Who runs it
The city council passes ordinances, adopts the budget and sets the city’s property tax.
- Duane Dewey FlahertyPocahontas City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Gregg WhitePocahontas City Hospital Trustee · elected November 4, 2025
- Jody L. LyonPocahontas City Hospital Trustee · elected November 4, 2025
- Kristi SeilerPocahontas Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
- Nicole MJ HarrisonPocahontas City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Weston Van DongePocahontas City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Brian StoverPocahontas City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Cody DeWallPocahontas City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Kim WoodPocahontas City Hospital Trustee · elected November 7, 2023
- Patrick J. SullivanPocahontas City Hospital Trustee · elected November 7, 2023
- Rick WinegardenPocahontas City Hospital Trustee · 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 Pocahontas
Homes and businesses in most of Pocahontas pay a combined $38.57 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Pocahontas County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $20.79. Estimate your bill.
- City of Pocahontas$20.7954%
- Pocahontas Area schools$9.1024%
- Pocahontas County$6.3817%
- Iowa Central Community College$1.574%
- Pocahontas County Assessor$0.451%
- Pocahontas County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.28<1%
Rates over time
Per $1,000 of taxable value: the typical combined rate people in Pocahontas pay, and the city government’s own piece of it.
| Year | Combined | City’s own |
|---|---|---|
| FY20 | $34.58 | $15.66 |
| FY21 | $34.18 | $15.11 |
| FY22 | $35.12 | $15.39 |
| FY23 | $36.26 | $17.52 |
| FY24 | $34.19 | $18.04 |
| FY25 | $35.30 | $18.00 |
| FY26 | $36.24 | $18.52 |
| FY27 | $38.57 | $20.79 |
Show the numbers
| Year | Combined | City’s own |
|---|---|---|
| FY20 | $34.58 | $15.66 |
| FY21 | $34.18 | $15.11 |
| FY22 | $35.12 | $15.39 |
| FY23 | $36.26 | $17.52 |
| FY24 | $34.19 | $18.04 |
| FY25 | $35.30 | $18.00 |
| FY26 | $36.24 | $18.52 |
| FY27 | $38.57 | $20.79 |
Compared with places this size3
Pocahontas’s city property tax rate of $20.79 per $1,000 is the 3rd highest of 107 Iowa cities with 1,200–2,800 people. The middle of the group is $14.20.
See all 107
| # | Place | Rate per $1,000 | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eldora | $26.87 | 2,595 |
| 2 | Laurens | $24.16 | 1,253 |
| 3 | Pocahontas | $20.79 | 1,848 |
| 4 | Rockwell City | $20.74 | 2,185 |
| 5 | Belmond | $19.86 | 2,405 |
| 6 | Sac City | $19.69 | 1,992 |
| 7 | Traer | $19.56 | 1,547 |
| 8 | Corning | $19.36 | 1,509 |
| 9 | Lake City | $19.32 | 1,656 |
| 10 | Corydon | $18.22 | 1,563 |
| 11 | Toledo | $18.21 | 2,372 |
| 12 | La Porte City | $18.08 | 2,267 |
| 13 | Dysart | $17.95 | 1,266 |
| 14 | Clarion | $17.74 | 2,751 |
| 15 | Britt | $17.72 | 2,001 |
| 16 | Missouri Valley | $17.68 | 2,638 |
| 17 | Manson | $16.87 | 1,646 |
| 18 | Nashua | $16.81 | 1,515 |
| 19 | Ackley | $16.63 | 1,538 |
| 20 | West Union | $16.60 | 2,435 |
| 21 | Audubon | $16.52 | 2,008 |
| 22 | Roland | $16.51 | 1,376 |
| 23 | Monona | $16.41 | 1,462 |
| 24 | Belle Plaine | $16.34 | 2,335 |
| 25 | Colfax | $16.25 | 2,305 |
| 26 | Durant | $16.24 | 1,798 |
| 27 | Lamoni | $16.15 | 2,072 |
| 28 | Marengo | $16.10 | 2,415 |
| 29 | Dike | $15.94 | 1,293 |
| 30 | Holstein | $15.81 | 1,475 |
| 31 | State Center | $15.80 | 1,403 |
| 32 | Pleasantville | $15.80 | 1,696 |
| 33 | Postville | $15.68 | 2,418 |
| 34 | Earlham | $15.55 | 1,411 |
| 35 | Shell Rock | $15.52 | 1,265 |
| 36 | Brooklyn | $15.49 | 1,474 |
| 37 | Stuart | $15.48 | 1,887 |
| 38 | Mount Ayr | $15.32 | 1,616 |
| 39 | Granger | $15.22 | 2,095 |
| 40 | Sigourney | $15.20 | 1,974 |
| 41 | Guttenberg | $15.19 | 1,804 |
| 42 | Logan | $15.05 | 1,351 |
| 43 | Sumner | $14.83 | 2,032 |
| 44 | Woodbine | $14.80 | 1,707 |
| 45 | Bedford | $14.66 | 1,474 |
| 46 | Lenox | $14.65 | 1,355 |
| 47 | Manning | $14.62 | 1,390 |
| 48 | Van Meter | $14.60 | 1,840 |
| 49 | Rock Rapids | $14.57 | 2,709 |
| 50 | Coon Rapids | $14.49 | 1,258 |
| 51 | Jesup | $14.31 | 2,541 |
| 52 | Nora Springs | $14.25 | 1,330 |
| 53 | Kingsley | $14.25 | 1,394 |
| 54 | Urbana | $14.20 | 1,635 |
| 55 | Parkersburg | $14.15 | 1,986 |
| 56 | Hartley | $14.11 | 1,584 |
| 57 | Ida Grove | $14.10 | 1,988 |
| 58 | Woodward | $14.05 | 1,383 |
| 59 | Guthrie Center | $14.04 | 1,579 |
| 60 | Alton | $13.87 | 1,248 |
| 61 | Lake Mills | $13.82 | 2,077 |
| 62 | Montezuma | $13.79 | 1,421 |
| 63 | Gilbert | $13.71 | 1,397 |
| 64 | Clarksville | $13.53 | 1,238 |
| 65 | Avoca | $13.51 | 1,685 |
| 66 | Wapello | $13.29 | 2,026 |
| 67 | Manly | $13.29 | 1,233 |
| 68 | Center Point | $13.19 | 2,578 |
| 69 | Greenfield | $13.13 | 1,988 |
| 70 | Hawarden | $13.02 | 2,630 |
| 71 | Akron | $12.93 | 1,545 |
| 72 | Leon | $12.93 | 1,779 |
| 73 | New Sharon | $12.80 | 1,249 |
| 74 | Slater | $12.79 | 1,626 |
| 75 | Bellevue | $12.67 | 2,321 |
| 76 | Sanborn | $12.62 | 1,463 |
| 77 | New London | $12.56 | 1,853 |
| 78 | Lisbon | $12.50 | 2,238 |
| 79 | Dallas Center | $12.42 | 1,993 |
| 80 | Remsen | $12.32 | 1,681 |
| 81 | Monroe | $12.28 | 2,021 |
| 82 | Denver | $12.27 | 1,955 |
| 83 | Alta | $12.13 | 2,039 |
| 84 | Reinbeck | $12.10 | 1,673 |
| 85 | Atkins | $11.99 | 2,168 |
| 86 | Wellman | $11.88 | 1,531 |
| 87 | Blue Grass | $11.79 | 1,707 |
| 88 | Hull | $11.79 | 2,459 |
| 89 | Columbus Junction | $11.71 | 1,794 |
| 90 | Cascade | $11.64 | 2,396 |
| 91 | Mitchellville | $11.54 | 2,686 |
| 92 | Palo | $11.49 | 1,554 |
| 93 | Prairie City | $11.38 | 1,722 |
| 94 | Northwood | $11.28 | 2,047 |
| 95 | Mediapolis | $11.27 | 1,679 |
| 96 | Ely | $11.08 | 2,371 |
| 97 | Ogden | $10.99 | 1,970 |
| 98 | Farley | $10.91 | 1,723 |
| 99 | Oakland | $10.85 | 1,519 |
| 100 | Moville | $10.67 | 1,707 |
| 101 | Kalona | $10.37 | 2,762 |
| 102 | Walcott | $10.29 | 1,556 |
| 103 | Central City | $10.01 | 1,254 |
| 104 | Peosta | $9.82 | 2,195 |
| 105 | Epworth | $9.42 | 2,042 |
| 106 | Walford | $8.72 | 1,357 |
| 107 | Lone Tree | $8.13 | 1,341 |
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 Pocahontas’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 106 Iowa cities closest in size (1,200–2,800 people).
| Where it goes | Of each dollar | Cities this size (106) |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Projects | 40¢ | 13¢ |
| Business Type / Enterprise | 34¢ | 41¢ |
| Public Works | 7¢ | 11¢ |
| Community and Economic Development | 5¢ | 3¢ |
| Public Safety | 5¢ | 11¢ |
| Everything else | 9¢ | 21¢ |
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 ($3.2M in FY26), so this total is low.
Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
| Function | Budget | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works | $865,900 | $681,899 |
| Public Safety | $420,950 | $401,834 |
| Health and Social Services | $0 | $0 |
| General Government | $298,900 | $302,998 |
| Debt Service | $224,990 | $242,095 |
| Culture and Recreation | $274,879 | $263,228 |
| Community and Economic Development | $130,200 | $239,957 |
| Capital Projects | $136,500 | $494,296 |
| Business Type / Enterprise | $3.3M | $3.2M |
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
$297,778 in FY25: up 1% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 20% less. Road Use Tax, the money for streets the state sends every year by formula, is up 29% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 2% more; grants come and go.
| Source | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road Use Tax (streets) | $256,137 | $257,017 | $270,091 | $297,778 |
| State grants | $127,143 | $27,960 | $23,039 | – |
| Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”) | $25,051 | $20,041 | $13,061 | – |
Show the numbers
| Source | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road Use Tax (streets) | $256,137 | $257,017 | $270,091 | $297,778 |
| State grants | $127,143 | $27,960 | $23,039 | – |
| Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”) | $25,051 | $20,041 | $13,061 | – |
Has it kept up with prices?
Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.
- Road Use Tax (streets)+2%$231,712 → $297,778, up 29% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 2% 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 36% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 8% more.
Federal grants, for comparison: $149,376 in FY24.
Elections
Most recent: November 4, 2025
City · 3
3 seats: the top 3 win.
- Duane Dewey Flaherty Winner25428.4%
- Weston Van Donge Winner22324.9%
- Nicole MJ Harrison Winner21223.7%
- Adam Barnhardt 20122.4%
- Scattering 60.7%
2 seats: the top 2 win.
- Jody L. Lyon Winner29854.7%
- Gregg White Winner24144.2%
- Scattering 61.1%
- Kristi Seiler Winner28292.5%
- Scattering 237.5%
Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Pocahontas; official results are on each county auditor’s site.
Related places
At the Statehouse and in Congress6
Tim Kraayenbrink (Sen. 4)Wendy Larson (Rep. 7)
U.S. House:District 4