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Local taxes › Cherokee County › Marcus

City

Marcus

Cherokee County · How cities work

$2,530 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($30.09 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$950 a yearof that goes to the city ($11.31 per $1,000)
$594,506property taxes the city levies, FY27
$1.1Mcity 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.

  • Conrad EbertMarcus City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Patrick BuntMarcus Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
  • Steve SchmillenMarcus City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Austin WhitedMarcus City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
  • Gary L. EdwardsMarcus City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
  • Robin JennessMarcus 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 Marcus

Homes and businesses in most of Marcus pay a combined $30.09 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Cherokee County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $11.31. Estimate your bill.

Rates over time

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

YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$28.87$13.66
FY21$29.18$13.67
FY22$30.95$12.73
FY23$30.55$12.55
FY24$29.88$11.20
FY25$29.73$10.58
FY26$29.69$11.26
FY27$30.09$11.31
Show the numbers
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$28.87$13.66
FY21$29.18$13.67
FY22$30.95$12.73
FY23$30.55$12.55
FY24$29.88$11.20
FY25$29.73$10.58
FY26$29.69$11.26
FY27$30.09$11.31

Compared with places this size3

Marcus’s city property tax rate of $11.31 per $1,000 is the 47th lowest of 167 Iowa cities with 710–1,600 people. The middle of the group is $13.28.

Elkader: $27.11Exira: $24.81Laurens: $24.16Dayton: $22.51Correctionville: $19.84Villisca: $19.74Traer: $19.56Corning: $19.36Allison: $19.06Corydon: $18.22Dysart: $17.95Greene: $17.91Alden: $17.90Lansing: $17.67Strawberry Point: $17.58Rockwell: $17.54Walnut: $17.46Gowrie: $17.17Colo: $17.14Mapleton: $16.90George: $16.89Fayette: $16.85Adair: $16.84Eddyville: $16.82Nashua: $16.81Oxford: $16.70Ackley: $16.63Buffalo Center: $16.58Roland: $16.51Eldon: $16.42Monona: $16.41Aplington: $16.34Panora: $16.14Mechanicsville: $16.12Dike: $15.94Armstrong: $15.87Holstein: $15.81State Center: $15.80Earlham: $15.55Shell Rock: $15.52Brooklyn: $15.49Newell: $15.49Riceville: $15.31Neola: $15.30Sidney: $15.19Gilbertville: $15.15Logan: $15.05Griswold: $15.01Readlyn: $14.99Tripoli: $14.99Essex: $14.76Bedford: $14.66Lenox: $14.65Manning: $14.62Dunlap: $14.56Garnavillo: $14.52Maxwell: $14.50Coon Rapids: $14.49Nora Springs: $14.25Kingsley: $14.25Mcgregor: $14.20Primghar: $14.18Sheffield: $14.16Hartley: $14.11Woodward: $14.05Guthrie Center: $14.04Ossian: $13.88Alton: $13.87Montezuma: $13.79Redfield: $13.73Victor: $13.72Gilbert: $13.71Edgewood: $13.64Sioux Rapids: $13.63Donnellson: $13.63Gladbrook: $13.58Clarksville: $13.53Rockford: $13.52Janesville: $13.43Glidden: $13.43Calmar: $13.39Baxter: $13.32Manly: $13.29Anita: $13.28Van Horne: $13.27Conrad: $13.23Springville: $13.22Keota: $13.21Shellsburg: $13.20De Soto: $13.18Treynor: $13.03Odebolt: $13.00Akron: $12.93Earlville: $12.90Danville: $12.87Underwood: $12.85New Sharon: $12.80Malvern: $12.79Montrose: $12.78Buffalo: $12.68Sanborn: $12.62West Point: $12.39Hinton: $12.38Preston: $12.38Hubbard: $12.30Hedrick: $12.22Carson: $12.22Wheatland: $12.18Winfield: $12.04Elkhart: $12.00Afton: $11.96Lowden: $11.93Tabor: $11.88Wellman: $11.88Aurelia: $11.84Merrill: $11.64Palo: $11.49Wall Lake: $11.43West Bend: $11.42Dakota City: $11.39Dunkerton: $11.30Whiting: $11.21Melcher-Dallas: $11.21Shelby: $11.17University Heights: $11.12Manilla: $11.01Hamburg: $10.95Clarence: $10.94Oakland: $10.85Cambridge: $10.53Swisher: $10.39Schleswig: $10.39Melbourne: $10.38Elk Run Heights: $10.33Walcott: $10.29Fredericksburg: $10.27Lake Park: $10.25Inwood: $10.22Milo: $10.20Hartford: $10.16Central City: $10.01Newhall: $9.99Graettinger: $9.81Long Grove: $9.59Lake View: $9.39Paullina: $9.21Fairbank: $9.00Winthrop: $8.94Walford: $8.72Keosauqua: $8.58Grand Junction: $8.57Princeton: $8.24Lone Tree: $8.13Riverside: $8.02Hills: $7.94Larchwood: $7.52North English: $7.49Sloan: $7.49Sully: $7.41Fruitland: $7.21Lawton: $7.10Wayland: $7.07Raymond: $6.85Shueyville: $6.79Arnolds Park: $4.95Okoboji: $3.83Marcus: $11.31$3.83 lowest$27.11 highestmiddle
See all 167
#PlaceRate per $1,000People
1Elkader$27.111,192
2Exira$24.81766
3Laurens$24.161,253
4Dayton$22.51766
5Correctionville$19.84759
6Villisca$19.741,106
7Traer$19.561,547
8Corning$19.361,509
9Allison$19.06937
10Corydon$18.221,563
11Dysart$17.951,266
12Greene$17.91971
13Alden$17.90738
14Lansing$17.67959
15Strawberry Point$17.581,141
16Rockwell$17.541,044
17Walnut$17.46728
18Gowrie$17.17943
19Colo$17.14856
20Mapleton$16.901,114
21George$16.891,106
22Fayette$16.851,193
23Adair$16.84792
24Eddyville$16.82965
25Nashua$16.811,515
26Oxford$16.70715
27Ackley$16.631,538
28Buffalo Center$16.58839
29Roland$16.511,376
30Eldon$16.42788
31Monona$16.411,462
32Aplington$16.341,088
33Panora$16.141,096
34Mechanicsville$16.12974
35Dike$15.941,293
36Armstrong$15.87847
37Holstein$15.811,475
38State Center$15.801,403
39Earlham$15.551,411
40Shell Rock$15.521,265
41Brooklyn$15.491,474
42Newell$15.49850
43Riceville$15.31807
44Neola$15.30917
45Sidney$15.191,048
46Gilbertville$15.15792
47Logan$15.051,351
48Griswold$15.01975
49Readlyn$14.99857
50Tripoli$14.991,208
51Essex$14.76721
52Bedford$14.661,474
53Lenox$14.651,355
54Manning$14.621,390
55Dunlap$14.561,030
56Garnavillo$14.52751
57Maxwell$14.50862
58Coon Rapids$14.491,258
59Nora Springs$14.251,330
60Kingsley$14.251,394
61Mcgregor$14.20725
62Primghar$14.18893
63Sheffield$14.161,123
64Hartley$14.111,584
65Woodward$14.051,383
66Guthrie Center$14.041,579
67Ossian$13.88777
68Alton$13.871,248
69Montezuma$13.791,421
70Redfield$13.73719
71Victor$13.72852
72Gilbert$13.711,397
73Edgewood$13.64908
74Sioux Rapids$13.63722
75Donnellson$13.63859
76Gladbrook$13.58775
77Clarksville$13.531,238
78Rockford$13.52722
79Janesville$13.431,052
80Glidden$13.431,140
81Calmar$13.391,100
82Baxter$13.32983
83Manly$13.291,233
84Anita$13.28953
85Van Horne$13.27768
86Conrad$13.231,098
87Springville$13.221,161
88Keota$13.21888
89Shellsburg$13.20987
90De Soto$13.18937
91Treynor$13.031,104
92Odebolt$13.00967
93Akron$12.931,545
94Earlville$12.90713
95Danville$12.87910
96Underwood$12.85973
97New Sharon$12.801,249
98Malvern$12.791,056
99Montrose$12.78734
100Buffalo$12.681,163
101Sanborn$12.621,463
102West Point$12.39903
103Hinton$12.38959
104Preston$12.38940
105Hubbard$12.30837
106Hedrick$12.22717
107Carson$12.22772
108Wheatland$12.18765
109Winfield$12.041,006
110Elkhart$12.001,079
111Afton$11.96864
112Lowden$11.93767
113Tabor$11.88983
114Wellman$11.881,531
115Aurelia$11.84970
116Merrill$11.64713
117Palo$11.491,554
118Wall Lake$11.43739
119West Bend$11.42770
120Dakota City$11.39764
121Marcus$11.311,069
122Dunkerton$11.30840
123Whiting$11.21725
124Melcher-Dallas$11.211,193
125Shelby$11.17730
126University Heights$11.121,188
127Manilla$11.01756
128Hamburg$10.95863
129Clarence$10.94991
130Oakland$10.851,519
131Cambridge$10.53844
132Swisher$10.39909
133Schleswig$10.39820
134Melbourne$10.38771
135Elk Run Heights$10.331,061
136Walcott$10.291,556
137Fredericksburg$10.27983
138Lake Park$10.251,155
139Inwood$10.22962
140Milo$10.20762
141Hartford$10.16729
142Central City$10.011,254
143Newhall$9.99887
144Graettinger$9.81810
145Long Grove$9.59849
146Lake View$9.391,120
147Paullina$9.21979
148Fairbank$9.001,133
149Winthrop$8.94814
150Walford$8.721,357
151Keosauqua$8.58944
152Grand Junction$8.57715
153Princeton$8.24917
154Lone Tree$8.131,341
155Riverside$8.021,063
156Hills$7.94911
157Larchwood$7.52954
158North English$7.491,030
159Sloan$7.491,078
160Sully$7.41891
161Fruitland$7.21928
162Lawton$7.10949
163Wayland$7.07935
164Raymond$6.85754
165Shueyville$6.79725
166Arnolds Park$4.951,214
167Okoboji$3.83729

The $8.10 limit

Marcus’s general levy is $7.91 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $0.19 below the limit.4 513 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

FY23 $8.10 · FY24 $8.10 · FY25 $8.22 · FY26 $8.06 · FY27 $7.91 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

Outside the limit: $3.41 more5

  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$1.26 · $65,769
  • Debt Service Levy$1.09 · $57,165
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$1.06 · $55,385

Tax increment financing (TIF)

Marcus’s TIF revenue, from its reports to the state.

YearTIF revenue
FY22$135
Show the numbers
YearTIF revenue
FY22$135

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$413,95770%
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$65,76911%
  • Debt Service Levy$57,16510%
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$55,3859%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Marcus’s budget goes, FY26

Business Type / Enterprise: 78¢ of every dollar78¢Culture and Recreation: 5¢ of every dollarGeneral Government: 5¢ of every dollarPublic Works: 5¢ of every dollarPublic Safety: 4¢ of every dollarEverything else: 4¢ of every dollar

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 166 Iowa cities closest in size (710–1,600 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCities this size (166)
Business Type / Enterprise78¢39¢
Culture and Recreation5¢9¢
General Government5¢8¢
Public Works5¢15¢
Public Safety4¢10¢
Everything else4¢19¢

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.

  • Culture and Recreation$263,77323%
  • Public Works$251,42822%
  • General Government$244,01121%
  • Public Safety$171,64615%
  • Debt Service$127,80011%
  • Community and Economic Development$63,2266%
  • Capital Projects$26,3922%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($3.5M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
FunctionBudgetSpent
Public Works$253,370$219,288
Public Safety$183,810$149,899
Health and Social Services$0$0
General Government$137,437$137,358
Debt Service$127,750$127,750
Culture and Recreation$423,960$493,363
Community and Economic Development$33,373$27,118
Capital Projects$135,798$40,780
Business Type / Enterprise$544,867$522,230

What it spent each year

FY24 left out6

$3.2M

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Marcus owes

$493,824 at June 30, 2026: $458 per resident. 644th most per resident of 939 Iowa places of its kind (the list).7

$1.9M
$493,824
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$493,824$458
2025$472,188$438
2024$465,000$431
2023$548,000$508
2022$685,000$635
2021$800,000$741
2020$910,000$843
2019$1.0M$945
2018$1.1M$1,047
2017$651,000$603
2016$894,000$829
2015$1.1M$1,044
2014$1.3M$1,247
2013$1.1M$1,030
2012$1.4M$1,309
2011$1.7M$1,535
2010$1.9M$1,758
Show the numbers
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$493,824$458
2025$472,188$438
2024$465,000$431
2023$548,000$508
2022$685,000$635
2021$800,000$741
2020$910,000$843
2019$1.0M$945
2018$1.1M$1,047
2017$651,000$603
2016$894,000$829
2015$1.1M$1,044
2014$1.3M$1,247
2013$1.1M$1,030
2012$1.4M$1,309
2011$1.7M$1,535
2010$1.9M$1,758

Down 74% since 2010.

The 5% limit8

General obligation debt is $240,000, 5% of the limit of about $4.8M (5% of $96.7M, the full value of its taxable property in 2024).

3 obligations at June 30, 2026
KindForPaid off byOwed
General ObligationConstruction for a new road along with water and sewer in new housing development.2028$240,000
Loansdigging of 2 new wells and engineering plans. Payment will be received as needed.2027$136,136
Loanstest well2027$117,688

General obligation bonds are repaid from property taxes; revenue bonds and loans from the fees or revenue they’re tied to. On the Treasurer’s site

Money in reserve

The state’s budget files don’t include cities’ fund balances9. Marcus’s latest audit has them: Annual Examination, period ending Monday, June 30, 2025 (PDF).

Audits10

The latest: Annual Examination for the period ending Monday, June 30, 2025 (PDF), released Tuesday, February 17, 2026, by a CPA firm.

13 earlier reports for Marcus

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? 11

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: $161,823 in FY25, up 1% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 19% less. Grants are below.

Show the numbers
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$150,102$148,483$152,412$153,239
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)$11,742$11,853$10,121$8,584

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.

$444,860
  • State grants$444,860100%
YearGrants and projects
FY19$4,916
FY20$5,300
FY21$0
FY22$2,804
FY23$0
FY24$3,538
FY25$444,860
Show the numbers
YearGrants and projects
FY19$4,916
FY20$5,300
FY21$0
FY22$2,804
FY23$0
FY24$3,538
FY25$444,860

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

  • Road Use Tax (streets)−15%$144,300 → $153,239, up 6% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 15% less
  • Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)−56%$15,396 → $8,584, down 44% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 56% 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 49% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 18% more.

$179,445

Federal grants, for comparison: $78,799 in FY23.

Business awards

Every award statewide

State economic development awards

Community college new jobs training: 3 contracts since 2002 worth $620K, for 59 pledged jobs.

Awards statewide

Elections

Running for mayor and city council

Filing opens Monday, August 23, 2027: in 284 days.

For the Tuesday, November 2, 2027 election, candidates file Monday, August 23, 2027 to Thursday, September 16, 2027 with the county auditor (or the city clerk, if the auditor names the clerk to take them)12.

In a city that can hold a primary, filing runs Monday, August 9, 2027 to Thursday, August 26, 2027.

Most recent: November 4, 2025

City · 2

2 seats: the top 2 win.

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

Who has filed for Tuesday, November 2, 2027

Filing hasn’t opened. These seats are expected on the ballot.

  • Marcus City Council At-Large (3 seats)
    Now held by Robin Jenness, Austin Whited, Gary L. Edwards
  • Marcus Mayor
    Now held by Patrick Bunt

Candidates as county auditors and civicAPI list them; a filing can take a few days to appear here13.

Past ballot measures

None found since 2022.

When a measure can be on the ballot

  • Tuesday, March 2, 2027 · no bond or debt questions
  • Tuesday, September 14, 2027 · no bond or debt questions
  • Tuesday, November 2, 2027 · any question, including bonds
  • Tuesday, March 7, 2028 · no bond or debt questions

Bonds and other borrowing can only go on the November ballot14.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress15

Kevin Alons (Sen. 7)Travis M. Sitzmann (Rep. 13)

U.S. House:District 4

Cherokee CountyMarcus-Meriden-Cleghorn schools