CountyVentura schools

Notes

For a $200,000 home with the homestead credit, at the combined rate in most of the city. Some parts of the city pay a different rate (special districts, tax increment financing districts). ↩
Cities adopt their budgets each spring for the year starting July 1. ↩
FY27 rates from the Department of Management. A higher rate isn’t always a bigger bill: it depends on how much property there is to tax. Sizes: Census Bureau 2024 estimates. ↩
Iowa Code section 384.1, as changed by House File 718 (2023). Until FY25 a city’s regular general levy was capped at $8.10 by itself, and a city at the cap could add an emergency levy of up to $0.27. From FY25 the general levy and several smaller levies were combined into one “consolidated” general levy with an $8.10 limit; a city whose combined rate was above $8.10 lowers it in steps, in years its taxable value grows by more than the law allows, until it reaches $8.10. So years before FY25 aren’t directly comparable with later ones. ↩
Levies outside the limit are each set aside for one purpose and have their own rules: debt service pays back bonds voters or the council approved, employee benefits cover pensions and insurance, and some (transit, an airport, insurance costs) have their own caps in state law. ↩
The state’s FY24 spending file repeats the year before for nearly every Iowa city, so that year isn’t shown. ↩
From the city’s annual financial reports to the state (Iowa Data Hub, city actual revenues). “Today’s dollars” adjusts each year by the consumer price index for the Midwest, so a flat line in today’s dollars means the money buys the same as before. ↩
Legislative and congressional districts that cover Ventura; percentages are rough shares of its area. These lawmakers write the state laws and budget Ventura works within. ↩

Sources: City budgets and levies from the Department of Management; tax rates from the Iowa Data Hub; state payments from the Department of Revenue; prices from the consumer price index; legislative districts from Census Bureau maps.

Ventura

Who runs it

Meetings and agendas

Property taxes

Who gets a property owner’s tax bill in Ventura

Rates over time

Compared with places this size3

The $8.10 limit

Outside the limit: $3.51 more5

The city’s levies, FY27

Budget and spending

Where each dollar of Ventura’s budget goes, FY26

Planned spending, FY27

What it spent each year

State money

What the state pays the city every year

Grants and project money

Has it kept up with prices?

Collected by the state for the city

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress8

Compared with places this size³

Outside the limit: $3.51 more⁵

At the Statehouse and in Congress⁸