Who runs it
The city council passes ordinances, adopts the budget and sets the city’s property tax.
- Emily HudachekHills City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Sue HendersonHills City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Tim KempHills Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
- Cathy KnebelHills City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Guy V. SommersHills City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Michelle RummelhartHills 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
Where a property tax dollar goes in Hills
The combined rate in most of Hills is $32.71 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). The city sets only its own piece. Estimate your bill.
- Iowa City schools$16.7151%
- City of Hills$7.9424%
- Johnson County$6.2419%
- Kirkwood Community. College$1.434%
- Johnson County Assessor$0.32<1%
- Johnson County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.07<1%
Compared with places this size3
Hills’s city property tax rate of $7.94 per $1,000 is the 14th lowest of 181 Iowa cities with 610–1,400 people. The middle of the group is $12.90.
See all 181
| # | Place | Rate per $1,000 | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elkader | $27.11 | 1,192 |
| 2 | Exira | $24.81 | 766 |
| 3 | Laurens | $24.16 | 1,253 |
| 4 | Dayton | $22.51 | 766 |
| 5 | Correctionville | $19.84 | 759 |
| 6 | Villisca | $19.74 | 1,106 |
| 7 | Allison | $19.06 | 937 |
| 8 | Dumont | $19.04 | 614 |
| 9 | Seymour | $18.78 | 646 |
| 10 | Dexter | $18.69 | 631 |
| 11 | Fonda | $18.52 | 636 |
| 12 | Kanawha | $18.11 | 638 |
| 13 | Dysart | $17.95 | 1,266 |
| 14 | Greene | $17.91 | 971 |
| 15 | Alden | $17.90 | 738 |
| 16 | Lansing | $17.67 | 959 |
| 17 | Strawberry Point | $17.58 | 1,141 |
| 18 | Rockwell | $17.54 | 1,044 |
| 19 | Walnut | $17.46 | 728 |
| 20 | Murray | $17.44 | 609 |
| 21 | Gowrie | $17.17 | 943 |
| 22 | Colo | $17.14 | 856 |
| 23 | Mapleton | $16.90 | 1,114 |
| 24 | George | $16.89 | 1,106 |
| 25 | Fayette | $16.85 | 1,193 |
| 26 | Adair | $16.84 | 792 |
| 27 | Eddyville | $16.82 | 965 |
| 28 | Elk Horn | $16.78 | 631 |
| 29 | Oxford | $16.70 | 715 |
| 30 | Buffalo Center | $16.58 | 839 |
| 31 | Bancroft | $16.52 | 677 |
| 32 | Eldon | $16.42 | 788 |
| 33 | Aplington | $16.34 | 1,088 |
| 34 | Panora | $16.14 | 1,096 |
| 35 | Mechanicsville | $16.12 | 974 |
| 36 | Dike | $15.94 | 1,293 |
| 37 | Armstrong | $15.87 | 847 |
| 38 | Ruthven | $15.84 | 710 |
| 39 | Walker | $15.74 | 671 |
| 40 | Shell Rock | $15.52 | 1,265 |
| 41 | Newell | $15.49 | 850 |
| 42 | Riceville | $15.31 | 807 |
| 43 | Neola | $15.30 | 917 |
| 44 | Sidney | $15.19 | 1,048 |
| 45 | Gilbertville | $15.15 | 792 |
| 46 | Stanwood | $15.12 | 612 |
| 47 | Logan | $15.05 | 1,351 |
| 48 | Stratford | $15.03 | 688 |
| 49 | Griswold | $15.01 | 975 |
| 50 | Readlyn | $14.99 | 857 |
| 51 | Tripoli | $14.99 | 1,208 |
| 52 | Hopkinton | $14.79 | 622 |
| 53 | Essex | $14.76 | 721 |
| 54 | Lenox | $14.65 | 1,355 |
| 55 | Dunlap | $14.56 | 1,030 |
| 56 | Garnavillo | $14.52 | 751 |
| 57 | Maxwell | $14.50 | 862 |
| 58 | Coon Rapids | $14.49 | 1,258 |
| 59 | Nora Springs | $14.25 | 1,330 |
| 60 | Mcgregor | $14.20 | 725 |
| 61 | Olin | $14.19 | 652 |
| 62 | Primghar | $14.18 | 893 |
| 63 | Sheffield | $14.16 | 1,123 |
| 64 | Elgin | $14.05 | 676 |
| 65 | Ossian | $13.88 | 777 |
| 66 | Alton | $13.87 | 1,248 |
| 67 | Redfield | $13.73 | 719 |
| 68 | Victor | $13.72 | 852 |
| 69 | Edgewood | $13.64 | 908 |
| 70 | Sioux Rapids | $13.63 | 722 |
| 71 | Donnellson | $13.63 | 859 |
| 72 | Gladbrook | $13.58 | 775 |
| 73 | Clarksville | $13.53 | 1,238 |
| 74 | Rockford | $13.52 | 722 |
| 75 | Janesville | $13.43 | 1,052 |
| 76 | Glidden | $13.43 | 1,140 |
| 77 | Calmar | $13.39 | 1,100 |
| 78 | Boyden | $13.39 | 694 |
| 79 | Baxter | $13.32 | 983 |
| 80 | Manly | $13.29 | 1,233 |
| 81 | Anita | $13.28 | 953 |
| 82 | Van Horne | $13.27 | 768 |
| 83 | Conrad | $13.23 | 1,098 |
| 84 | Springville | $13.22 | 1,161 |
| 85 | Keota | $13.21 | 888 |
| 86 | Shellsburg | $13.20 | 987 |
| 87 | De Soto | $13.18 | 937 |
| 88 | Treynor | $13.03 | 1,104 |
| 89 | Odebolt | $13.00 | 967 |
| 90 | Coggon | $12.99 | 691 |
| 91 | Earlville | $12.90 | 713 |
| 92 | Danville | $12.87 | 910 |
| 93 | Underwood | $12.85 | 973 |
| 94 | New Sharon | $12.80 | 1,249 |
| 95 | Malvern | $12.79 | 1,056 |
| 96 | Montrose | $12.78 | 734 |
| 97 | Goldfield | $12.73 | 617 |
| 98 | Wellsburg | $12.68 | 709 |
| 99 | Buffalo | $12.68 | 1,163 |
| 100 | Stanton | $12.62 | 664 |
| 101 | Hospers | $12.58 | 703 |
| 102 | Hazleton | $12.48 | 711 |
| 103 | West Point | $12.39 | 903 |
| 104 | Hinton | $12.38 | 959 |
| 105 | Preston | $12.38 | 940 |
| 106 | Alburnett | $12.30 | 672 |
| 107 | Hubbard | $12.30 | 837 |
| 108 | Moravia | $12.27 | 625 |
| 109 | Hedrick | $12.22 | 717 |
| 110 | Carson | $12.22 | 772 |
| 111 | Wheatland | $12.18 | 765 |
| 112 | Schaller | $12.14 | 702 |
| 113 | Winfield | $12.04 | 1,006 |
| 114 | Elkhart | $12.00 | 1,079 |
| 115 | Afton | $11.96 | 864 |
| 116 | Lowden | $11.93 | 767 |
| 117 | Tabor | $11.88 | 983 |
| 118 | Albert City | $11.88 | 627 |
| 119 | Aurelia | $11.84 | 970 |
| 120 | Merrill | $11.64 | 713 |
| 121 | Morning Sun | $11.50 | 702 |
| 122 | Battle Creek | $11.49 | 683 |
| 123 | Wall Lake | $11.43 | 739 |
| 124 | West Bend | $11.42 | 770 |
| 125 | Dakota City | $11.39 | 764 |
| 126 | Marcus | $11.31 | 1,069 |
| 127 | Dunkerton | $11.30 | 840 |
| 128 | Sutherland | $11.25 | 628 |
| 129 | Whiting | $11.21 | 725 |
| 130 | Melcher-Dallas | $11.21 | 1,193 |
| 131 | Shelby | $11.17 | 730 |
| 132 | University Heights | $11.12 | 1,188 |
| 133 | Blairstown | $11.04 | 705 |
| 134 | Manilla | $11.01 | 756 |
| 135 | Hamburg | $10.95 | 863 |
| 136 | Clarence | $10.94 | 991 |
| 137 | Fontanelle | $10.88 | 684 |
| 138 | Grand Mound | $10.78 | 608 |
| 139 | Cambridge | $10.53 | 844 |
| 140 | Swisher | $10.39 | 909 |
| 141 | Schleswig | $10.39 | 820 |
| 142 | Melbourne | $10.38 | 771 |
| 143 | Elk Run Heights | $10.33 | 1,061 |
| 144 | Fredericksburg | $10.27 | 983 |
| 145 | Lake Park | $10.25 | 1,155 |
| 146 | Ventura | $10.22 | 701 |
| 147 | Inwood | $10.22 | 962 |
| 148 | Milo | $10.20 | 762 |
| 149 | Hartford | $10.16 | 729 |
| 150 | Central City | $10.01 | 1,254 |
| 151 | Newhall | $9.99 | 887 |
| 152 | Graettinger | $9.81 | 810 |
| 153 | Doon | $9.78 | 640 |
| 154 | Long Grove | $9.59 | 849 |
| 155 | Lake View | $9.39 | 1,120 |
| 156 | Paullina | $9.21 | 979 |
| 157 | Fairbank | $9.00 | 1,133 |
| 158 | Winthrop | $8.94 | 814 |
| 159 | Walford | $8.72 | 1,357 |
| 160 | Crescent | $8.72 | 626 |
| 161 | Keosauqua | $8.58 | 944 |
| 162 | Grand Junction | $8.57 | 715 |
| 163 | Princeton | $8.24 | 917 |
| 164 | Lone Tree | $8.13 | 1,341 |
| 165 | Lakeside | $8.10 | 695 |
| 166 | Riverside | $8.02 | 1,063 |
| 167 | Agency | $7.94 | 623 |
| 168 | Hills | $7.94 | 911 |
| 169 | Fremont | $7.86 | 688 |
| 170 | Larchwood | $7.52 | 954 |
| 171 | North English | $7.49 | 1,030 |
| 172 | Sloan | $7.49 | 1,078 |
| 173 | Sully | $7.41 | 891 |
| 174 | Fruitland | $7.21 | 928 |
| 175 | Lawton | $7.10 | 949 |
| 176 | Wayland | $7.07 | 935 |
| 177 | Raymond | $6.85 | 754 |
| 178 | Keystone | $6.80 | 616 |
| 179 | Shueyville | $6.79 | 725 |
| 180 | Arnolds Park | $4.95 | 1,214 |
| 181 | Okoboji | $3.83 | 729 |
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.
Budget and spending
Where each dollar of Hills’s budget goes, FY26
| Where it goes | Of each dollar | Cities this size (180) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Type / Enterprise | 36¢ | 40¢ |
| Culture and Recreation | 25¢ | 9¢ |
| General Government | 18¢ | 9¢ |
| Public Safety | 11¢ | 10¢ |
| Public Works | 7¢ | 16¢ |
| Everything else | 3¢ | 6¢ |
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 180 Iowa cities closest in size (610–1,400 people).
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.
The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($596,618 in FY26), so this total is low.
Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
| Function | Budget | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works | $348,400 | $336,331 |
| Public Safety | $149,000 | $107,181 |
| Health and Social Services | $0 | $0 |
| General Government | $374,488 | $314,047 |
| Debt Service | $53,220 | $53,220 |
| Culture and Recreation | $178,750 | $151,623 |
| Community and Economic Development | $0 | $0 |
| Capital Projects | $0 | $0 |
| Business Type / Enterprise | $543,557 | $563,343 |
What it spent each year
State money
What the state sends the city
Sales tax and property tax credits the state paid the city: up 3% since FY23; down 6% after inflation.
Show the numbers
| Program | FY27 | FY26 | FY25 | FY24 | FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local option sales tax | $3,497 | $292,814 | $281,366 | $297,561 | $284,289 |
Elections
Most recent: November 3, 2026
Ballot measures · 1
Passed Yes 68.4% (349) · No 31.6% (161)
Passes with more yes votes than no.
Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Hills; official results are on each county auditor’s site.
Related places
At the Statehouse and in Congress4
Dawn Driscoll (Sen. 46)Heather Hora (Rep. 92)
U.S. House:District 1