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Local taxes › Dubuque County › Asbury

City

Asbury

Dubuque County · How cities work

$2,420 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($28.72 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$700 a yearof that goes to the city ($8.32 per $1,000)
$2.6Mproperty taxes the city levies, FY27
$11.3Mcity 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.

  • Craig MillerAsbury City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Mark SchemmelAsbury City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Russ DomeyerAsbury City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Curt KiesslingAsbury City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
  • James AdamsAsbury Mayor · elected November 7, 2023
  • Robert L. ReischAsbury 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 Asbury

Homes and businesses in most of Asbury pay a combined $28.72 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Dubuque County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $8.32. Estimate your bill.

  • Dubuque schools$12.4843%
  • City of Asbury$8.3229%
  • Dubuque County$5.7320%
  • Northeast Iowa Community College$1.044%
  • Sunnycrest Manor County Hospital$0.712%
  • Dubuque County Assessor$0.321%
  • Dubuque County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.11<1%

Rates over time

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

YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$32.38$10.01
FY21$31.78$9.57
FY22$31.40$9.51
FY23$29.84$9.00
FY24$30.94$9.32
FY25$29.20$9.00
FY26$29.11$8.75
FY27$28.72$8.32
Show the numbers
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$32.38$10.01
FY21$31.78$9.57
FY22$31.40$9.51
FY23$29.84$9.00
FY24$30.94$9.32
FY25$29.20$9.00
FY26$29.11$8.75
FY27$28.72$8.32

Compared with places this size3

Asbury’s city property tax rate of $8.32 per $1,000 is the 3rd lowest of 55 Iowa cities with 4,100–8,700 people. The middle of the group is $14.88.

Red Oak: $20.65Oelwein: $20.16Independence: $19.01Iowa Falls: $18.86Denison: $18.69Chariton: $18.37Perry: $17.91Atlantic: $17.48Knoxville: $17.46Clarinda: $17.25Centerville: $16.85Algona: $16.75Webster City: $16.51Vinton: $16.25Winterset: $16.15Humboldt: $16.00Anamosa: $15.95Charles City: $15.95Forest City: $15.77Decorah: $15.52Sheldon: $15.33Estherville: $15.27Washington: $15.21Harlan: $15.07Shenandoah: $15.02Creston: $14.99Manchester: $14.96Jefferson: $14.88Hampton: $14.86Carlisle: $14.82Cherokee: $14.82Glenwood: $14.77Nevada: $14.58Monticello: $14.49Osceola: $14.37Windsor Heights: $14.30Orange City: $14.01Hiawatha: $13.78Sergeant Bluff: $13.70Mount Vernon: $13.50Adel: $13.43Maquoketa: $12.85Camanche: $12.75Le Claire: $12.64Mount Pleasant: $11.94Tiffin: $11.80Huxley: $11.68Sioux Center: $11.05Polk City: $11.00Dyersville: $10.27Spirit Lake: $10.17Clear Lake: $9.85Eldridge: $8.13Evansdale: $8.00Asbury: $8.32$8.00 lowest$20.65 highestmiddle
See all 55
#PlaceRate per $1,000People
1Red Oak$20.655,420
2Oelwein$20.165,788
3Independence$19.016,266
4Iowa Falls$18.864,993
5Denison$18.698,302
6Chariton$18.374,278
7Perry$17.918,046
8Atlantic$17.486,717
9Knoxville$17.467,440
10Clarinda$17.255,334
11Centerville$16.855,345
12Algona$16.755,341
13Webster City$16.517,763
14Vinton$16.254,962
15Winterset$16.155,421
16Humboldt$16.004,774
17Anamosa$15.955,845
18Charles City$15.957,081
19Forest City$15.774,199
20Decorah$15.527,454
21Sheldon$15.335,584
22Estherville$15.275,796
23Washington$15.217,281
24Harlan$15.074,898
25Shenandoah$15.024,878
26Creston$14.997,421
27Manchester$14.965,283
28Jefferson$14.884,148
29Hampton$14.864,340
30Carlisle$14.824,381
31Cherokee$14.825,186
32Glenwood$14.775,250
33Nevada$14.587,082
34Monticello$14.494,095
35Osceola$14.375,585
36Windsor Heights$14.305,106
37Orange City$14.016,547
38Hiawatha$13.787,347
39Sergeant Bluff$13.705,335
40Mount Vernon$13.504,518
41Adel$13.436,763
42Maquoketa$12.856,064
43Camanche$12.754,536
44Le Claire$12.644,776
45Mount Pleasant$11.948,509
46Tiffin$11.806,695
47Huxley$11.684,737
48Sioux Center$11.058,675
49Polk City$11.006,430
50Dyersville$10.274,559
51Spirit Lake$10.175,548
52Clear Lake$9.857,602
53Asbury$8.326,051
54Eldridge$8.136,967
55Evansdale$8.004,515

The $8.10 limit

Asbury’s general levy is $7.40 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $0.70 below the limit.4 827 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

FY23 $7.94 · FY24 $8.10 · FY25 $7.86 · FY26 $7.55 · FY27 $7.40 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

Outside the limit: $0.92 more5

  • Debt Service Levy$0.73 · $281,859
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$0.19 · $57,322

Tax increment financing (TIF)

$79.1M of taxable value in Asbury is in TIF districts’ increment (20% of the city’s taxable value), 2025 valuations, taxed in FY27.6 It budgeted $1.7M in TIF revenue for FY25.

$2.1M
$785,545

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 $600,245 of the city’s own.

  • Dubuque County$434,869
YearTIF revenue
FY16$2.1M
FY17$2.1M
FY18$2.0M
FY19$1.3M
FY20$1.6M
FY21$1.2M
FY22$1.1M
FY23$785,545
Show the numbers
YearTIF revenue
FY16$2.1M
FY17$2.1M
FY18$2.0M
FY19$1.3M
FY20$1.6M
FY21$1.2M
FY22$1.1M
FY23$785,545

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$2.3M87%
  • Debt Service Levy$281,85911%
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$57,3222%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Asbury’s budget goes, FY26

Capital Projects: 27¢ of every dollar27¢Business Type / Enterprise: 26¢ of every dollar26¢Culture and Recreation: 16¢ of every dollar16¢Public Safety: 11¢ of every dollar11¢Public Works: 8¢ of every dollar8¢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 54 Iowa cities closest in size (4,100–8,700 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCities this size (54)
Capital Projects27¢19¢
Business Type / Enterprise26¢37¢
Culture and Recreation16¢7¢
Public Safety11¢13¢
Public Works8¢8¢
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$5.6M49%
  • Culture and Recreation$2.1M18%
  • Public Safety$1.4M12%
  • Public Works$925,6758%
  • Debt Service$835,3947%
  • General Government$464,9504%
  • Community and Economic Development$73,4901%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($3.2M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
FunctionBudgetSpent
Public Works$688,855$559,874
Public Safety$1.1M$989,659
Health and Social Services$0$0
General Government$378,850$328,727
Debt Service$644,382$644,479
Culture and Recreation$1.5M$1.6M
Community and Economic Development$70,490$27,245
Capital Projects$7.7M$5.6M
Business Type / Enterprise$2.3M$2.0M

What it spent each year

FY24 left out8

$16.3M

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Asbury owes

$3.1M at June 30, 2026: $515 per resident. 639th most per resident of 939 Iowa places of its kind (the list).9

$12.6M
$3.1M
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$3.1M$515
2025$4.0M$672
2024$5.0M$836
2023$4.1M$696
2022$4.8M$805
2021$6.7M$1,130
2020$7.8M$1,306
2019$8.9M$1,504
2018$10.2M$1,713
2017$10.8M$1,811
2016$11.7M$1,976
2015$12.2M$2,047
2014$10.1M$1,703
2013$11.1M$1,860
2012$12.0M$2,015
2011$12.6M$2,122
2010$9.5M$1,593
Show the numbers
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$3.1M$515
2025$4.0M$672
2024$5.0M$836
2023$4.1M$696
2022$4.8M$805
2021$6.7M$1,130
2020$7.8M$1,306
2019$8.9M$1,504
2018$10.2M$1,713
2017$10.8M$1,811
2016$11.7M$1,976
2015$12.2M$2,047
2014$10.1M$1,703
2013$11.1M$1,860
2012$12.0M$2,015
2011$12.6M$2,122
2010$9.5M$1,593

Down 68% since 2010.

Money in reserve

The state’s budget files don’t include cities’ fund balances10. Asbury’s latest audit has them: Financial Statement, period ending Tuesday, June 30, 2026 (PDF).

Audits11

The latest: Financial Statement for the period ending Tuesday, June 30, 2026 (PDF), released Wednesday, September 9, 2026, by a CPA firm.

8 earlier reports for Asbury

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? 12

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: $844,021 in FY25, up 20% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 4% less. Grants are below.

Show the numbers
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$809,256$817,824$839,464$844,021

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.

$935,231
$1,125
  • Other$1,125100%
YearGrants and projects
FY19$379,126
FY20$23,000
FY21$188,358
FY22$721,258
FY23$543,023
FY24$935,231
FY25$1,125
Show the numbers
YearGrants and projects
FY19$379,126
FY20$23,000
FY21$188,358
FY22$721,258
FY23$543,023
FY24$935,231
FY25$1,125

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

  • Road Use Tax (streets)−4%$704,191 → $844,021, up 20% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 4% 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 46% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 16% more.

$996,118
$993,387

Federal grants, for comparison: $512,781 in FY24.

Business awards

Every award statewide

Elections

Running for mayor and city council

Filing opens Monday, August 23, 2027: in 285 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)13.

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 · 1

3 seats: the top 3 win.

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Asbury; 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.

  • Asbury City Council At-Large (2 seats)
    Now held by Robert L. Reisch, Curt Kiessling
  • Asbury Mayor
    Now held by James Adams

Candidates as county auditors and civicAPI list them; a filing can take a few days to appear here14.

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 ballot15.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress16

Carrie Koelker (Sen. 33)Shannon Lundgren (Rep. 65)

U.S. House:District 2

Dubuque CountyDubuque schools