Local taxes › Dubuque County › Centralia

City

Centralia

$1,790 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($21.20 per $1,000 of taxable value)¹

$200 a yearof that goes to the city ($2.41 per $1,000)

$13,522property taxes the city levies, FY27

$47,606city budget, all funds, FY27²

Who runs it

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

Blake NeebelCentralia City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Chris S. ClasenCentralia City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Judith MurphyCentralia City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Steven ThulCentralia City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Taylor ThulCentralia Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
Tim ThenCentralia City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Maryann ReimerCentralia City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
Randall WuertzerCentralia City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
Steve ThulCentralia 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 Centralia

Homes and businesses in most of Centralia pay a combined $21.20 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, $2.41. Estimate your bill.

Western Dubuque schools$10.8951%
Dubuque County$5.7327%
City of Centralia$2.4111%
Northeast Iowa Community College$1.045%
Sunnycrest Manor County Hospital$0.713%
Dubuque County Assessor$0.322%
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 Centralia pay, and the city government’s own piece of it.

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$22.08	$2.92
FY21	$21.69	$2.92
FY22	$21.39	$2.80
FY23	$20.96	$2.83
FY24	$20.68	$2.86
FY25	$20.54	$2.60
FY26	$20.81	$2.56
FY27	$21.20	$2.41

Show the numbers

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$22.08	$2.92
FY21	$21.69	$2.92
FY22	$21.39	$2.80
FY23	$20.96	$2.83
FY24	$20.68	$2.86
FY25	$20.54	$2.60
FY26	$20.81	$2.56
FY27	$21.20	$2.41

Compared with places this size³

Centralia’s city property tax rate of $2.41 per $1,000 is the 4th lowest of 146 Iowa cities with 80–180 people. The middle of the group is $9.86.

See all 146

#	Place	Rate per $1,000	People
1	Castana	$34.13	103
2	Brayton	$25.07	138
3	Hansell	$23.66	85
4	Harris	$23.13	145
5	Whitten	$22.65	98
6	Stanley	$20.69	86
7	Coin	$19.59	171
8	Rowan	$19.53	118
9	Chester	$19.30	134
10	Bouton	$19.25	125
11	Ricketts	$19.22	105
12	Garden Grove	$19.20	173
13	Hastings	$18.95	157
14	Grant	$18.71	82
15	Swaledale	$18.62	136
16	Derby	$18.13	89
17	Hillsboro	$17.68	158
18	Bristow	$17.39	139
19	Woolstock	$17.26	141
20	Monmouth	$16.41	129
21	Blockton	$16.37	123
22	Geneva	$16.25	137
23	Waterville	$16.25	112
24	Little Sioux	$15.74	170
25	Woodburn	$15.59	133
26	Goodell	$15.16	139
27	Marne	$15.03	109
28	Baldwin	$14.91	99
29	Palmer	$13.89	137
30	Ayrshire	$13.55	128
31	Searsboro	$13.55	129
32	Ferguson	$13.53	98
33	Lanesboro	$13.53	112
34	Calumet	$13.16	144
35	Delaware	$12.86	139
36	Clemons	$12.69	135
37	Cylinder	$12.52	84
38	Millersburg	$12.40	135
39	Aurora	$12.40	165
40	Bridgewater	$12.29	145
41	Arion	$12.14	99
42	Webb	$12.10	139
43	Decatur	$12.08	174
44	Shambaugh	$11.98	161
45	Lone Rock	$11.92	143
46	East Peru	$11.89	119
47	Henderson	$11.85	140
48	Reasnor	$11.76	157
49	Morley	$11.74	94
50	Ledyard	$11.74	118
51	Toronto	$11.68	101
52	Exline	$11.60	157
53	Beaman	$11.54	155
54	College Springs	$11.44	172
55	Melrose	$11.27	110
56	Linn Grove	$11.15	155
57	Promise City	$11.13	91
58	Leighton	$11.07	153
59	Masonville	$11.00	98
60	Somers	$10.99	121
61	Havelock	$10.95	127
62	Alexander	$10.90	165
63	Lambs Grove	$10.78	174
64	Wallingford	$10.75	154
65	Pacific Junction	$10.56	99
66	Barnes City	$10.44	152
67	Stockton	$10.37	171
68	Randall	$10.35	156
69	Meriden	$10.28	175
70	Drakesville	$10.24	170
71	North Washington	$10.23	107
72	Dawson	$10.19	110
73	Hartwick	$9.90	91
74	Clare	$9.81	133
75	Tingley	$9.81	146
76	Rutland	$9.65	116
77	Van Wert	$9.62	175
78	Rock Falls	$9.61	143
79	Kirkville	$9.59	159
80	Superior	$9.58	127
81	Webster	$9.55	94
82	Martinsburg	$9.49	109
83	Larrabee	$9.41	116
84	Hamilton	$9.35	125
85	Wiota	$9.32	91
86	Floris	$9.29	119
87	Mitchell	$9.22	118
88	Westphalia	$9.18	133
89	Blairsburg	$8.93	175
90	Prairieburg	$8.91	156
91	Welton	$8.86	124
92	Archer	$8.84	116
93	Luther	$8.83	147
94	Fraser	$8.81	107
95	Macksburg	$8.81	103
96	Moorland	$8.61	169
97	Pilot Mound	$8.54	155
98	Andover	$8.28	106
99	Thurman	$8.26	162
100	Carpenter	$8.10	92
101	Chillicothe	$8.10	79
102	Rome	$8.10	112
103	Westfield	$8.10	121
104	Vincent	$8.09	125
105	Buckeye	$7.94	82
106	Morrison	$7.86	101
107	Mount Auburn	$7.86	162
108	Haverhill	$7.86	164
109	Oyens	$7.86	88
110	Olds	$7.86	174
111	Castalia	$7.86	141
112	Dickens	$7.86	146
113	Rose Hill	$7.86	156
114	West Chester	$7.82	147
115	Cromwell	$7.81	104
116	Mcclelland	$7.79	147
117	Arispe	$7.71	95
118	Luzerne	$7.69	111
119	Lidderdale	$7.68	162
120	Westwood	$7.67	96
121	Kinross	$7.57	80
122	Bernard	$7.56	117
123	Braddyville	$7.49	142
124	Franklin	$7.31	133
125	Spragueville	$7.20	92
126	Weldon	$7.18	134
127	Craig	$7.01	78
128	Brunsville	$6.95	128
129	Zwingle	$6.93	86
130	Pleasant Plain	$6.79	83
131	Houghton	$6.73	129
132	Williamson	$6.72	126
133	Lincoln	$6.32	119
134	Tennant	$6.29	83
135	Gravity	$6.18	149
136	Ackworth	$5.90	117
137	Springbrook	$5.79	145
138	Maysville	$5.77	155
139	Harper	$5.29	117
140	Panorama Park	$4.62	142
141	Keomah Village	$3.15	107
142	Mcintire	$2.78	115
143	Centralia	$2.41	117
144	New Liberty	$2.27	141
145	North Buena Vista	$1.78	107
146	Balltown	$0.12	78

The $8.10 limit

Centralia’s general levy is $2.41 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $5.69 below the limit.⁴ 925 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

$8.10

FY23 $2.83 · FY24 $2.86 · FY25 $2.60 · FY26 $2.56 · FY27 $2.41 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

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$12,643100%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Centralia’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 147 Iowa cities closest in size (80–180 people).

Where it goes	Of each dollar	Cities this size (147)
Public Works	56¢	27¢
General Government	32¢	26¢
Culture and Recreation	8¢	7¢
Public Safety	4¢	10¢

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$23,20049%
General Government$18,00638%
Culture and Recreation$4,1009%
Public Safety$2,3005%

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23

Function	Budget	Spent
Public Works	$31,450	$6,966
Public Safety	$2,017	$1,995
Health and Social Services	$0	$0
General Government	$15,283	$33,560
Debt Service	$0	$0
Culture and Recreation	$0	$0
Community and Economic Development	$0	$0
Capital Projects	$0	$0
Business Type / Enterprise	$0	$0

What it spent each year

FY24 left out⁵

$42,521

$20,056

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Centralia owes

No debt at June 30, 2026.⁶

June 30	Owed	Per resident
2026	$0	$0
2025	$0	$0
2024	$0	$0
2023	$0	$0
2022	$0	$0
2021	$0	$0
2020	$0	$0
2019	$0	$0
2018	$0	$0
2017	$0	$0
2016	$0	$0
2015	$0	$0
2014	$0	$0
2013	$0	$0
2012	$0	$0
2011	$0	$0
2010	$0	$0

Show the numbers

June 30	Owed	Per resident
2026	$0	$0
2025	$0	$0
2024	$0	$0
2023	$0	$0
2022	$0	$0
2021	$0	$0
2020	$0	$0
2019	$0	$0
2018	$0	$0
2017	$0	$0
2016	$0	$0
2015	$0	$0
2014	$0	$0
2013	$0	$0
2012	$0	$0
2011	$0	$0
2010	$0	$0

The 5% limit⁷

General obligation debt is $0, 0% of the limit of about $557,505 (5% of $11.2M, the full value of its taxable property in 2024).

Money in reserve

The state’s budget files don’t include cities’ fund balances⁸. Centralia’s latest audit has them: Periodic Examination, period ending Sunday, June 30, 2019 (PDF).

Audits⁹

The latest: Periodic Examination for the period ending Sunday, June 30, 2019 (PDF), released Wednesday, January 8, 2020, by a CPA firm.

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? ¹⁰

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: $7,245 in FY25, up 6% 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)	$6,520	$6,966	$7,206	$7,245

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.

$390

$358

State grants$358100%

Year	Grants and projects
FY19	$390
FY20	$390
FY21	$0
FY22	$390
FY23	$390
FY24	$357
FY25	$358

Show the numbers

Year	Grants and projects
FY19	$390
FY20	$390
FY21	$0
FY22	$390
FY23	$390
FY24	$357
FY25	$358

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

Road Use Tax (streets)−16%$6,847 → $7,245, up 6% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 16% less

Business awards

Every award 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)¹¹.

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

Centralia City Council At-Large

5 seats: the top 5 win.

Blake Neebel Winner2724.6%
Chris S. Clasen Winner2320.9%
Steven Thul Winner2220.0%
Judith Murphy Winner1917.3%
Tim Then Winner1917.3%

Centralia Mayor

Taylor Thul Unopposed26100.0%

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Centralia; 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.

Centralia City Council At-Large (5 seats)
Now held by Chris S. Clasen, Steve Thul, Judith Murphy, Randall Wuertzer, Maryann Reimer
Centralia Mayor
Now held by Taylor Thul

Candidates as county auditors and civicAPI list them; a filing can take a few days to appear here¹².

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 ballot¹³.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress¹⁴

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

U.S. House:District 2

Dubuque County Dubuque schools Western Dubuque 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. ↩
The state’s FY24 spending file repeats the year before for nearly every Iowa city, so that year isn’t shown. ↩
From the reports each government files with the Treasurer of State’s debt reporting site. “Per resident” divides by the population the site lists, the same figure for every year, so the trend shows the debt itself changing. ↩
Article XI, section 3 of the Iowa Constitution limits a county, city or school district’s debt to 5% of the value of the taxable property in it. Iowa applies the limit to the full (100%) value, before the rollback, and it covers general obligation debt, backed by property taxes; revenue bonds repaid only from fees, like water bills, don’t count. Iowa Funnel compares general obligation debt with 5% of the value two years earlier, as the last tax lists before the year; a government’s own bond documents state its exact figure. ↩
The Department of Management’s city budget and annual report files on the Iowa Data Hub give revenue and spending by city, but no beginning or ending fund balances. A city’s audit or annual financial report has them, in its statement of net position and its fund balance schedules. ↩
From the Auditor of State’s list of audit reports. Every Iowa city, county and school district is audited or examined: larger ones each year by a CPA firm or the Auditor of State, small cities every few years. Findings are problems the auditors report, from weak controls over cash to breaking a law. ↩
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. ↩
Iowa Code §376.4(1)(a): nomination papers are filed 71 to 47 days before the election, by 5:00 p.m. on the last day. Cities that may hold a primary election file earlier: 85 to 68 days before. ↩
Expected seats come from when each seat was last elected and its term. Filed candidates come from civicAPI and, in Black Hawk, Johnson and Scott counties, the auditor’s published candidate list, read weekly while filing is open. Check with the county auditor or city clerk before relying on it. Only names are shown. ↩
Iowa Code §39.2(4) (2026), paragraph d: “For any political subdivision of this state, if the special election is in whole or in part for the question of issuing bonds or other indebtedness, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.” This applies to bond elections on or after July 1, 2023. Subsection 2 adds that “a special election for a city, school district, or merged area shall not be scheduled to coincide with the general election.” A few kinds of elections follow their own rules (“unless otherwise provided by law”). ↩
Legislative and congressional districts that cover Centralia; percentages are rough shares of its area. These lawmakers write the state laws and budget Centralia 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.

Centralia

Who runs it

Meetings and agendas

Property taxes

Who gets a property owner’s tax bill in Centralia

Rates over time

Compared with places this size3

The $8.10 limit

The city’s levies, FY27

Budget and spending

Where each dollar of Centralia’s budget goes, FY26

Planned spending, FY27

What it spent each year

Debt, reserves and audits

What Centralia owes

The 5% limit7

Money in reserve

Audits9

State money

What the state pays the city every year

Grants and project money

Has it kept up with prices?

Business awards

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

Who has filed for Tuesday, November 2, 2027

Past ballot measures

When a measure can be on the ballot

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress14

Compared with places this size³

The 5% limit⁷

Audits⁹

At the Statehouse and in Congress¹⁴