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Local taxes › Clinton County › Clinton

City

Clinton

Clinton County · How cities work

$3,410 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($40.51 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$1,410 a yearof that goes to the city ($16.80 per $1,000)
$17.6Mproperty taxes the city levies, FY27
$54.1Mcity 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.

  • Conner LeeClinton City Council Ward 1 · elected November 4, 2025
  • Janet TurpenClinton City Council Ward 3 · elected November 4, 2025
  • Pat DetermanClinton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Travis WinterClinton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Cody SeeleyClinton City Council Ward 2 · elected November 7, 2023
  • Gregg ObrenClinton City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
  • Rhonda KearnsClinton City Council Ward 4 · elected November 7, 2023
  • Scott MaddasionClinton Mayor · 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 Clinton

Homes and businesses in most of Clinton pay a combined $40.51 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Clinton County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $16.80. Estimate your bill.

Rates over time

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

YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$41.87$16.32
FY21$41.08$15.69
FY22$40.93$15.66
FY23$40.40$15.29
FY24$40.02$15.34
FY25$39.59$15.29
FY26$39.24$15.28
FY27$40.51$16.80
Show the numbers
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$41.87$16.32
FY21$41.08$15.69
FY22$40.93$15.66
FY23$40.40$15.29
FY24$40.02$15.34
FY25$39.59$15.29
FY26$39.24$15.28
FY27$40.51$16.80

Compared with places this size3

Clinton’s city property tax rate of $16.80 per $1,000 is the 3rd highest of 15 Iowa cities with 16,000–34,000 people. The middle of the group is $14.47.

Ottumwa: $21.01Fort Dodge: $20.89Marshalltown: $16.25Muscatine: $16.17Burlington: $15.94Coralville: $14.70Mason City: $14.47Indianola: $13.33Waukee: $12.80North Liberty: $11.84Johnston: $11.39Altoona: $10.75Grimes: $10.70Clive: $9.92Clinton: $16.80$9.92 lowest$21.01 highestmiddle
See all 15
#PlaceRate per $1,000People
1Ottumwa$21.0125,648
2Fort Dodge$20.8924,886
3Clinton$16.8024,118
4Marshalltown$16.2527,886
5Muscatine$16.1723,298
6Burlington$15.9423,637
7Coralville$14.7023,959
8Mason City$14.4726,948
9Indianola$13.3316,297
10Waukee$12.8034,420
11North Liberty$11.8421,904
12Johnston$11.3925,022
13Altoona$10.7522,598
14Grimes$10.7017,266
15Clive$9.9219,508

The $8.10 limit

Clinton’s general levy is $8.05 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $0.05 below the limit.4 398 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

FY23 $8.10 · FY24 $8.10 · FY25 $8.13 · FY26 $8.13 · FY27 $8.05 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

Outside the limit: $8.75 more5

  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$5.40 · $5.6M
  • Debt Service Levy$2.25 · $2.4M
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$0.73 · $759,147
  • Opr & Maint publicly owned Transit$0.37 · $384,093

Tax increment financing (TIF)

$10.1M of taxable value in Clinton is in TIF districts’ increment (1% of the city’s taxable value), 2025 valuations, taxed in FY27.6 It budgeted $388,000 in TIF revenue for FY25.

$2.0M
$1.2M

What that value would raise at each government’s rate, FY277

Taxes on TIF value go to the city’s TIF fund instead of the governments that levy them, including about $146,426 of the city’s own.

  • Clinton schools$114,396
  • Clinton County$61,673
YearTIF revenue
FY16$2.0M
FY17$1.9M
FY18$1.8M
FY19$2.0M
FY20$1.5M
FY21$1.3M
FY22$1.3M
FY23$1.2M
Show the numbers
YearTIF revenue
FY16$2.0M
FY17$1.9M
FY18$1.8M
FY19$2.0M
FY20$1.5M
FY21$1.3M
FY22$1.3M
FY23$1.2M

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$8.3M48%
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$5.6M32%
  • Debt Service Levy$2.4M14%
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$759,1474%
  • Opr & Maint publicly owned Transit$384,0932%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Clinton’s budget goes, FY26

Business Type / Enterprise: 30¢ of every dollar30¢Public Safety: 18¢ of every dollar18¢Capital Projects: 16¢ of every dollar16¢Debt Service: 11¢ of every dollar11¢Culture and Recreation: 9¢ of every dollar9¢Everything else: 17¢ of every dollar17¢

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 14 Iowa cities closest in size (16,000–34,000 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCities this size (14)
Business Type / Enterprise30¢32¢
Public Safety18¢13¢
Capital Projects16¢25¢
Debt Service11¢11¢
Culture and Recreation9¢6¢
Everything else17¢14¢

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 Safety$15.7M29%
  • Capital Projects$11.0M20%
  • Debt Service$9.7M18%
  • General Government$6.9M13%
  • Culture and Recreation$4.4M8%
  • Public Works$3.7M7%
  • Community and Economic Development$1.8M3%
  • Health and Social Services$950,0002%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($24.0M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
FunctionBudgetSpent
Public Works$3.3M$11.3M
Public Safety$13.7M$13.8M
Health and Social Services$0$79,272
General Government$2.1M$8.2M
Debt Service$7.3M$7.3M
Culture and Recreation$3.3M$7.7M
Community and Economic Development$995,703$8.7M
Capital Projects$8.6M$0
Business Type / Enterprise$16.2M$15.4M

What it spent each year

FY24 left out8

$108.2M

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Clinton owes

$265.3M at June 30, 2026: $10,842 per resident. 10th most per resident of 939 Iowa places of its kind (the list).9

$265.3M
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$265.3M$10,842
2025$249.4M$10,192
2024$189.0M$7,722
2023$130.8M$5,346
2022$130.9M$5,351
2021$125.9M$5,144
2020$122.2M$4,992
2019$117.0M$4,782
2018$111.8M$4,567
2017$119.4M$4,882
2016$106.1M$4,336
2015$102.9M$4,206
2014$89.3M$3,649
2013$95.9M$3,919
2012$87.5M$3,577
2011$91.7M$3,746
2010$32.5M$1,327
Show the numbers
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$265.3M$10,842
2025$249.4M$10,192
2024$189.0M$7,722
2023$130.8M$5,346
2022$130.9M$5,351
2021$125.9M$5,144
2020$122.2M$4,992
2019$117.0M$4,782
2018$111.8M$4,567
2017$119.4M$4,882
2016$106.1M$4,336
2015$102.9M$4,206
2014$89.3M$3,649
2013$95.9M$3,919
2012$87.5M$3,577
2011$91.7M$3,746
2010$32.5M$1,327

Up 717% since 2010.

The 5% limit10

General obligation debt is $80.8M, 90% of the limit of about $89.5M (5% of $1.79B, the full value of its taxable property in 2024).

28 obligations at June 30, 2026
KindForPaid off byOwed
Revenue BondsSRF C1359R - RWRF Expansion2043$75.0M
Revenue BondsSRF C1358Rt - RWRF Expansion2043$51.5M
Revenue BondsSRF C0321R2042$29.8M
General Obligation2025B - General Obligation Capital Loan Notes for FY2025 CIP2040$10.2M
General Obligation2018A - General Obligation Capital Loan Note2038$9.0M
General Obligation2024A - General Obligation Capital Loan Note for FY25 CIP (Streets; Fire Equipment; Trails; PW Equipment)2039$8.8M
General Obligation2023C - General Obligation Capital Loan Notes for FY24 CIP Listing2038$8.0M
General Obligation2021A - Streets, Bridge replacements, Equipping Parks2041$7.9M
General Obligation2022A - General Obligation Capital Loan Notes for FY23 CIP capital projects listing2037$7.2M
Revenue BondsSRF C1013R-WRR 1st Avenue Pump Station Project2040$6.3M
General Obligation2019A - General Obligation Notes for PMP;Parks&Rec; CPD Vehicles; Library upgrades2039$6.2M
General Obligation2017B - General Obligation Bond for FY18 CIP; equipment needs; 25th Ave N Pump Station (A-2016); 1st Ave Pump Station (A-2018)2037$6.2M
Revenue BondsSRF C0396RT2041$5.8M
General Obligation2020A - Pavement Management, Police equipment, Fire equipment, Recreation equipment, buildings2040$5.5M
Revenue BondsSRF C1488RT - RWRF Expansion2045$3.9M
Revenue BondsSRF C0555RT-WRR2034$3.1M
Revenue BondsSRF C0397RT2041$2.7M
Revenue BondsSRF C1184R RWRF Admin Building & Lab2041$2.6M
General Obligation2015C - General Obligation Bond for capital purchases & roads2032$2.5M
General Obligation2016C - General Obligation Bond for CIP and Equipment needs2031$2.2M
General Obligation2015B - G.O. Bond2034$1.9M
Revenue BondsSRF C1483P - Planning & Design loan for a Biogas facility2028$1.9M
General Obligation2017A - General Obligation Bond for Margaret Place Pumping Station; Joyce Slough Project; Basin 6 Phase 12032$1.9M
General Obligation2016A - LOST backed GO issuance for sewer projects & Liberty Sq IDOT payment2034$1.6M
Revenue BondsSRF C0009R2028$1.3M
General Obligation2013D - General Obligation Bonds2033$905,000
General Obligation2014B - G.O. Bond2029$840,000
Revenue BondsSRF C0501R2032$747,000

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 balances11. Clinton’s latest audit has them: Financial Statement, period ending Monday, June 30, 2025 (PDF).

Audits12

The latest: Financial Statement for the period ending Monday, June 30, 2025 (PDF), released Friday, April 3, 2026, by a CPA firm.

The report has no Schedule of Findings Iowa Funnel could read.

16 earlier reports for Clinton

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? 13

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: $3.8M in FY25, up 10% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 12% less. Grants are below.

Show the numbers
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$3.3M$3.4M$3.5M$3.5M
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)$574,941$520,983$446,556$372,130

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.

$4.0M
  • State grants$3.9M99%
  • Iowa DOT projects$53,6801%
YearGrants and projects
FY19$810,129
FY20$1.2M
FY21$1.7M
FY22$1.2M
FY23$1.4M
FY24$1.9M
FY25$4.0M
Show the numbers
YearGrants and projects
FY19$810,129
FY20$1.2M
FY21$1.7M
FY22$1.2M
FY23$1.4M
FY24$1.9M
FY25$4.0M

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

  • Road Use Tax (streets)−21%$3.5M → $3.5M, down 1% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 21% 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 31% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 5% more.

$4.4M

Federal grants, for comparison: $5.8M in FY25.

Business awards

Every award statewide

State economic development awards

5 businesses have state awards in CLINTON: $15.8M in grants, loans and tax benefits, for 298 jobs. Closed projects promised 73 jobs; 73 were there at the end.14

  • Atlas Roofing Corporation, Inc.
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY23 · Under contract: Building · 117 jobs required
    $8.8M
  • Nestle Purina PetCare Company
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY23 · Under contract: Building · 15 jobs required
    $1.5M
  • Big River Packaging, Inc. and BRP Holding, LLC
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY21 · Under contract: Building · 9 jobs required
    $238K
  • Archer Daniels Midland Company
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY21 · Not going ahead: Contract ended · 48 jobs required
    $1.0M
  • Spiber America LLC
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY21 · Not going ahead: Contract ended · 5 jobs required
    $1.0M
  • Nestle Purina PetCare Company
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY20 · Closed: Met its contract · 73 jobs required, 73 at the end
    $5.1M
  • Timken Drives, LLC
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY20 · Under contract: Keeping the jobs · 84 jobs required, 84 reported
    $250K
  • Archer Daniels Midland Company
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY18 · Not going ahead: Contract ended · 42 jobs required
    $8.1M

Community college new jobs training: 27 contracts since 1997 worth $9.2M, for 1,304 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)15.

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 · 3

2 seats: the top 2 win.

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Clinton; 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.

  • Clinton City Council At-Large
    Now held by Gregg Obren
  • Clinton City Council Ward 2
    Now held by Cody Seeley
  • Clinton City Council Ward 4
    Now held by Rhonda Kearns
  • Clinton Mayor
    Now held by Scott Maddasion

Candidates as county auditors and civicAPI list them; a filing can take a few days to appear here16.

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 ballot17.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress18

Mike Zimmer (Sen. 35)Tom Determann (Rep. 69)

U.S. House:District 1

Clinton CountyCamanche schoolsClinton schoolsNortheast schools