Display
Language
About accessibility
Language
Display
Sign in

Local taxes › Emmet County › Estherville

City

Estherville

Emmet County · How cities work

$3,290 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($39.04 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$1,290 a yearof that goes to the city ($15.27 per $1,000)
$3.0Mproperty 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.

  • David HovingaEstherville City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Julie ClarkEstherville City Council Ward 2 · elected November 4, 2025
  • Steve FanslauEstherville City Council Ward 4 · elected November 4, 2025
  • Tim AhrensEstherville City Council Ward 3 · elected November 4, 2025
  • Tony CondonEstherville Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
  • Anthony CondonEstherville City Council Ward 1 · elected November 7, 2023
  • Gary MyersEstherville City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
  • Roy GageEstherville City Council Ward 5 · 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 Estherville

Homes and businesses in most of Estherville pay a combined $39.04 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Emmet County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $15.27. Estimate your bill.

Rates over time

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

YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$40.43$15.95
FY21$40.74$16.23
FY22$40.13$16.20
FY23$39.86$16.19
FY24$40.88$17.10
FY25$39.63$16.68
FY26$40.17$16.52
FY27$39.04$15.27
Show the numbers
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$40.43$15.95
FY21$40.74$16.23
FY22$40.13$16.20
FY23$39.86$16.19
FY24$40.88$17.10
FY25$39.63$16.68
FY26$40.17$16.52
FY27$39.04$15.27

Compared with places this size3

Estherville’s city property tax rate of $15.27 per $1,000 is the 23rd highest of 57 Iowa cities with 3,900–8,700 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: $16.15Cresco: $16.13Humboldt: $16.00Anamosa: $15.95Charles City: $15.95Forest City: $15.77Decorah: $15.52Sheldon: $15.33Washington: $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: $13.78Rock Valley: $13.76Sergeant 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: $9.85Asbury: $8.32Eldridge: $8.13Evansdale: $8.00Estherville: $15.27$8.00 lowest$20.65 highestmiddle
See all 57
#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
16Cresco$16.133,890
17Humboldt$16.004,774
18Anamosa$15.955,845
19Charles City$15.957,081
20Forest City$15.774,199
21Decorah$15.527,454
22Sheldon$15.335,584
23Estherville$15.275,796
24Washington$15.217,281
25Harlan$15.074,898
26Shenandoah$15.024,878
27Creston$14.997,421
28Manchester$14.965,283
29Jefferson$14.884,148
30Hampton$14.864,340
31Carlisle$14.824,381
32Cherokee$14.825,186
33Glenwood$14.775,250
34Nevada$14.587,082
35Monticello$14.494,095
36Osceola$14.375,585
37Windsor Heights$14.305,106
38Orange City$14.016,547
39Hiawatha$13.787,347
40Rock Valley$13.764,024
41Sergeant Bluff$13.705,335
42Mount Vernon$13.504,518
43Adel$13.436,763
44Maquoketa$12.856,064
45Camanche$12.754,536
46Le Claire$12.644,776
47Mount Pleasant$11.948,509
48Tiffin$11.806,695
49Huxley$11.684,737
50Sioux Center$11.058,675
51Polk City$11.006,430
52Dyersville$10.274,559
53Spirit Lake$10.175,548
54Clear Lake$9.857,602
55Asbury$8.326,051
56Eldridge$8.136,967
57Evansdale$8.004,515

The $8.10 limit

Estherville’s general levy is $7.89 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $0.21 below the limit.4 559 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

FY23 $8.10 · FY24 $8.10 · FY25 $8.13 · FY26 $8.13 · FY27 $7.89 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

Outside the limit: $7.38 more5

  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$4.83 · $947,877
  • Debt Service Levy$1.50 · $306,834
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$1.01 · $198,302
  • Opr & Maint publicly owned Transit$0.04 · $7,436

Tax increment financing (TIF)

$8.2M of taxable value in Estherville is in TIF districts’ increment (4% of the city’s taxable value), 2025 valuations, taxed in FY27.6 It budgeted $251,415 in TIF revenue for FY25.

$310,822
$142,555

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 $113,080 of the city’s own.

  • Emmet County$50,605
YearTIF revenue
FY16$88,566
FY17$137,013
FY18$222,452
FY19$160,297
FY20$223,312
FY21$310,822
FY22$143,909
FY23$142,555
Show the numbers
YearTIF revenue
FY16$88,566
FY17$137,013
FY18$222,452
FY19$160,297
FY20$223,312
FY21$310,822
FY22$143,909
FY23$142,555

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$1.5M51%
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$947,87732%
  • Debt Service Levy$306,83410%
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$198,3027%
  • Opr & Maint publicly owned Transit$7,4360%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Estherville’s budget goes, FY26

Business Type / Enterprise: 58¢ of every dollar58¢Capital Projects: 12¢ of every dollar12¢Public Works: 10¢ of every dollar10¢Public Safety: 8¢ of every dollar8¢General Government: 5¢ of every dollarEverything else: 7¢ 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 56 Iowa cities closest in size (3,900–8,700 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCities this size (56)
Business Type / Enterprise58¢36¢
Capital Projects12¢21¢
Public Works10¢8¢
Public Safety8¢13¢
General Government5¢5¢
Everything else7¢18¢

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$2.6M23%
  • Capital Projects$2.6M23%
  • Public Safety$2.2M20%
  • General Government$1.7M15%
  • Culture and Recreation$1.1M9%
  • Debt Service$800,7777%
  • Community and Economic Development$358,4903%
  • Health and Social Services$8,7000%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($18.9M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
FunctionBudgetSpent
Public Works$2.4M$2.3M
Public Safety$2.2M$1.9M
Health and Social Services$8,250$7,500
General Government$1.2M$1.2M
Debt Service$842,925$844,863
Culture and Recreation$1.0M$1.5M
Community and Economic Development$1.5M$744,062
Capital Projects$2.2M$33,935
Business Type / Enterprise$14.7M$10.1M

What it spent each year

FY24 left out8

$28.2M

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Estherville owes

$6.4M at June 30, 2026: $1,088 per resident. 532nd most per resident of 939 Iowa places of its kind (the list).9

$7.8M
$6.4M
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$6.4M$1,088
2025$7.0M$1,188
2024$7.8M$1,315
2023$6.2M$1,048
2022$6.9M$1,163
2021$7.5M$1,275
2020$4.2M$717
2019$4.6M$786
2018$4.2M$706
2017$2.5M$423
2016$2.5M$430
2015$2.9M$498
2014$3.3M$563
2013$3.7M$628
2012$2.9M$483
2011$3.2M$546
2010$3.6M$604
Show the numbers
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$6.4M$1,088
2025$7.0M$1,188
2024$7.8M$1,315
2023$6.2M$1,048
2022$6.9M$1,163
2021$7.5M$1,275
2020$4.2M$717
2019$4.6M$786
2018$4.2M$706
2017$2.5M$423
2016$2.5M$430
2015$2.9M$498
2014$3.3M$563
2013$3.7M$628
2012$2.9M$483
2011$3.2M$546
2010$3.6M$604

Up 80% since 2010.

The 5% limit10

General obligation debt is $2.8M, 16% of the limit of about $17.6M (5% of $351.4M, the full value of its taxable property in 2024).

5 obligations at June 30, 2026
KindForPaid off byOwed
General ObligationAquatic Pool2038$2.8M
Revenue BondsSewer revenue Bond- fund a Wastewater project2038$1.9M
Revenue BondsWastewater treatment plant improvements2037$1.3M
Revenue BondsTIF Urban Renewal Revenue bond2029$378,000
General ObligationFire Truck2027$45,000

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. Estherville’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 Tuesday, March 10, 2026, by a CPA firm.

15 earlier reports for Estherville

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: $1.1M in FY25, up 1% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 20% less. Grants are below.

Show the numbers
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$827,501$812,457$833,955$838,482
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)$233,638$209,059$120,755$214,463

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.

$566,098
  • State grants$482,97485%
  • Iowa Economic Development Authority$60,00011%
  • Emmet County Foundation$15,1863%
  • Iowa Department of Natural Resources$3,5551%
  • Rise Grant$2,8831%
  • Other$1,5000%
YearGrants and projects
FY19$141,677
FY20$124,666
FY21$387,425
FY22$114,889
FY23$262,606
FY24$49,036
FY25$566,098
Show the numbers
YearGrants and projects
FY19$141,677
FY20$124,666
FY21$387,425
FY22$114,889
FY23$262,606
FY24$49,036
FY25$566,098

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

  • Road Use Tax (streets)−19%$821,621 → $838,482, up 2% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 19% less
  • Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)−23%$222,401 → $214,463, down 4% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 23% 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 29% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 3% more.

$763,292

Federal grants, for comparison: $497,462 in FY25.

Business awards

Every award statewide

State economic development awards

  • moveero, Inc.
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY22 · Not going ahead: Contract ended · 11 jobs required
    $211K

Community college new jobs training: 4 contracts since 2016 worth $505K, for 68 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)14.

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

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Estherville; 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.

  • Estherville City Council At-Large
    Now held by Gary Myers
  • Estherville City Council Ward 1
    Now held by Anthony Condon
  • Estherville City Council Ward 5
    Now held by Roy Gage
  • Estherville Mayor
    Now held by Tony Condon

Candidates as county auditors and civicAPI list them; a filing can take a few days to appear here15.

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 ballot16.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress17

David D. Rowley (Sen. 5)Henry Stone (Rep. 9)

U.S. House:District 4

Emmet CountyEstherville Lincoln Central schools