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Pella

Marion County · How cities work

$2,700 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($32.11 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$910 a yearof that goes to the city ($10.75 per $1,000)
$8.3Mproperty taxes the city levies, FY27
$44.6Mcity 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.

  • Calvin BandstraPella City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Lynn BranderhorstPella City Council Ward 1 · elected November 4, 2025
  • Spencer CarlstonePella City Council Ward 3 · elected November 4, 2025
  • David HopkinsPella City Council Ward 4 · elected November 7, 2023
  • Donald De WaardPella Mayor · elected November 7, 2023
  • Harold Van StrylandPella City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
  • John ButlerPella City Council Ward 2 · 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 Pella

Homes and businesses in most of Pella pay a combined $32.11 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Marion County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $10.75. Estimate your bill.

  • Pella schools$14.5645%
  • City of Pella$10.7533%
  • Marion County$5.5717%
  • Des Moines Area Community College$0.813%
  • Marion County Assessor$0.26<1%
  • Marion County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.15<1%

Rates over time

Per $1,000 of taxable value: the typical combined rate people in Pella 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$32.72$10.20
FY21$32.46$10.20
FY22$32.34$10.20
FY23$31.76$10.20
FY24$31.71$10.20
FY25$32.05$10.75
FY26$32.56$10.75
FY27$32.11$10.75
Show the numbers
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$32.72$10.20
FY21$32.46$10.20
FY22$32.34$10.20
FY23$31.76$10.20
FY24$31.71$10.20
FY25$32.05$10.75
FY26$32.56$10.75
FY27$32.11$10.75

Compared with places this size3

Pella’s city property tax rate of $10.75 per $1,000 is the 2nd lowest of 27 Iowa cities with 7,300–16,000 people. The middle of the group is $14.99.

Keokuk: $19.68Fort Madison: $18.84Denison: $18.69Perry: $17.91Waverly: $17.53Knoxville: $17.46Newton: $17.10Fairfield: $16.69Webster City: $16.51Grinnell: $15.60Decorah: $15.52Storm Lake: $15.17Boone: $15.13Creston: $14.99Norwalk: $14.89Oskaloosa: $14.47Spencer: $13.84Hiawatha: $13.78Indianola: $13.33Pleasant Hill: $12.10Mount Pleasant: $11.94Carroll: $11.25Le Mars: $11.18Sioux Center: $11.05Bondurant: $10.82Clear Lake: $9.85Pella: $10.75$9.85 lowest$19.68 highestmiddle
See all 27
#PlaceRate per $1,000People
1Keokuk$19.689,462
2Fort Madison$18.849,983
3Denison$18.698,302
4Perry$17.918,046
5Waverly$17.5310,576
6Knoxville$17.467,440
7Newton$17.1015,709
8Fairfield$16.699,511
9Webster City$16.517,763
10Grinnell$15.609,495
11Decorah$15.527,454
12Storm Lake$15.1711,627
13Boone$15.1312,461
14Creston$14.997,421
15Norwalk$14.8915,396
16Oskaloosa$14.4711,575
17Spencer$13.8411,418
18Hiawatha$13.787,347
19Indianola$13.3316,297
20Pleasant Hill$12.1011,942
21Mount Pleasant$11.948,509
22Carroll$11.2510,125
23Le Mars$11.1810,674
24Sioux Center$11.058,675
25Bondurant$10.829,511
26Pella$10.7510,965
27Clear Lake$9.857,602

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$5.8M69%
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$1.7M21%
  • Debt Service Levy$443,3485%
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$377,3495%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Pella’s budget goes, FY26

Business Type / Enterprise: 49¢ of every dollar49¢Capital Projects: 28¢ of every dollar28¢Public Safety: 8¢ of every dollar8¢Culture and Recreation: 6¢ of every dollarDebt Service: 3¢ of every dollarEverything else: 6¢ 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 26 Iowa cities closest in size (7,300–16,000 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCities this size (26)
Business Type / Enterprise49¢35¢
Capital Projects28¢21¢
Public Safety8¢14¢
Culture and Recreation6¢7¢
Debt Service3¢7¢
Everything else6¢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.

  • Capital Projects$26.3M59%
  • Public Safety$6.1M14%
  • Culture and Recreation$4.6M10%
  • Debt Service$2.3M5%
  • Community and Economic Development$2.2M5%
  • Public Works$1.7M4%
  • General Government$1.3M3%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($37.0M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
FunctionBudgetSpent
Public Works$1.4M$1.4M
Public Safety$3.2M$4.4M
Health and Social Services$0$0
General Government$1.2M$1.2M
Debt Service$656,122$859,395
Culture and Recreation$3.8M$3.9M
Community and Economic Development$1.1M$3.0M
Capital Projects$6.6M$7.1M
Business Type / Enterprise$28.8M$33.4M

What it spent each year

FY24 left out4

$71.2M
’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 every year

Road Use Tax for streets, the commercial and industrial tax “backfill”, and ambulance reimbursement, paid every year by formula: $1.8M in FY25, up 16% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 8% less. Grants are below.

In today's dollarsActual dollars
$1.0M$1.8M$2.5M$3.3M$4.0M’19’21’23’25Today's $Actual
$1.0M$1.8M$2.5M$3.3M$4.0M’19’20’21’22’23’24’25Today's $Actual
Show the numbers
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$1.4M$1.4M$1.6M$1.5M
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)$230,289$184,108$304,880$270,047

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.

$956,332
$16,981
’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
  • State grants$16,981100%
YearGrants and projects
FY19$13,010
FY20$14,896
FY21$266,597
FY22$956,332
FY23$791,146
FY24$14,916
FY25$16,981
Show the numbers
YearGrants and projects
FY19$13,010
FY20$14,896
FY21$266,597
FY22$956,332
FY23$791,146
FY24$14,916
FY25$16,981

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

  • Road Use Tax (streets)−12%$1.3M → $1.5M, up 11% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 12% less
  • Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)+22%$177,119 → $270,047, up 52% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 22% 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 53% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 22% more.

$2.5M
$2.2M
’19’20’21’22’23’24’25

Federal grants, for comparison: $1.0M in FY25.

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

City · 3

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

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress6

Ken Rozenboom (Sen. 19)Barb Kniff McCulla (Rep. 37)

U.S. House:District 1

Marion CountyPella schools