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Local taxes › Poweshiek County › Montezuma

City

Montezuma

Poweshiek County · How cities work

$2,520 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($29.95 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$1,160 a yearof that goes to the city ($13.79 per $1,000)
$942,113property taxes the city levies, FY27
$1.6Mcity 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.

  • Kian McKeagMontezuma City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Matt SimpsonMontezuma City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
  • Colin WattsMontezuma Mayor · elected November 7, 2023
  • KyLee StoneMontezuma 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 Montezuma

Homes and businesses in most of Montezuma pay a combined $29.95 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Poweshiek County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $13.79. Estimate your bill.

Rates over time

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

YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$34.19$14.88
FY21$34.35$15.00
FY22$34.54$15.24
FY23$33.81$15.22
FY24$34.26$16.06
FY25$33.44$15.79
FY26$30.92$14.46
FY27$29.95$13.79
Show the numbers
YearCombinedCity’s own
FY20$34.19$14.88
FY21$34.35$15.00
FY22$34.54$15.24
FY23$33.81$15.22
FY24$34.26$16.06
FY25$33.44$15.79
FY26$30.92$14.46
FY27$29.95$13.79

Compared with places this size3

Montezuma’s city property tax rate of $13.79 per $1,000 is the 66th highest of 135 Iowa cities with 950–2,100 people. The middle of the group is $13.53.

Elkader: $27.11Laurens: $24.16Pocahontas: $20.79Villisca: $19.74Sac City: $19.69Traer: $19.56Corning: $19.36Lake City: $19.32Corydon: $18.22Dysart: $17.95Greene: $17.91Britt: $17.72Lansing: $17.67Strawberry Point: $17.58Rockwell: $17.54Mapleton: $16.90George: $16.89Manson: $16.87Fayette: $16.85Eddyville: $16.82Nashua: $16.81Ackley: $16.63Audubon: $16.52Roland: $16.51Monona: $16.41Aplington: $16.34Durant: $16.24Lamoni: $16.15Panora: $16.14Mechanicsville: $16.12Dike: $15.94Holstein: $15.81State Center: $15.80Pleasantville: $15.80Earlham: $15.55Shell Rock: $15.52Brooklyn: $15.49Stuart: $15.48Mount Ayr: $15.32Granger: $15.22Sigourney: $15.20Guttenberg: $15.19Sidney: $15.19Logan: $15.05Griswold: $15.01Tripoli: $14.99Sumner: $14.83Woodbine: $14.80Bedford: $14.66Lenox: $14.65Manning: $14.62Van Meter: $14.60Dunlap: $14.56Coon Rapids: $14.49Nora Springs: $14.25Kingsley: $14.25Urbana: $14.20Sheffield: $14.16Parkersburg: $14.15Hartley: $14.11Ida Grove: $14.10Woodward: $14.05Guthrie Center: $14.04Alton: $13.87Lake Mills: $13.82Gilbert: $13.71Clarksville: $13.53Avoca: $13.51Janesville: $13.43Glidden: $13.43Calmar: $13.39Baxter: $13.32Wapello: $13.29Manly: $13.29Anita: $13.28Conrad: $13.23Springville: $13.22Shellsburg: $13.20Greenfield: $13.13Treynor: $13.03Odebolt: $13.00Akron: $12.93Leon: $12.93Underwood: $12.85New Sharon: $12.80Slater: $12.79Malvern: $12.79Buffalo: $12.68Sanborn: $12.62New London: $12.56Dallas Center: $12.42Hinton: $12.38Remsen: $12.32Monroe: $12.28Denver: $12.27Alta: $12.13Reinbeck: $12.10Winfield: $12.04Elkhart: $12.00Tabor: $11.88Wellman: $11.88Aurelia: $11.84Blue Grass: $11.79Columbus Junction: $11.71Palo: $11.49Prairie City: $11.38Marcus: $11.31Northwood: $11.28Mediapolis: $11.27Melcher-Dallas: $11.21University Heights: $11.12Ogden: $10.99Clarence: $10.94Farley: $10.91Oakland: $10.85Moville: $10.67Elk Run Heights: $10.33Walcott: $10.29Fredericksburg: $10.27Lake Park: $10.25Inwood: $10.22Central City: $10.01Epworth: $9.42Lake View: $9.39Paullina: $9.21Fairbank: $9.00Walford: $8.72Lone Tree: $8.13Riverside: $8.02Larchwood: $7.52North English: $7.49Sloan: $7.49Lawton: $7.10Arnolds Park: $4.95Montezuma: $13.79$4.95 lowest$27.11 highestmiddle
See all 135
#PlaceRate per $1,000People
1Elkader$27.111,192
2Laurens$24.161,253
3Pocahontas$20.791,848
4Villisca$19.741,106
5Sac City$19.691,992
6Traer$19.561,547
7Corning$19.361,509
8Lake City$19.321,656
9Corydon$18.221,563
10Dysart$17.951,266
11Greene$17.91971
12Britt$17.722,001
13Lansing$17.67959
14Strawberry Point$17.581,141
15Rockwell$17.541,044
16Mapleton$16.901,114
17George$16.891,106
18Manson$16.871,646
19Fayette$16.851,193
20Eddyville$16.82965
21Nashua$16.811,515
22Ackley$16.631,538
23Audubon$16.522,008
24Roland$16.511,376
25Monona$16.411,462
26Aplington$16.341,088
27Durant$16.241,798
28Lamoni$16.152,072
29Panora$16.141,096
30Mechanicsville$16.12974
31Dike$15.941,293
32Holstein$15.811,475
33State Center$15.801,403
34Pleasantville$15.801,696
35Earlham$15.551,411
36Shell Rock$15.521,265
37Brooklyn$15.491,474
38Stuart$15.481,887
39Mount Ayr$15.321,616
40Granger$15.222,095
41Sigourney$15.201,974
42Guttenberg$15.191,804
43Sidney$15.191,048
44Logan$15.051,351
45Griswold$15.01975
46Tripoli$14.991,208
47Sumner$14.832,032
48Woodbine$14.801,707
49Bedford$14.661,474
50Lenox$14.651,355
51Manning$14.621,390
52Van Meter$14.601,840
53Dunlap$14.561,030
54Coon Rapids$14.491,258
55Nora Springs$14.251,330
56Kingsley$14.251,394
57Urbana$14.201,635
58Sheffield$14.161,123
59Parkersburg$14.151,986
60Hartley$14.111,584
61Ida Grove$14.101,988
62Woodward$14.051,383
63Guthrie Center$14.041,579
64Alton$13.871,248
65Lake Mills$13.822,077
66Montezuma$13.791,421
67Gilbert$13.711,397
68Clarksville$13.531,238
69Avoca$13.511,685
70Janesville$13.431,052
71Glidden$13.431,140
72Calmar$13.391,100
73Baxter$13.32983
74Wapello$13.292,026
75Manly$13.291,233
76Anita$13.28953
77Conrad$13.231,098
78Springville$13.221,161
79Shellsburg$13.20987
80Greenfield$13.131,988
81Treynor$13.031,104
82Odebolt$13.00967
83Akron$12.931,545
84Leon$12.931,779
85Underwood$12.85973
86New Sharon$12.801,249
87Slater$12.791,626
88Malvern$12.791,056
89Buffalo$12.681,163
90Sanborn$12.621,463
91New London$12.561,853
92Dallas Center$12.421,993
93Hinton$12.38959
94Remsen$12.321,681
95Monroe$12.282,021
96Denver$12.271,955
97Alta$12.132,039
98Reinbeck$12.101,673
99Winfield$12.041,006
100Elkhart$12.001,079
101Tabor$11.88983
102Wellman$11.881,531
103Aurelia$11.84970
104Blue Grass$11.791,707
105Columbus Junction$11.711,794
106Palo$11.491,554
107Prairie City$11.381,722
108Marcus$11.311,069
109Northwood$11.282,047
110Mediapolis$11.271,679
111Melcher-Dallas$11.211,193
112University Heights$11.121,188
113Ogden$10.991,970
114Clarence$10.94991
115Farley$10.911,723
116Oakland$10.851,519
117Moville$10.671,707
118Elk Run Heights$10.331,061
119Walcott$10.291,556
120Fredericksburg$10.27983
121Lake Park$10.251,155
122Inwood$10.22962
123Central City$10.011,254
124Epworth$9.422,042
125Lake View$9.391,120
126Paullina$9.21979
127Fairbank$9.001,133
128Walford$8.721,357
129Lone Tree$8.131,341
130Riverside$8.021,063
131Larchwood$7.52954
132North English$7.491,030
133Sloan$7.491,078
134Lawton$7.10949
135Arnolds Park$4.951,214

The $8.10 limit

Montezuma’s general levy is $7.86 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $0.24 below the limit.4 647 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.

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

Outside the limit: $5.92 more5

  • Debt Service Levy$3.15 · $214,390
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$1.87 · $127,344
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$0.91 · $61,959

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$535,91457%
  • Debt Service Levy$214,39023%
  • Total Employee Benefit Levies$127,34414%
  • Liability, property & self insurance costs$61,9597%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Montezuma’s budget goes, FY26

Business Type / Enterprise: 79¢ of every dollar79¢Public Safety: 6¢ of every dollarPublic Works: 5¢ of every dollarGeneral Government: 4¢ of every dollarDebt Service: 4¢ of every dollarEverything else: 2¢ of every dollar

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 134 Iowa cities closest in size (950–2,100 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCities this size (134)
Business Type / Enterprise79¢40¢
Public Safety6¢10¢
Public Works5¢12¢
General Government4¢7¢
Debt Service4¢6¢
Everything else2¢11¢

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$460,06829%
  • Public Works$401,03026%
  • General Government$346,48022%
  • Debt Service$214,53514%
  • Culture and Recreation$130,7498%
  • Community and Economic Development$13,0001%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($5.2M in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
FunctionBudgetSpent
Public Works$309,700$268,878
Public Safety$465,250$428,681
Health and Social Services$0$0
General Government$257,050$211,802
Debt Service$233,347$233,346
Culture and Recreation$153,925$139,778
Community and Economic Development$5,000$33,409
Capital Projects$0$5,369
Business Type / Enterprise$4.8M$8.9M

What it spent each year

FY24 left out6

$10.2M
$9.3M

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Montezuma owes

$5.4M at June 30, 2026: $3,730 per resident. 212th most per resident of 939 Iowa places of its kind (the list).7

$8.0M
$5.4M
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$5.4M$3,730
2025$5.8M$4,021
2024$6.2M$4,300
2023$6.6M$4,576
2022$7.1M$4,915
2021$7.6M$5,244
2020$8.0M$5,571
2019$1.4M$973
2018$1.6M$1,109
2017$749,845$520
2016$1.0M$721
2015$900,000$624
2014$1.7M$1,200
2013$2.0M$1,363
2012$920,000$638
2011$1.1M$749
2010$1.3M$885
Show the numbers
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$5.4M$3,730
2025$5.8M$4,021
2024$6.2M$4,300
2023$6.6M$4,576
2022$7.1M$4,915
2021$7.6M$5,244
2020$8.0M$5,571
2019$1.4M$973
2018$1.6M$1,109
2017$749,845$520
2016$1.0M$721
2015$900,000$624
2014$1.7M$1,200
2013$2.0M$1,363
2012$920,000$638
2011$1.1M$749
2010$1.3M$885

Up 321% since 2010.

Money in reserve

The state’s budget files don’t include cities’ fund balances8. Montezuma’s latest audit has them: Financial Statement, period ending Monday, June 30, 2025 (PDF).

Audits9

The latest: Financial Statement for the period ending Monday, June 30, 2025 (PDF), released Monday, January 12, 2026, by a CPA firm.

5 earlier reports for Montezuma

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? 10

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: $213,408 in FY25, up 13% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 10% less. Grants are below.

Show the numbers
SourceFY22FY23FY24FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)$199,832$198,435$205,937$204,792
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)–––$8,616

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.

$2,554
$0
    YearGrants and projects
    FY19$0
    FY20$2,554
    FY21$0
    FY22$0
    FY23$0
    FY24$0
    FY25$0
    Show the numbers
    YearGrants and projects
    FY19$0
    FY20$2,554
    FY21$0
    FY22$0
    FY23$0
    FY24$0
    FY25$0

    Has it kept up with prices?

    Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

    • Road Use Tax (streets)−14%$188,870 → $204,792, up 8% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 14% 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 33% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 6% more.

    $240,826
    $224,975

    Federal grants, for comparison: $-2,422 in FY25.

    Business awards

    Every award statewide

    State economic development awards

    Community college new jobs training: 4 contracts since 2006 worth $460K, for 38 pledged jobs.

    Awards statewide

    Elections

    Running for mayor and city council

    Filing opens Monday, August 23, 2027: in 285 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)11.

    In a city that can hold a primary, filing runs Monday, August 9, 2027 to Thursday, August 26, 2027.

    Most recent: November 4, 2025

    Ballot measures · 1

    Passed Yes 79.3% (253) · No 20.7% (66)

    Passes with more yes votes than no.

    City · 1

    2 seats: the top 2 win.

    Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Montezuma; 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.

    • Montezuma City Council At-Large
      Now held by KyLee Stone
    • Montezuma Mayor
      Now held by Colin Watts

    Candidates as county auditors and civicAPI list them; a filing can take a few days to appear here12.

    Past ballot measures

    • Public Measure SMNovember 4, 2025

      Passed Yes 79.3% (253) · No 20.7% (66)

      Passes with more yes votes than no.

    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 ballot13.

    Related places

    At the Statehouse and in Congress14

    Annette Sweeney (Sen. 27)Dean Fisher (Rep. 53)

    U.S. House:District 2

    Poweshiek CountyMontezuma schools