City

Wilton

$2,910 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($34.53 per $1,000 of taxable value)¹

$1,150 a yearof that goes to the city ($13.62 per $1,000)

$1.7Mproperty taxes the city levies, FY27

$4.5Mcity 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.

Allen (Bill) VossWilton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Keith W StanleyWilton Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
Keith W StanleyWilton Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
Michael RohwerWilton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Stevie WhiteheadWilton City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
Ted MarolfWilton City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
Wayne BuddingWilton 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 Wilton

Homes and businesses in most of Wilton pay a combined $34.53 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Muscatine County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $13.62. Estimate your bill.

City of Wilton$13.6239%
Wilton schools$12.4436%
Muscatine County$7.0320%
Eastern Iowa Community College$1.043%
Muscatine County Assessor$0.25<1%
Muscatine County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.14<1%

Rates over time

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

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$38.31	$14.21
FY21	$37.95	$14.21
FY22	$37.01	$13.55
FY23	$36.38	$13.51
FY24	$34.48	$13.05
FY25	$35.57	$13.67
FY26	$36.43	$13.94
FY27	$34.53	$13.62

Show the numbers

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$38.31	$14.21
FY21	$37.95	$14.21
FY22	$37.01	$13.55
FY23	$36.38	$13.51
FY24	$34.48	$13.05
FY25	$35.57	$13.67
FY26	$36.43	$13.94
FY27	$34.53	$13.62

Compared with places this size³

Wilton’s city property tax rate of $13.62 per $1,000 is the 34th lowest of 77 Iowa cities with 2,000–4,300 people. The middle of the group is $14.15.

See all 77

#	Place	Rate per $1,000	People
1	Eldora	$26.87	2,595
2	Rockwell City	$20.74	2,185
3	Bloomfield	$20.41	2,773
4	Belmond	$19.86	2,405
5	Sibley	$19.77	2,787
6	Albia	$19.70	3,579
7	Sac City	$19.69	1,992
8	Eagle Grove	$19.32	3,615
9	West Liberty	$18.68	3,724
10	Chariton	$18.37	4,278
11	Toledo	$18.21	2,372
12	La Porte City	$18.08	2,267
13	Tama	$17.74	2,997
14	Clarion	$17.74	2,751
15	Britt	$17.72	2,001
16	Missouri Valley	$17.68	2,638
17	Madrid	$16.93	2,824
18	West Union	$16.60	2,435
19	Audubon	$16.52	2,008
20	Grundy Center	$16.36	2,821
21	Belle Plaine	$16.34	2,335
22	Colfax	$16.25	2,305
23	Lamoni	$16.15	2,072
24	Cresco	$16.13	3,890
25	Marengo	$16.10	2,415
26	Forest City	$15.77	4,199
27	Postville	$15.68	2,418
28	Tipton	$15.54	3,059
29	Granger	$15.22	2,095
30	Sigourney	$15.20	1,974
31	Jefferson	$14.88	4,148
32	Hampton	$14.86	4,340
33	Sumner	$14.83	2,032
34	Waukon	$14.76	3,799
35	Rock Rapids	$14.57	2,709
36	Monticello	$14.49	4,095
37	Jesup	$14.31	2,541
38	Osage	$14.29	3,559
39	Parkersburg	$14.15	1,986
40	Ida Grove	$14.10	1,988
41	Lake Mills	$13.82	2,077
42	Rock Valley	$13.76	4,024
43	Emmetsburg	$13.70	3,632
44	Wilton	$13.62	2,914
45	New Hampton	$13.44	3,433
46	Wapello	$13.29	2,026
47	Hudson	$13.19	2,916
48	Center Point	$13.19	2,578
49	Greenfield	$13.13	1,988
50	Hawarden	$13.02	2,630
51	Garner	$12.86	3,049
52	Bellevue	$12.67	2,321
53	Milford	$12.57	3,258
54	Lisbon	$12.50	2,238
55	Dallas Center	$12.42	1,993
56	Onawa	$12.32	2,795
57	Monroe	$12.28	2,021
58	Denver	$12.27	1,955
59	Alta	$12.13	2,039
60	Atkins	$11.99	2,168
61	Hull	$11.79	2,459
62	Cascade	$11.64	2,396
63	West Branch	$11.63	2,876
64	Mitchellville	$11.54	2,686
65	Solon	$11.53	3,284
66	Northwood	$11.28	2,047
67	Williamsburg	$11.11	3,380
68	Ely	$11.08	2,371
69	Ogden	$10.99	1,970
70	Carter Lake	$10.67	3,752
71	Story City	$10.39	3,439
72	Kalona	$10.37	2,762
73	West Burlington	$10.15	3,249
74	Peosta	$9.82	2,195
75	Robins	$9.68	3,362
76	Epworth	$9.42	2,042
77	Fairfax	$8.10	2,937

The $8.10 limit

Wilton’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 $8.23 · FY26 $8.07 · FY27 $8.10 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

Outside the limit: $5.52 more⁵

Total Employee Benefit Levies$2.51 · $307,350
Debt Service Levy$1.87 · $269,693
Liability, property & self insurance costs$1.13 · $138,576

Tax increment financing (TIF)

$21.8M of taxable value in Wilton is in TIF districts’ increment (15% of the city’s taxable value), 2025 valuations, taxed in FY27.⁶ It budgeted $661,905 in TIF revenue for FY25.

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$990,48158%
Total Employee Benefit Levies$307,35018%
Debt Service Levy$269,69316%
Liability, property & self insurance costs$138,5768%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Wilton’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 76 Iowa cities closest in size (2,000–4,300 people).

Where it goes	Of each dollar	Cities this size (76)
Capital Projects	41¢	14¢
Business Type / Enterprise	21¢	40¢
Public Safety	15¢	12¢
Culture and Recreation	7¢	8¢
Debt Service	6¢	7¢
Everything else	10¢	19¢

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 Safety$1.1M25%
Debt Service$1.1M24%
Community and Economic Development$562,90012%
Culture and Recreation$556,11812%
Public Works$517,82711%
General Government$453,27610%
Capital Projects$200,0004%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($3.3M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23

Function	Budget	Spent
Public Works	$484,421	$533,281
Public Safety	$919,350	$988,561
Health and Social Services	$3,000	$0
General Government	$564,050	$568,375
Debt Service	$1.2M	$814,433
Culture and Recreation	$675,778	$744,001
Community and Economic Development	$35,000	$195,853
Capital Projects	$279,100	$462,709
Business Type / Enterprise	$3.2M	$2.6M

What it spent each year

FY24 left out⁷

$11.6M

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? ⁸

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: $415,264 in FY25, down 2% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 22% less. Grants are below.

Show the numbers

Source	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)	$401,153	$402,375	$413,023	$415,264
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)	$53,244	$23,294	–	–

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.

$136,321

$25,405

State grants$25,405100%

Year	Grants and projects
FY19	$0
FY20	$0
FY21	$0
FY22	$5,875
FY23	$0
FY24	$136,321
FY25	$25,405

Show the numbers

Year	Grants and projects
FY19	$0
FY20	$0
FY21	$0
FY22	$5,875
FY23	$0
FY24	$136,321
FY25	$25,405

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

Road Use Tax (streets)−9%$361,978 → $415,264, up 15% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 9% 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 24% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 1% less.

$477,869

Federal grants, for comparison: $118,400 in FY24.

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

City · 4

Wilton City Council At-Large

Wilton Mayor

Keith W Stanley Unopposed

Wilton City Council At-Large

2 seats: the top 2 win.

Allen (Bill) Voss Winner9451.6%
Michael Rohwer Winner8848.4%
Allen Bill Voss 00.0%

Wilton Mayor

Keith W Stanley Unopposed101100.0%

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

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress⁹

Mark S. Lofgren (Sen. 48)Mark Cisneros (Rep. 96)

U.S. House:District 1

Muscatine County Wilton 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. ↩
Tax increment financing: when a city sets up a TIF district, the taxable value there is frozen at a “base”. Taxes on the base go to every government as usual; taxes on the growth in value since (the “increment”) go to the city’s TIF fund to pay for the project, such as roads, utilities or a developer rebate, until the district ends. From the state’s valuation file (Iowa Data Hub), valuation year 2025. ↩
The state’s FY24 spending file repeats the year before for nearly every Iowa city, so that year isn’t shown. ↩
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. ↩
Legislative and congressional districts that cover Wilton; percentages are rough shares of its area. These lawmakers write the state laws and budget Wilton 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.

Wilton

Who runs it

Meetings and agendas

Property taxes

Who gets a property owner’s tax bill in Wilton

Rates over time

Compared with places this size3

The $8.10 limit

Outside the limit: $5.52 more5

Tax increment financing (TIF)

The city’s levies, FY27

Budget and spending

Where each dollar of Wilton’s budget goes, FY26

Planned spending, FY27

What it spent each year

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

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress9

Compared with places this size³

Outside the limit: $5.52 more⁵

At the Statehouse and in Congress⁹