City

Melrose

$2,970 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($35.30 per $1,000 of taxable value)¹

$950 a yearof that goes to the city ($11.27 per $1,000)

$33,537property taxes the city levies, FY27

$103,540city budget, all funds, FY27²

Who runs it

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

Cali LaceyMelrose City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Joni MurphyMelrose City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Mallory KromrayMelrose City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Nathan SarverMelrose Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
Nathan SarverMelrose 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 Melrose

The combined rate in most of Melrose is $35.30 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). The city sets only its own piece. Estimate your bill.

Albia schools$12.9537%
City of Melrose$11.2732%
Monroe County$5.7916%
Monroe County Hospital$3.008%
Indian Hills Community. College$1.244%
Monroe County Assessor$0.752%
Monroe County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.31<1%

Compared with places this size³

Melrose’s city property tax rate of $11.27 per $1,000 is the 52nd highest of 142 Iowa cities with 70–170 people. The middle of the group is $9.63.

See all 142

#	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	Stanley	$20.69	86
7	Rowan	$19.53	118
8	Chester	$19.30	134
9	Bouton	$19.25	125
10	Ricketts	$19.22	105
11	Hastings	$18.95	157
12	Grant	$18.71	82
13	Swaledale	$18.62	136
14	Derby	$18.13	89
15	Hillsboro	$17.68	158
16	Bristow	$17.39	139
17	Woolstock	$17.26	141
18	Monmouth	$16.41	129
19	Blockton	$16.37	123
20	Geneva	$16.25	137
21	Waterville	$16.25	112
22	Popejoy	$15.80	76
23	Woodburn	$15.59	133
24	Goodell	$15.16	139
25	Marne	$15.03	109
26	Baldwin	$14.91	99
27	Palmer	$13.89	137
28	Ayrshire	$13.55	128
29	Searsboro	$13.55	129
30	Ferguson	$13.53	98
31	Lanesboro	$13.53	112
32	Calumet	$13.16	144
33	Delaware	$12.86	139
34	Clemons	$12.69	135
35	Cylinder	$12.52	84
36	Millersburg	$12.40	135
37	Aurora	$12.40	165
38	Bridgewater	$12.29	145
39	Arion	$12.14	99
40	Webb	$12.10	139
41	Shambaugh	$11.98	161
42	Lone Rock	$11.92	143
43	East Peru	$11.89	119
44	Henderson	$11.85	140
45	Reasnor	$11.76	157
46	Morley	$11.74	94
47	Ledyard	$11.74	118
48	Toronto	$11.68	101
49	Exline	$11.60	157
50	Beaman	$11.54	155
51	Matlock	$11.44	74
52	Melrose	$11.27	110
53	Nodaway	$11.20	74
54	Linn Grove	$11.15	155
55	Promise City	$11.13	91
56	Leighton	$11.07	153
57	Masonville	$11.00	98
58	Somers	$10.99	121
59	Havelock	$10.95	127
60	Alexander	$10.90	165
61	Wallingford	$10.75	154
62	Pacific Junction	$10.56	99
63	Barnes City	$10.44	152
64	Bradgate	$10.37	76
65	Randall	$10.35	156
66	North Washington	$10.23	107
67	Dawson	$10.19	110
68	Hartwick	$9.90	91
69	Clare	$9.81	133
70	Tingley	$9.81	146
71	Rutland	$9.65	116
72	Rock Falls	$9.61	143
73	Kirkville	$9.59	159
74	Superior	$9.58	127
75	Webster	$9.55	94
76	Martinsburg	$9.49	109
77	Larrabee	$9.41	116
78	Hamilton	$9.35	125
79	Wiota	$9.32	91
80	Floris	$9.29	119
81	Mitchell	$9.22	118
82	Westphalia	$9.18	133
83	Prairieburg	$8.91	156
84	Welton	$8.86	124
85	Archer	$8.84	116
86	Luther	$8.83	147
87	Fraser	$8.81	107
88	Macksburg	$8.81	103
89	Pilot Mound	$8.54	155
90	Andover	$8.28	106
91	Thurman	$8.26	162
92	Unionville	$8.10	74
93	Rome	$8.10	112
94	Carpenter	$8.10	92
95	Westfield	$8.10	121
96	Chillicothe	$8.10	79
97	Scarville	$8.10	75
98	Vincent	$8.09	125
99	Buckeye	$7.94	82
100	Morrison	$7.86	101
101	Mount Auburn	$7.86	162
102	Haverhill	$7.86	164
103	Oyens	$7.86	88
104	Dickens	$7.86	146
105	Castalia	$7.86	141
106	Ralston	$7.86	76
107	Rose Hill	$7.86	156
108	West Chester	$7.82	147
109	Cromwell	$7.81	104
110	Mcclelland	$7.79	147
111	Arispe	$7.71	95
112	Luzerne	$7.69	111
113	Lidderdale	$7.68	162
114	Westwood	$7.67	96
115	Kinross	$7.57	80
116	Bernard	$7.56	117
117	Braddyville	$7.49	142
118	Garber	$7.35	76
119	Franklin	$7.31	133
120	Spragueville	$7.20	92
121	Weldon	$7.18	134
122	Craig	$7.01	78
123	Brunsville	$6.95	128
124	Zwingle	$6.93	86
125	Pleasant Plain	$6.79	83
126	Houghton	$6.73	129
127	Williamson	$6.72	126
128	Lincoln	$6.32	119
129	Tennant	$6.29	83
130	Gravity	$6.18	149
131	Ackworth	$5.90	117
132	Springbrook	$5.79	145
133	Maysville	$5.77	155
134	Harper	$5.29	117
135	Panorama Park	$4.62	142
136	Keomah Village	$3.15	107
137	Mcintire	$2.78	115
138	Graf	$2.56	76
139	Centralia	$2.41	117
140	New Liberty	$2.27	141
141	North Buena Vista	$1.78	107
142	Balltown	$0.12	78

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$23,64672%
Liability, property & self insurance costs$7,80424%
Total Employee Benefit Levies$1,3314%

Budget and spending

Where each dollar of Melrose’s budget goes, FY26

Where it goes	Of each dollar	Cities this size (143)
Culture and Recreation	51¢	7¢
General Government	21¢	26¢
Public Safety	17¢	10¢
Public Works	12¢	28¢

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 143 Iowa cities closest in size (70–170 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.

General Government$55,64054%
Public Safety$26,00025%
Public Works$13,50013%
Culture and Recreation$8,4008%

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23

Function	Budget	Spent
Public Works	$10,500	$12,305
Public Safety	$16,000	$1,000
Health and Social Services	$0	$0
General Government	$57,040	$31,768
Debt Service	$0	$0
Culture and Recreation	$7,700	$980
Community and Economic Development	$0	$0
Capital Projects	$0	$0
Business Type / Enterprise	$0	$0

What it spent each year

$155,975

$46,053

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23

State money

What the state sends the city

Sales tax and property tax credits the state paid the city: down 12% since FY23; down 19% after inflation.

In today's dollarsActual dollars

Show the numbers

Program	FY27	FY26	FY25	FY24	FY23
Local option sales tax	$1,413	$17,339	$15,598	$15,897	$19,606

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

City · 2

Melrose City Council At-Large

3 seats: the top 3 win.

Mallory Kromray Winner1735.4%
Cali Lacey Winner1633.3%
Joni Murphy Winner1531.3%

Melrose Mayor

Nathan Sarver Unopposed17100.0%

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

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress⁴

Cherielynn Westrich (Sen. 13)Austin Harris (Rep. 26)

U.S. House:District 3

Monroe County Albia 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. ↩
Legislative and congressional districts that cover Melrose; percentages are rough shares of its area. These lawmakers write the state laws and budget Melrose 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.