Local taxes › Mitchell County › Mitchell

City

Mitchell

$2,570 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($30.50 per $1,000 of taxable value)¹

$780 a yearof that goes to the city ($9.22 per $1,000)

$49,117property taxes the city levies, FY27

$129,690city budget, all funds, FY27²

Who runs it

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

David AltickMitchell City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Pat HuebschMitchell City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Russ WeaverlingMitchell City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Steve StrasheimMitchell Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
Phil PattschullMitchell City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
Randy KampMitchell 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 Mitchell

Homes and businesses in most of Mitchell pay a combined $30.50 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Mitchell County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $9.22. Estimate your bill.

Osage schools$12.3240%
City of Mitchell$9.2230%
Mitchell County$5.6418%
North Iowa Area Community College$1.244%
Mitchell County Hospital$1.134%
Mitchell County Assessor$0.652%
Mitchell County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.311%

Rates over time

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

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$30.88	$9.63
FY21	$30.83	$9.57
FY22	$28.66	$8.16
FY23	$28.78	$8.15
FY24	$29.53	$8.78
FY25	$29.36	$8.91
FY26	$29.86	$9.01
FY27	$30.50	$9.22

Show the numbers

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$30.88	$9.63
FY21	$30.83	$9.57
FY22	$28.66	$8.16
FY23	$28.78	$8.15
FY24	$29.53	$8.78
FY25	$29.36	$8.91
FY26	$29.86	$9.01
FY27	$30.50	$9.22

Compared with places this size³

Mitchell’s city property tax rate of $9.22 per $1,000 is the 60th lowest of 149 Iowa cities with 80–180 people. The middle of the group is $10.19.

See all 149

#	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	Soldier	$21.92	176
7	Stanley	$20.69	86
8	Coin	$19.59	171
9	Rowan	$19.53	118
10	Chester	$19.30	134
11	Bouton	$19.25	125
12	Ricketts	$19.22	105
13	Garden Grove	$19.20	173
14	Hastings	$18.95	157
15	Grant	$18.71	82
16	Swaledale	$18.62	136
17	Derby	$18.13	89
18	Hillsboro	$17.68	158
19	Bristow	$17.39	139
20	Woolstock	$17.26	141
21	Monmouth	$16.41	129
22	Blockton	$16.37	123
23	Geneva	$16.25	137
24	Waterville	$16.25	112
25	Little Sioux	$15.74	170
26	Woodburn	$15.59	133
27	Goodell	$15.16	139
28	Marne	$15.03	109
29	Baldwin	$14.91	99
30	Lucas	$14.40	176
31	Palmer	$13.89	137
32	Ayrshire	$13.55	128
33	Searsboro	$13.55	129
34	Ferguson	$13.53	98
35	Lanesboro	$13.53	112
36	Calumet	$13.16	144
37	Delaware	$12.86	139
38	Patterson	$12.84	176
39	Clemons	$12.69	135
40	Cylinder	$12.52	84
41	Millersburg	$12.40	135
42	Aurora	$12.40	165
43	Bridgewater	$12.29	145
44	Arion	$12.14	99
45	Webb	$12.10	139
46	Decatur	$12.08	174
47	Shambaugh	$11.98	161
48	Lone Rock	$11.92	143
49	East Peru	$11.89	119
50	Henderson	$11.85	140
51	Reasnor	$11.76	157
52	Morley	$11.74	94
53	Ledyard	$11.74	118
54	Toronto	$11.68	101
55	Exline	$11.60	157
56	Beaman	$11.54	155
57	College Springs	$11.44	172
58	Melrose	$11.27	110
59	Linn Grove	$11.15	155
60	Promise City	$11.13	91
61	Leighton	$11.07	153
62	Masonville	$11.00	98
63	Somers	$10.99	121
64	Havelock	$10.95	127
65	Alexander	$10.90	165
66	Lambs Grove	$10.78	174
67	Wallingford	$10.75	154
68	Pacific Junction	$10.56	99
69	Barnes City	$10.44	152
70	Stockton	$10.37	171
71	Randall	$10.35	156
72	Meriden	$10.28	175
73	Drakesville	$10.24	170
74	North Washington	$10.23	107
75	Dawson	$10.19	110
76	Hartwick	$9.90	91
77	Clare	$9.81	133
78	Tingley	$9.81	146
79	Rutland	$9.65	116
80	Van Wert	$9.62	175
81	Rock Falls	$9.61	143
82	Kirkville	$9.59	159
83	Superior	$9.58	127
84	Webster	$9.55	94
85	Martinsburg	$9.49	109
86	Larrabee	$9.41	116
87	Hamilton	$9.35	125
88	Wiota	$9.32	91
89	Floris	$9.29	119
90	Mitchell	$9.22	118
91	Westphalia	$9.18	133
92	Blairsburg	$8.93	175
93	Prairieburg	$8.91	156
94	Welton	$8.86	124
95	Archer	$8.84	116
96	Luther	$8.83	147
97	Fraser	$8.81	107
98	Macksburg	$8.81	103
99	Moorland	$8.61	169
100	Pilot Mound	$8.54	155
101	Andover	$8.28	106
102	Thurman	$8.26	162
103	Boxholm	$8.11	177
104	Carpenter	$8.10	92
105	Chillicothe	$8.10	79
106	Rome	$8.10	112
107	Westfield	$8.10	121
108	Vincent	$8.09	125
109	Buckeye	$7.94	82
110	Morrison	$7.86	101
111	Mount Auburn	$7.86	162
112	Haverhill	$7.86	164
113	Oyens	$7.86	88
114	Olds	$7.86	174
115	Castalia	$7.86	141
116	Dickens	$7.86	146
117	Rose Hill	$7.86	156
118	West Chester	$7.82	147
119	Cromwell	$7.81	104
120	Mcclelland	$7.79	147
121	Arispe	$7.71	95
122	Luzerne	$7.69	111
123	Lidderdale	$7.68	162
124	Westwood	$7.67	96
125	Kinross	$7.57	80
126	Bernard	$7.56	117
127	Braddyville	$7.49	142
128	Franklin	$7.31	133
129	Spragueville	$7.20	92
130	Weldon	$7.18	134
131	Brunsville	$6.95	128
132	Zwingle	$6.93	86
133	Pleasant Plain	$6.79	83
134	Houghton	$6.73	129
135	Williamson	$6.72	126
136	Lincoln	$6.32	119
137	Tennant	$6.29	83
138	Gravity	$6.18	149
139	Ackworth	$5.90	117
140	Springbrook	$5.79	145
141	Maysville	$5.77	155
142	Harper	$5.29	117
143	Panorama Park	$4.62	142
144	Keomah Village	$3.15	107
145	Mcintire	$2.78	115
146	Sherrill	$2.66	176
147	Centralia	$2.41	117
148	New Liberty	$2.27	141
149	North Buena Vista	$1.78	107

The $8.10 limit

Mitchell’s general levy is $8.10 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, at the limit.⁴ 247 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

$8.10

FY23 $8.10 · FY24 $8.10 · FY25 $7.86 · FY26 $7.86 · FY27 $8.10 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

Outside the limit: $1.12 more⁵

Liability, property & self insurance costs$1.12 · $5,904

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$42,69888%
Liability, property & self insurance costs$5,90412%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Mitchell’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 150 Iowa cities closest in size (80–180 people).

Where it goes	Of each dollar	Cities this size (150)
Public Works	53¢	27¢
General Government	30¢	26¢
Culture and Recreation	12¢	8¢
Public Safety	5¢	10¢
Community and Economic Development	1¢	1¢

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$50,00039%
Public Works$39,02030%
General Government$25,15019%
Culture and Recreation$11,2209%
Public Safety$4,3003%

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23

Function	Budget	Spent
Public Works	$36,100	$35,227
Public Safety	$3,308	$3,273
Health and Social Services	$0	$0
General Government	$22,455	$18,533
Debt Service	$0	$0
Culture and Recreation	$9,957	$6,951
Community and Economic Development	$1,000	$0
Capital Projects	$0	$0
Business Type / Enterprise	$0	$0

What it spent each year

FY24 left out⁶

$86,676

$57,176

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Mitchell owes

No debt at June 30, 2026.⁷

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% limit⁸

General obligation debt is $0, 0% of the limit of about $539,943 (5% of $10.8M, the full value of its taxable property in 2024).

Money in reserve

The state’s budget files don’t include cities’ fund balances⁹. Mitchell’s latest audit has them: Periodic Examination, period ending Sunday, March 31, 2024 (PDF).

Audits¹⁰

The latest: Periodic Examination for the period ending Sunday, March 31, 2024 (PDF), released Tuesday, November 5, 2024, by a CPA firm.

1 earlier report for Mitchell

Periodic Examination, period ending Friday, March 31, 2017Monday, November 13, 2017

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? ¹¹

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: $13,055 in FY25, down 26% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 41% less. Grants are below.

Show the numbers

Source	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)	$13,069	$12,403	$12,985	$13,055

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.

$12,299

Year	Grants and projects
FY19	$0
FY20	$0
FY21	$0
FY22	$12,299
FY23	$0
FY24	$0
FY25	$0

Show the numbers

Year	Grants and projects
FY19	$0
FY20	$0
FY21	$0
FY22	$12,299
FY23	$0
FY24	$0
FY25	$0

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

Road Use Tax (streets)−41%$17,697 → $13,055, down 26% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 41% 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 33% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 6% more.

$17,965

$16,892

Federal grants, for comparison: $9,719 in FY23.

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)¹².

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

Mitchell City Council At-Large

3 seats: the top 3 win.

David Altick Winner2535.2%
Russ Weaverling Winner2332.4%
Pat Huebsch Winner2332.4%

Mitchell Mayor

Steve Strasheim Unopposed24100.0%

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Mitchell; 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.

Mitchell City Council At-Large (2 seats)
Now held by Phil Pattschull, Randy Kamp

Candidates as county auditors and civicAPI list them; a filing can take a few days to appear here¹³.

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 ballot¹⁴.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress¹⁵

Doug Campbell (Sen. 30)Jane Bloomingdale (Rep. 60)

U.S. House:District 2

Mitchell County Osage 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. ↩
Levies outside the limit are each set aside for one purpose and have their own rules: debt service pays back bonds voters or the council approved, employee benefits cover pensions and insurance, and some (transit, an airport, insurance costs) have their own caps in state law. ↩
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 Mitchell; percentages are rough shares of its area. These lawmakers write the state laws and budget Mitchell 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.

Mitchell

Who runs it

Meetings and agendas

Property taxes

Who gets a property owner’s tax bill in Mitchell

Rates over time

Compared with places this size3

The $8.10 limit

Outside the limit: $1.12 more5

The city’s levies, FY27

Budget and spending

Where each dollar of Mitchell’s budget goes, FY26

Planned spending, FY27

What it spent each year

Debt, reserves and audits

What Mitchell owes

The 5% limit8

Money in reserve

Audits10

State money

What the state pays the city every year

Grants and project money

Has it kept up with prices?

Collected by the state for the city

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 Congress15

Compared with places this size³

Outside the limit: $1.12 more⁵

The 5% limit⁸

Audits¹⁰

At the Statehouse and in Congress¹⁵