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Local taxes › Polk County › Altoona

City

Altoona

Polk County · How cities work

$2,350 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($27.86 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$910 a yearof that goes to the city ($10.75 per $1,000)
$15.7Mproperty taxes the city levies, FY27
$87.1Mcity 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.

  • Jayme McFaddenAltoona City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Josh R. DunwoodyAltoona City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Scott DuerAltoona City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Dean O'ConnorAltoona Mayor · elected November 7, 2023
  • Jerry EvansAltoona City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
  • Julie StewartAltoona 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 Altoona

Homes and businesses in most of Altoona pay a combined $26.28 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Polk County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $10.75. Estimate your bill.

Rates over time

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

YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$30.75$9.94
FY21$30.63$10.75
FY22$30.25$10.75
FY23$28.30$10.75
FY24$28.14$10.75
FY25$27.97$10.75
FY26$27.97$10.75
FY27$27.86$10.75
Show the numbers
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$30.75$9.94
FY21$30.63$10.75
FY22$30.25$10.75
FY23$28.30$10.75
FY24$28.14$10.75
FY25$27.97$10.75
FY26$27.97$10.75
FY27$27.86$10.75

Compared with places this size3

Altoona’s city property tax rate of $10.75 per $1,000 is the 3rd lowest of 16 Iowa cities with 15,000–28,000 people. The middle of the group is $14.80.

Ottumwa: $21.01Fort Dodge: $20.89Newton: $17.10Clinton: $16.80Marshalltown: $16.25Muscatine: $16.17Burlington: $15.94Norwalk: $14.89Coralville: $14.70Mason City: $14.47Indianola: $13.33North Liberty: $11.84Johnston: $11.39Grimes: $10.70Clive: $9.92Altoona: $10.75$9.92 lowest$21.01 highestmiddle
See all 16
#PlaceRate per $1,000People
1Ottumwa$21.0125,648
2Fort Dodge$20.8924,886
3Newton$17.1015,709
4Clinton$16.8024,118
5Marshalltown$16.2527,886
6Muscatine$16.1723,298
7Burlington$15.9423,637
8Norwalk$14.8915,396
9Coralville$14.7023,959
10Mason City$14.4726,948
11Indianola$13.3316,297
12North Liberty$11.8421,904
13Johnston$11.3925,022
14Altoona$10.7522,598
15Grimes$10.7017,266
16Clive$9.9219,508

The $8.10 limit

Altoona’s general levy is $7.49 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $0.61 below the limit.4 810 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

FY23 $8.10 · FY24 $8.10 · FY25 $7.86 · FY26 $7.71 · FY27 $7.49 (before FY25, the general levy alone)

Outside the limit: $3.27 more5

  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$2.35 · $3.3M
  • Debt Service Levy$0.92 · $1.9M

Tax increment financing (TIF)

$728.9M of taxable value in Altoona is in TIF districts’ increment (34% of the city’s taxable value), 2025 valuations, taxed in FY27.6 It budgeted $16.7M in TIF revenue for FY25.

$12.7M
$11.0M

What that value would raise at each government’s rate, FY277

Taxes on TIF value go to the city’s TIF fund instead of the governments that levy them, including about $7.2M of the city’s own.

  • Polk County$4.4M
YearTIF revenue
FY16$10.2M
FY17$11.6M
FY18$11.6M
FY19$9.4M
FY20$10.7M
FY21$12.7M
FY22$12.6M
FY23$11.0M
Show the numbers
YearTIF revenue
FY16$10.2M
FY17$11.6M
FY18$11.6M
FY19$9.4M
FY20$10.7M
FY21$12.7M
FY22$12.6M
FY23$11.0M

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$10.5M67%
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$3.3M21%
  • Debt Service Levy$1.9M12%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Altoona’s budget goes, FY26

Capital Projects: 38¢ of every dollar38¢Business Type / Enterprise: 23¢ of every dollar23¢Debt Service: 13¢ of every dollar13¢Public Safety: 11¢ of every dollar11¢Community and Economic Development: 6¢ of every dollarEverything else: 10¢ of every dollar10¢

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 15 Iowa cities closest in size (15,000–28,000 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCities this size (15)
Capital Projects38¢22¢
Business Type / Enterprise23¢33¢
Debt Service13¢11¢
Public Safety11¢14¢
Community and Economic Development6¢4¢
Everything else10¢17¢

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$30.4M35%
  • Debt Service$17.7M20%
  • Public Safety$15.9M18%
  • Community and Economic Development$9.5M11%
  • Culture and Recreation$6.0M7%
  • General Government$4.5M5%
  • Public Works$3.2M4%
  • Health and Social Services$30,0000%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($32.6M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
FunctionBudgetSpent
Public Works$2.3M$7.4M
Public Safety$10.8M$11.2M
Health and Social Services$26,000$14,196
General Government$2.9M$3.9M
Debt Service$11.6M$11.6M
Culture and Recreation$5.9M$6.6M
Community and Economic Development$8.8M$9.4M
Capital Projects$11.7M$0
Business Type / Enterprise$26.5M$21.2M

What it spent each year

FY24 left out8

$96.6M
$94.7M

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Altoona owes

$120.6M at June 30, 2026: $6,164 per resident. 77th most per resident of 939 Iowa places of its kind (the list).9

$121.2M
$120.6M
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$120.6M$6,164
2025$93.3M$4,771
2024$99.0M$5,059
2023$101.6M$5,192
2022$101.7M$5,200
2021$102.7M$5,248
2020$97.3M$4,972
2019$71.1M$3,632
2018$70.0M$3,579
2017$121.2M$6,196
2016$84.2M$4,306
2015$84.7M$4,328
2014$89.0M$4,551
2013$97.3M$4,972
2012$101.4M$5,184
2011$103.3M$5,279
2010$103.7M$5,302
Show the numbers
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$120.6M$6,164
2025$93.3M$4,771
2024$99.0M$5,059
2023$101.6M$5,192
2022$101.7M$5,200
2021$102.7M$5,248
2020$97.3M$4,972
2019$71.1M$3,632
2018$70.0M$3,579
2017$121.2M$6,196
2016$84.2M$4,306
2015$84.7M$4,328
2014$89.0M$4,551
2013$97.3M$4,972
2012$101.4M$5,184
2011$103.3M$5,279
2010$103.7M$5,302

Up 16% since 2010.

The 5% limit10

General obligation debt is $120.6M, 76% of the limit of about $158.6M (5% of $3.17B, the full value of its taxable property in 2024).

15 obligations at June 30, 2026
KindForPaid off byOwed
General Obligation2025A Urban Renewal Bond Note2039$33.6M
General Obligation2026A Urban Renewal Bond Note (Refinance 2016C)2036$25.9M
General Obligation2020A: Construct New Police Station & City Hall Facility2039$23.5M
General Obligation2025B Urban Renewal Bond Note2035$6.0M
General Obligation2022: Road Projects2034$5.0M
General Obligation2023 Street Projects2035$4.1M
General Obligation2017: Gay Lea Bike Trail & Widening Adventureland DR2032$3.6M
General Obligation2020B: 8th ST and 1st AVE Street Repairs2030$3.5M
General Obligation2019: Street Projects, 1st AVE N, 8th ST, Meadow Vista, Spring Creek2032$3.4M
General Obligation2021: Golf Course #012031$3.2M
General Obligation2018: Streets, Community Room2030$2.9M
General Obligation2024 Street Projects2034$2.1M
General Obligation2020C: Golf course Repairs2030$1.6M
General Obligation2016A: Advance Refund of #92029$1.3M
General Obligation2016B: Refunding Bond2028$785,000

General obligation bonds are repaid from property taxes; revenue bonds and loans from the fees or revenue they’re tied to. On the Treasurer’s site

Money in reserve

The state’s budget files don’t include cities’ fund balances11. Altoona’s latest audit has them: Financial Statement, period ending Monday, June 30, 2025 (PDF).

Audits12

The latest: Financial Statement for the period ending Monday, June 30, 2025 (PDF), released Tuesday, December 16, 2025, by a CPA firm.

16 earlier reports for Altoona

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? 13

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: $3.3M in FY25, up 26% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 1% more. Grants are below.

Show the numbers
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$2.6M$2.7M$2.8M$2.8M
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)$923,517$738,757$569,284$489,674

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.

$1.8M
$1.1M
  • Iowa DOT projects$946,02088%
  • Other$100,0009%
  • GTSB$29,2073%
YearGrants and projects
FY19$121,928
FY20$91,963
FY21$1.8M
FY22$0
FY23$32,344
FY24$538,435
FY25$1.1M
Show the numbers
YearGrants and projects
FY19$121,928
FY20$91,963
FY21$1.8M
FY22$0
FY23$32,344
FY24$538,435
FY25$1.1M

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

  • Road Use Tax (streets)+18%$1.9M → $2.8M, up 48% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 18% more
  • Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)−44%$703,117 → $489,674, down 30% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 44% 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 93% since FY20 while prices rose 24%, so it buys 56% more.

$4.1M
$3.9M

Federal grants, for comparison: $2.3M in FY25.

Business awards

Every award statewide

State economic development awards

2 businesses have state awards in ALTOONA: $26.0M in grants, loans and tax benefits, for 72 jobs. Closed projects promised 31 jobs; 31 were there at the end.14

  • Siculus, Inc.
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY19 · Closed: Met its contract · 31 jobs required, 31 at the end
    $0
  • Siculus, Inc.
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY13 · Under contract: Keeping the jobs · 41 jobs required, 41 reported
    $26.0M

Community college new jobs training: 5 contracts since 2013 worth $1.9M, for 418 pledged jobs.

Awards 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)15.

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 · 1

3 seats: the top 3 win.

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Altoona; 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.

  • Altoona City Council At-Large (2 seats)
    Now held by Julie Stewart, Jerry Evans
  • Altoona Mayor
    Now held by Dean O'Connor

Candidates as county auditors and civicAPI list them; a filing can take a few days to appear here16.

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 ballot17.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress18

Mike Pike (Sen. 20)Bill Gustoff (Rep. 40)

U.S. House:District 3

Polk CountyBondurant-Farrar schoolsSoutheast Polk schools