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Local taxes › Howard County › Cresco

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Cresco

Howard County · How cities work

$3,210 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($38.08 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$1,360 a yearof that goes to the city ($16.13 per $1,000)
$2.4Mproperty taxes the city levies, FY27
$6.2Mcity 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.

  • Alexander S. FortuneCresco Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
  • James WolfeCresco City Council Ward 2 · elected November 4, 2025
  • Richard McConnellCresco City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Gary KrienerCresco City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
  • Jan M. CarmanCresco City Council Ward 3 · elected November 7, 2023
  • Stan FosaaenCresco 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 Cresco

Homes and businesses in most of Cresco pay a combined $38.08 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Howard County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $16.13. Estimate your bill.

Rates over time

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

CombinedCity’s own
0$10$20$30$40’20’22’24’26’27CombinedCity’s own
0$10$20$30$40’20’21’22’23’24’25’26’27CombinedCity’s own
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$37.72$16.23
FY21$37.69$16.14
FY22$37.45$16.12
FY23$36.90$15.93
FY24$39.23$17.06
FY25$39.32$17.31
FY26$38.83$17.14
FY27$38.08$16.13
Show the numbers
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$37.72$16.23
FY21$37.69$16.14
FY22$37.45$16.12
FY23$36.90$15.93
FY24$39.23$17.06
FY25$39.32$17.31
FY26$38.83$17.14
FY27$38.08$16.13

Compared with places this size3

Cresco’s city property tax rate of $16.13 per $1,000 is the 21st highest of 67 Iowa cities with 2,600–5,800 people. The middle of the group is $14.77.

Eldora: $26.87Red Oak: $20.65Bloomfield: $20.41Oelwein: $20.16Sibley: $19.77Albia: $19.70Eagle Grove: $19.32Iowa Falls: $18.86West Liberty: $18.68Chariton: $18.37Tama: $17.74Clarion: $17.74Missouri Valley: $17.68Clarinda: $17.25Madrid: $16.93Centerville: $16.85Algona: $16.75Grundy Center: $16.36Vinton: $16.25Winterset: $16.15Humboldt: $16.00Forest City: $15.77Tipton: $15.54Sheldon: $15.33Estherville: $15.27Harlan: $15.07Shenandoah: $15.02Manchester: $14.96Jefferson: $14.88Hampton: $14.86Carlisle: $14.82Cherokee: $14.82Glenwood: $14.77Waukon: $14.76Rock Rapids: $14.57Monticello: $14.49Osceola: $14.37Windsor Heights: $14.30Osage: $14.29Rock Valley: $13.76Sergeant Bluff: $13.70Emmetsburg: $13.70Wilton: $13.62Mount Vernon: $13.50New Hampton: $13.44Hudson: $13.19Hawarden: $13.02Garner: $12.86Camanche: $12.75Le Claire: $12.64Milford: $12.57Onawa: $12.32Huxley: $11.68West Branch: $11.63Mitchellville: $11.54Solon: $11.53Williamsburg: $11.11Carter Lake: $10.67Story City: $10.39Kalona: $10.37Dyersville: $10.27Spirit Lake: $10.17West Burlington: $10.15Robins: $9.68Fairfax: $8.10Evansdale: $8.00Cresco: $16.13$8.00 lowest$26.87 highestmiddle
See all 67
#PlaceRate per $1,000People
1Eldora$26.872,595
2Red Oak$20.655,420
3Bloomfield$20.412,773
4Oelwein$20.165,788
5Sibley$19.772,787
6Albia$19.703,579
7Eagle Grove$19.323,615
8Iowa Falls$18.864,993
9West Liberty$18.683,724
10Chariton$18.374,278
11Tama$17.742,997
12Clarion$17.742,751
13Missouri Valley$17.682,638
14Clarinda$17.255,334
15Madrid$16.932,824
16Centerville$16.855,345
17Algona$16.755,341
18Grundy Center$16.362,821
19Vinton$16.254,962
20Winterset$16.155,421
21Cresco$16.133,890
22Humboldt$16.004,774
23Forest City$15.774,199
24Tipton$15.543,059
25Sheldon$15.335,584
26Estherville$15.275,796
27Harlan$15.074,898
28Shenandoah$15.024,878
29Manchester$14.965,283
30Jefferson$14.884,148
31Hampton$14.864,340
32Carlisle$14.824,381
33Cherokee$14.825,186
34Glenwood$14.775,250
35Waukon$14.763,799
36Rock Rapids$14.572,709
37Monticello$14.494,095
38Osceola$14.375,585
39Windsor Heights$14.305,106
40Osage$14.293,559
41Rock Valley$13.764,024
42Sergeant Bluff$13.705,335
43Emmetsburg$13.703,632
44Wilton$13.622,914
45Mount Vernon$13.504,518
46New Hampton$13.443,433
47Hudson$13.192,916
48Hawarden$13.022,630
49Garner$12.863,049
50Camanche$12.754,536
51Le Claire$12.644,776
52Milford$12.573,258
53Onawa$12.322,795
54Huxley$11.684,737
55West Branch$11.632,876
56Mitchellville$11.542,686
57Solon$11.533,284
58Williamsburg$11.113,380
59Carter Lake$10.673,752
60Story City$10.393,439
61Kalona$10.372,762
62Dyersville$10.274,559
63Spirit Lake$10.175,548
64West Burlington$10.153,249
65Robins$9.683,362
66Fairfax$8.102,937
67Evansdale$8.004,515

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$1.2M51%
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$558,76623%
  • Debt Service Levy$386,04016%
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$228,65110%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Cresco’s budget goes, FY26

Business Type / Enterprise: 20¢ of every dollar20¢Public Works: 19¢ of every dollar19¢Public Safety: 18¢ of every dollar18¢Culture and Recreation: 17¢ of every dollar17¢Capital Projects: 14¢ of every dollar14¢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 66 Iowa cities closest in size (2,600–5,800 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCities this size (66)
Business Type / Enterprise20¢39¢
Public Works19¢9¢
Public Safety18¢13¢
Culture and Recreation17¢8¢
Capital Projects14¢16¢
Everything else12¢16¢

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$2.2M36%
  • Culture and Recreation$1.5M24%
  • Public Safety$1.3M21%
  • Debt Service$485,0008%
  • General Government$471,9008%
  • Community and Economic Development$198,4003%
  • Capital Projects$41,6001%
  • Health and Social Services$5,4000%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($2.0M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
FunctionBudgetSpent
Public Works$1.8M$1.8M
Public Safety$1.0M$1.1M
Health and Social Services$5,400$5,388
General Government$406,800$361,796
Debt Service$340,500$339,934
Culture and Recreation$1.6M$1.4M
Community and Economic Development$236,200$166,835
Capital Projects$600,000$281,781
Business Type / Enterprise$1.5M$1.6M

What it spent each year

FY24 left out4

$11.8M
’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’25

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? 5

What the state pays the city

$797,664 in FY25: up 39% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 11% more. Road Use Tax, the money for streets the state sends every year by formula, is up 11% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 12% less; grants come and go.

In today's dollarsActual dollars
$500,000$625,000$750,000$875,000$1.0M’19’21’23’25Today's $Actual
$500,000$625,000$750,000$875,000$1.0M’19’20’21’22’23’24’25Today's $Actual
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$536,954$535,033$549,190$552,171
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)$59,357$51,767$147,459$144,310
State grants$3,266$116,166$3,879$101,183
Iowa DOT projects–$12,463––
Iowa Department of Natural Resources––––
Show the numbers
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$536,954$535,033$549,190$552,171
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)$59,357$51,767$147,459$144,310
State grants$3,266$116,166$3,879$101,183
Iowa DOT projects–$12,463––
Iowa Department of Natural Resources––––

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

  • Road Use Tax (streets)−12%$499,690 → $552,171, up 11% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 12% less
  • Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)+85%$62,206 → $144,310, up 132% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 85% more
  • State grants+663%$10,572 → $101,183, up 857% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 663% 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 37% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 9% more.

$730,182
$697,686
’19’20’21’22’23’24’25

Federal grants, for comparison: $71,392 in FY24.

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

City · 3

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Cresco; official results are on each county auditor’s site.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress6

Mike Klimesh (Sen. 32)Michael R. Bergan (Rep. 63)

U.S. House:District 2

Howard CountyHoward-Winneshiek schools