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Local taxes › Dallas County › Perry

City

Perry

Dallas County · How cities work

$2,000 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($23.69 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$1,510 a yearof that goes to the city ($17.91 per $1,000)
$3.6Mproperty taxes the city levies, FY27
$24.2Mcity 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.

  • Dirk CavanaughPerry Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
  • Jeremy MahlerPerry City Council Ward 2 · elected November 4, 2025
  • John D. AndorfPerry City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Vicki KleinPerry City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Barb WollingPerry City Council Ward 3 · elected November 7, 2023
  • Charles SchottPerry City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
  • Ervin Joseph ShellyPerry City Council Ward 1 · 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 Perry

Homes and businesses in most of Perry pay a combined $23.69 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Dallas County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $17.91. Estimate your bill.

Rates over time

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

YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$26.36$17.80
FY21$34.61$17.94
FY22$33.92$17.98
FY23$33.04$18.00
FY24$32.54$17.99
FY25$23.18$18.31
FY26$23.85$17.93
FY27$23.69$17.91
Show the numbers
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$26.36$17.80
FY21$34.61$17.94
FY22$33.92$17.98
FY23$33.04$18.00
FY24$32.54$17.99
FY25$23.18$18.31
FY26$23.85$17.93
FY27$23.69$17.91

Compared with places this size3

Perry’s city property tax rate of $17.91 per $1,000 is the 7th highest of 43 Iowa cities with 5,400–12,000 people. The middle of the group is $14.99.

Red Oak: $20.65Oelwein: $20.16Keokuk: $19.68Independence: $19.01Fort Madison: $18.84Denison: $18.69Waverly: $17.53Atlantic: $17.48Knoxville: $17.46Fairfield: $16.69Webster City: $16.51Winterset: $16.15Anamosa: $15.95Charles City: $15.95Grinnell: $15.60Decorah: $15.52Sheldon: $15.33Estherville: $15.27Washington: $15.21Storm Lake: $15.17Creston: $14.99Nevada: $14.58Oskaloosa: $14.47Osceola: $14.37Orange City: $14.01Spencer: $13.84Hiawatha: $13.78Adel: $13.43Maquoketa: $12.85Pleasant Hill: $12.10Mount Pleasant: $11.94Tiffin: $11.80Carroll: $11.25Le Mars: $11.18Sioux Center: $11.05Polk City: $11.00Bondurant: $10.82Pella: $10.75Spirit Lake: $10.17Clear Lake: $9.85Asbury: $8.32Eldridge: $8.13Perry: $17.91$8.13 lowest$20.65 highestmiddle
See all 43
#PlaceRate per $1,000People
1Red Oak$20.655,420
2Oelwein$20.165,788
3Keokuk$19.689,462
4Independence$19.016,266
5Fort Madison$18.849,983
6Denison$18.698,302
7Perry$17.918,046
8Waverly$17.5310,576
9Atlantic$17.486,717
10Knoxville$17.467,440
11Fairfield$16.699,511
12Webster City$16.517,763
13Winterset$16.155,421
14Anamosa$15.955,845
15Charles City$15.957,081
16Grinnell$15.609,495
17Decorah$15.527,454
18Sheldon$15.335,584
19Estherville$15.275,796
20Washington$15.217,281
21Storm Lake$15.1711,627
22Creston$14.997,421
23Nevada$14.587,082
24Oskaloosa$14.4711,575
25Osceola$14.375,585
26Orange City$14.016,547
27Spencer$13.8411,418
28Hiawatha$13.787,347
29Adel$13.436,763
30Maquoketa$12.856,064
31Pleasant Hill$12.1011,942
32Mount Pleasant$11.948,509
33Tiffin$11.806,695
34Carroll$11.2510,125
35Le Mars$11.1810,674
36Sioux Center$11.058,675
37Polk City$11.006,430
38Bondurant$10.829,511
39Pella$10.7510,965
40Spirit Lake$10.175,548
41Clear Lake$9.857,602
42Asbury$8.326,051
43Eldridge$8.136,967

The $8.10 limit

Perry’s general levy is $8.09 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $0.01 below the limit.4 381 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

FY23 $8.10 · FY24 $8.10 · FY25 $8.34 · FY26 $8.26 · FY27 $8.09 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

Outside the limit: $9.82 more5

  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$7.31 · $1.5M
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$1.57 · $315,406
  • Debt Service Levy$0.94 · $198,625

Tax increment financing (TIF)

$11.2M of taxable value in Perry is in TIF districts’ increment (5% of the city’s taxable value), 2025 valuations, taxed in FY27.6 It budgeted $418,449 in TIF revenue for FY25.

$551,385
$324,342

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 $189,882 of the city’s own.

  • Perry schools$172,277
  • Dallas County$36,261
YearTIF revenue
FY16$551,385
FY17$264,925
FY18$232,118
FY19$223,707
FY20$123,182
FY21$234,536
FY22$352,641
FY23$324,342
Show the numbers
YearTIF revenue
FY16$551,385
FY17$264,925
FY18$232,118
FY19$223,707
FY20$123,182
FY21$234,536
FY22$352,641
FY23$324,342

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$1.6M45%
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$1.5M41%
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$315,4069%
  • Debt Service Levy$198,6256%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Perry’s budget goes, FY26

Capital Projects: 28¢ of every dollar28¢Business Type / Enterprise: 23¢ of every dollar23¢Public Works: 15¢ of every dollar15¢Culture and Recreation: 11¢ of every dollar11¢Public Safety: 11¢ of every dollar11¢Everything else: 12¢ of every dollar12¢

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 42 Iowa cities closest in size (5,400–12,000 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCities this size (42)
Capital Projects28¢20¢
Business Type / Enterprise23¢37¢
Public Works15¢7¢
Culture and Recreation11¢7¢
Public Safety11¢13¢
Everything else12¢15¢

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.

  • Capital Projects$12.3M51%
  • Public Works$3.4M14%
  • Public Safety$2.7M11%
  • Culture and Recreation$2.7M11%
  • General Government$1.6M6%
  • Debt Service$1.3M5%
  • Community and Economic Development$262,6121%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($5.1M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
FunctionBudgetSpent
Public Works$2.4M$3.1M
Public Safety$2.4M$3.0M
Health and Social Services$0$0
General Government$712,811$1.1M
Debt Service$1.4M$1.5M
Culture and Recreation$2.2M$2.5M
Community and Economic Development$349,578$515,401
Capital Projects$3.5M$4.7M
Business Type / Enterprise$19.3M$15.1M

What it spent each year

FY24 left out8

$31.4M
$31.1M

Perry’s own budget documents

The adopted budgets, resolutions and hearing notices the city posts, often weeks before the state publishes the figures. The city’s finance page

15 older

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Perry owes

$37.9M at June 30, 2026: $4,841 per resident. 138th most per resident of 939 Iowa places of its kind (the list).9

$37.9M
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$37.9M$4,841
2025$32.2M$4,114
2024$32.9M$4,199
2023$34.6M$4,416
2022$35.9M$4,581
2021$8.4M$1,067
2020$5.5M$708
2019$6.4M$816
2018$5.1M$646
2017$5.6M$713
2016$6.8M$863
2015$6.5M$830
2014$7.8M$992
2013$6.2M$795
2012$6.1M$775
2011$7.7M$980
2010$7.8M$1,000
Show the numbers
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$37.9M$4,841
2025$32.2M$4,114
2024$32.9M$4,199
2023$34.6M$4,416
2022$35.9M$4,581
2021$8.4M$1,067
2020$5.5M$708
2019$6.4M$816
2018$5.1M$646
2017$5.6M$713
2016$6.8M$863
2015$6.5M$830
2014$7.8M$992
2013$6.2M$795
2012$6.1M$775
2011$7.7M$980
2010$7.8M$1,000

Up 384% since 2010.

The 5% limit10

General obligation debt is $10.5M, 54% of the limit of about $19.5M (5% of $390.2M, the full value of its taxable property in 2024).

5 obligations at June 30, 2026
KindForPaid off byOwed
Revenue Bonds2021 Sewer SRF Waste Water Treatment Plant Improvements.2052$27.5M
General ObligationGO Bond for Downtown Street Project, Trails, Highway 141 RISE Project, Airport Taxiway and Extension & Airport Snow Removal Building2038$6.8M
General Obligation2019 General Obligation Airport Improvement Bond2034$1.4M
General Obligation2020 GO Bond for McCreary Building Renovation, 28th St Project, Downtown Street Project and 2020 HMA Project2030$1.3M
General Obligation2024 HMA Resurfacing Project2029$930,000

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. Perry’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 Wednesday, March 4, 2026, by the Auditor of State.

16 earlier reports for Perry

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: $1.3M in FY25, up 24% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 1% less. Grants are below.

Show the numbers
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$1.1M$1.1M$1.1M$1.1M
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)$69,509$60,833$196,698$211,878

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.

$4.7M
  • State grants$3.0M64%
  • Iowa Economic Development Authority$906,45919%
  • Iowa DOT projects$805,06717%
YearGrants and projects
FY19$31,760
FY20$149,139
FY21$451,218
FY22$668,560
FY23$653,106
FY24$386,321
FY25$4.7M
Show the numbers
YearGrants and projects
FY19$31,760
FY20$149,139
FY21$451,218
FY22$668,560
FY23$653,106
FY24$386,321
FY25$4.7M

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

  • Road Use Tax (streets)−11%$994,988 → $1.1M, up 12% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 11% less
  • Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)+126%$74,726 → $211,878, up 184% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 126% more

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 77% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 41% more.

$3.1M
$3.1M

Federal grants, for comparison: $3.2M in FY25.

Business awards

Every award statewide

State economic development awards

2 businesses have state awards in PERRY: $1.6M in grants, loans and tax benefits, for 52 jobs.14

  • A.D.R. Axles USA, Inc.
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY25 · Under contract: Building · 35 jobs required
    $800K
  • Osmundson Manufacturing Co.
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY23 · Under contract: Building · 17 jobs required
    $789K
  • T.C. and B. Corporate Wearables, Inc.
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY19 · Not going ahead: Contract ended · 14 jobs required
    $56K
  • Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc.
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY18 · Not going ahead: Contract ended · 0 jobs required
    $674K

Community college new jobs training: 1 contract since 2019 worth $85K, for 10 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 · 4

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Perry; 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.

  • Perry City Council At-Large
    Now held by Charles Schott
  • Perry City Council Ward 1
    Now held by Ervin Joseph Shelly
  • Perry City Council Ward 3
    Now held by Barb Wolling
  • Perry Mayor
    Now held by Dirk Cavanaugh

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

Jesse Green (Sen. 24)Carter F. Nordman (Rep. 47)

U.S. House:District 3

Dallas CountyPerry schools