Who runs it
The city council passes ordinances, adopts the budget and sets the city’s property tax.
- James EvansJohnston City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Paula S. DierenfeldJohnston Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
- Rhonda MartinJohnston City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Bryan BurkhardtJohnston City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Suresh ReddyJohnston City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Tom CopeJohnston 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.
Agendas will appear here as they’re posted. Every council and board posts its agenda at least 24 hours before it meets.
Property taxes
Where a property tax dollar goes in Johnston
The combined rate in most of Johnston is $37.05 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). The city sets only its own piece. Estimate your bill.
- Johnston schools$14.9240%
- City of Johnston$11.3931%
- Polk County$6.6118%
- Broadlawns Medical Center$2.467%
- Des Moines Area Community. College$0.812%
- Johnston$0.612%
- Polk County Assessor$0.23<1%
- Polk County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.03<1%
Compared with places this size3
Johnston’s city property tax rate of $11.39 per $1,000 is the 4th lowest of 14 Iowa cities with 17,000–34,000 people. The middle of the group is $14.59.
See all 14
| # | Place | Rate per $1,000 | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottumwa | $21.01 | 25,648 |
| 2 | Fort Dodge | $20.89 | 24,886 |
| 3 | Clinton | $16.80 | 24,118 |
| 4 | Marshalltown | $16.25 | 27,886 |
| 5 | Muscatine | $16.17 | 23,298 |
| 6 | Burlington | $15.94 | 23,637 |
| 7 | Coralville | $14.70 | 23,959 |
| 8 | Mason City | $14.47 | 26,948 |
| 9 | Waukee | $12.80 | 34,420 |
| 10 | North Liberty | $11.84 | 21,904 |
| 11 | Johnston | $11.39 | 25,022 |
| 12 | Altoona | $10.75 | 22,598 |
| 13 | Grimes | $10.70 | 17,266 |
| 14 | Clive | $9.92 | 19,508 |
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 Johnston’s budget goes, FY26
| Where it goes | Of each dollar | Cities this size (13) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Type / Enterprise | 34¢ | 29¢ |
| Debt Service | 17¢ | 11¢ |
| Capital Projects | 17¢ | 26¢ |
| Public Safety | 15¢ | 13¢ |
| Culture and Recreation | 6¢ | 6¢ |
| Everything else | 11¢ | 15¢ |
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 13 Iowa cities closest in size (17,000–34,000 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.
The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($30.5M in FY26), so this total is low.
Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
| Function | Budget | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works | $4.2M | $4.2M |
| Public Safety | $10.0M | $9.7M |
| Health and Social Services | $51,600 | $36,500 |
| General Government | $1.9M | $2.6M |
| Debt Service | $14.2M | $14.0M |
| Culture and Recreation | $4.3M | $4.3M |
| Community and Economic Development | $3.8M | $2.9M |
| Capital Projects | $6.5M | $10.9M |
| Business Type / Enterprise | $22.0M | $13.7M |
What it spent each year
State money
What the state sends the city
Sales tax and property tax credits the state paid the city: up 2% since FY23; down 7% after inflation.
Show the numbers
| Program | FY27 | FY26 | FY25 | FY24 | FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local option sales tax | $391,832 | $4.9M | $4.8M | $4.8M | $4.8M |
| Ag land and family farm tax credits | – | – | – | – | – |
Elections
Most recent: November 4, 2025
City · 2
2 seats: the top 2 win.
- Rhonda Martin Winner4,11955.7%
- James Evans Winner3,27344.3%
- Paula S. Dierenfeld Unopposed4,614100.0%
Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Johnston; official results are on each county auditor’s site.