Who runs it
The city council passes ordinances, adopts the budget and sets the city’s property tax.
- Brian BrunsLe Mars City Council Ward 1 · elected November 4, 2025
- Craig R. BauerlyLe Mars Hospital Trustee · elected November 4, 2025
- Derek ConyersLe Mars City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Kelli FlackLe Mars Hospital Trustee · elected November 4, 2025
- Mark D. SturgeonLe Mars City Council Ward 3 · elected November 4, 2025
- Rob BixenmanLe Mars Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
- Brad PickLe Mars City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Danna SchusterLe Mars Hospital Trustee · elected November 7, 2023
- Douglas CarlsenLe Mars Hospital Trustee · elected November 7, 2023
- Patrick RosackerLe Mars Hospital Trustee · elected November 7, 2023
- Steve WickLe Mars 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 Le Mars
Homes and businesses in most of Le Mars pay a combined $27.57 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Plymouth County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $11.18. Estimate your bill.
- Le Mars schools$11.4842%
- City of Le Mars$11.1841%
- Plymouth County$3.5313%
- Western Iowa Tech Community College$1.024%
- Plymouth County Assessor$0.25<1%
- Plymouth County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.12<1%
Rates over time
Per $1,000 of taxable value: the typical combined rate people in Le Mars pay, and the city government’s own piece of it.
| Year | Combined | City’s own |
|---|---|---|
| FY20 | $27.82 | $11.90 |
| FY21 | $27.46 | $11.90 |
| FY22 | $27.28 | $11.90 |
| FY23 | $27.06 | $11.90 |
| FY24 | $27.07 | $11.90 |
| FY25 | $27.59 | $12.78 |
| FY26 | $28.70 | $11.87 |
| FY27 | $27.57 | $11.18 |
Show the numbers
| Year | Combined | City’s own |
|---|---|---|
| FY20 | $27.82 | $11.90 |
| FY21 | $27.46 | $11.90 |
| FY22 | $27.28 | $11.90 |
| FY23 | $27.06 | $11.90 |
| FY24 | $27.07 | $11.90 |
| FY25 | $27.59 | $12.78 |
| FY26 | $28.70 | $11.87 |
| FY27 | $27.57 | $11.18 |
Compared with places this size3
Le Mars’s city property tax rate of $11.18 per $1,000 is the 5th lowest of 27 Iowa cities with 7,300–16,000 people. The middle of the group is $15.13.
See all 27
| # | Place | Rate per $1,000 | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keokuk | $19.68 | 9,462 |
| 2 | Fort Madison | $18.84 | 9,983 |
| 3 | Denison | $18.69 | 8,302 |
| 4 | Perry | $17.91 | 8,046 |
| 5 | Waverly | $17.53 | 10,576 |
| 6 | Knoxville | $17.46 | 7,440 |
| 7 | Newton | $17.10 | 15,709 |
| 8 | Fairfield | $16.69 | 9,511 |
| 9 | Webster City | $16.51 | 7,763 |
| 10 | Grinnell | $15.60 | 9,495 |
| 11 | Decorah | $15.52 | 7,454 |
| 12 | Washington | $15.21 | 7,281 |
| 13 | Storm Lake | $15.17 | 11,627 |
| 14 | Boone | $15.13 | 12,461 |
| 15 | Creston | $14.99 | 7,421 |
| 16 | Norwalk | $14.89 | 15,396 |
| 17 | Oskaloosa | $14.47 | 11,575 |
| 18 | Spencer | $13.84 | 11,418 |
| 19 | Hiawatha | $13.78 | 7,347 |
| 20 | Pleasant Hill | $12.10 | 11,942 |
| 21 | Mount Pleasant | $11.94 | 8,509 |
| 22 | Carroll | $11.25 | 10,125 |
| 23 | Le Mars | $11.18 | 10,674 |
| 24 | Sioux Center | $11.05 | 8,675 |
| 25 | Bondurant | $10.82 | 9,511 |
| 26 | Pella | $10.75 | 10,965 |
| 27 | Clear Lake | $9.85 | 7,602 |
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.
Budget and spending
Where each dollar of Le Mars’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 26 Iowa cities closest in size (7,300–16,000 people).
| Where it goes | Of each dollar | Cities this size (26) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Type / Enterprise | 82¢ | 32¢ |
| Capital Projects | 7¢ | 23¢ |
| Public Safety | 4¢ | 14¢ |
| Culture and Recreation | 2¢ | 8¢ |
| Public Works | 2¢ | 8¢ |
| Everything else | 4¢ | 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.
The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($112.6M in FY26), so this total is low.
Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
| Function | Budget | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works | $2.3M | $3.0M |
| Public Safety | $3.8M | $3.8M |
| Health and Social Services | $0 | $0 |
| General Government | $1.6M | $1.5M |
| Debt Service | $2.0M | $2.0M |
| Culture and Recreation | $2.9M | $3.1M |
| Community and Economic Development | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Capital Projects | $3.3M | $4.8M |
| Business Type / Enterprise | $68.6M | $64.3M |
What it spent each year
FY24 left out4
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
$1.5M in FY25: down 12% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 30% less. Road Use Tax, the money for streets the state sends every year by formula, is up 18% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 6% less; grants come and go.
| Source | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road Use Tax (streets) | $1.4M | $1.5M | $1.5M | $1.5M |
| Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”) | $252,691 | – | – | – |
| State grants | $9,899 | $22,929 | $297,319 | $12,381 |
| Iowa Economic Development Authority | – | – | – | – |
| Iowa DOT projects | – | – | – | – |
Show the numbers
| Source | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road Use Tax (streets) | $1.4M | $1.5M | $1.5M | $1.5M |
| Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”) | $252,691 | – | – | – |
| State grants | $9,899 | $22,929 | $297,319 | $12,381 |
| Iowa Economic Development Authority | – | – | – | – |
| Iowa DOT projects | – | – | – | – |
Has it kept up with prices?
Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.
- Road Use Tax (streets)−6%$1.3M → $1.5M, up 18% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 6% less
- State grants−23%$12,889 → $12,381, down 4% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 23% 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 67% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 33% more.
Federal grants, for comparison: $387,189 in FY25.
Elections
Most recent: November 3, 2026
Ballot measures · 1
Failed Yes 45.3% (1,802) · No 54.7% (2,177)
Passes with more yes votes than no.
Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Le Mars; official results are on each county auditor’s site.
Related places
At the Statehouse and in Congress6
Jeff Taylor (Sen. 2)Thomas M. Jeneary (Rep. 3)
U.S. House:District 4