City

Princeton

$2,260 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($26.82 per $1,000 of taxable value)¹

$690 a yearof that goes to the city ($8.24 per $1,000)

$391,255property taxes the city levies, FY27

$1.4Mcity 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.

Lori MaherPrinceton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Travis VolrathPrinceton Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
Zach PharesPrinceton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Brandon ForristallPrinceton City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
Keith YoungersPrinceton City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
Kevin KernanPrinceton 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

Where a property tax dollar goes in Princeton

The combined rate in most of Princeton is $26.82 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). The city sets only its own piece. Estimate your bill.

North Scott schools$11.3242%
City of Princeton$8.2431%
Scott County$5.9322%
Eastern Iowa Community. College$1.044%
Scott County Assessor$0.22<1%
Scott County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.06<1%

Compared with places this size³

Princeton’s city property tax rate of $8.24 per $1,000 is the 19th lowest of 179 Iowa cities with 610–1,400 people. The middle of the group is $12.90.

See all 179

#	Place	Rate per $1,000	People
1	Elkader	$27.11	1,192
2	Exira	$24.81	766
3	Laurens	$24.16	1,253
4	Dayton	$22.51	766
5	Correctionville	$19.84	759
6	Villisca	$19.74	1,106
7	Allison	$19.06	937
8	Dumont	$19.04	614
9	Seymour	$18.78	646
10	Dexter	$18.69	631
11	Fonda	$18.52	636
12	Kanawha	$18.11	638
13	Dysart	$17.95	1,266
14	Greene	$17.91	971
15	Alden	$17.90	738
16	Lansing	$17.67	959
17	Strawberry Point	$17.58	1,141
18	Rockwell	$17.54	1,044
19	Walnut	$17.46	728
20	Gowrie	$17.17	943
21	Colo	$17.14	856
22	Mapleton	$16.90	1,114
23	George	$16.89	1,106
24	Fayette	$16.85	1,193
25	Adair	$16.84	792
26	Eddyville	$16.82	965
27	Elk Horn	$16.78	631
28	Oxford	$16.70	715
29	Buffalo Center	$16.58	839
30	Bancroft	$16.52	677
31	Eldon	$16.42	788
32	Aplington	$16.34	1,088
33	Panora	$16.14	1,096
34	Mechanicsville	$16.12	974
35	Dike	$15.94	1,293
36	Armstrong	$15.87	847
37	Ruthven	$15.84	710
38	Walker	$15.74	671
39	Shell Rock	$15.52	1,265
40	Newell	$15.49	850
41	Riceville	$15.31	807
42	Neola	$15.30	917
43	Sidney	$15.19	1,048
44	Gilbertville	$15.15	792
45	Stanwood	$15.12	612
46	Logan	$15.05	1,351
47	Stratford	$15.03	688
48	Griswold	$15.01	975
49	Readlyn	$14.99	857
50	Tripoli	$14.99	1,208
51	Hopkinton	$14.79	622
52	Essex	$14.76	721
53	Lenox	$14.65	1,355
54	Dunlap	$14.56	1,030
55	Garnavillo	$14.52	751
56	Maxwell	$14.50	862
57	Coon Rapids	$14.49	1,258
58	Nora Springs	$14.25	1,330
59	Mcgregor	$14.20	725
60	Olin	$14.19	652
61	Primghar	$14.18	893
62	Sheffield	$14.16	1,123
63	Elgin	$14.05	676
64	Ossian	$13.88	777
65	Alton	$13.87	1,248
66	Redfield	$13.73	719
67	Victor	$13.72	852
68	Edgewood	$13.64	908
69	Sioux Rapids	$13.63	722
70	Donnellson	$13.63	859
71	Gladbrook	$13.58	775
72	Clarksville	$13.53	1,238
73	Rockford	$13.52	722
74	Janesville	$13.43	1,052
75	Glidden	$13.43	1,140
76	Calmar	$13.39	1,100
77	Boyden	$13.39	694
78	Baxter	$13.32	983
79	Manly	$13.29	1,233
80	Anita	$13.28	953
81	Van Horne	$13.27	768
82	Conrad	$13.23	1,098
83	Springville	$13.22	1,161
84	Keota	$13.21	888
85	Shellsburg	$13.20	987
86	De Soto	$13.18	937
87	Treynor	$13.03	1,104
88	Odebolt	$13.00	967
89	Coggon	$12.99	691
90	Earlville	$12.90	713
91	Danville	$12.87	910
92	Underwood	$12.85	973
93	New Sharon	$12.80	1,249
94	Malvern	$12.79	1,056
95	Montrose	$12.78	734
96	Goldfield	$12.73	617
97	Wellsburg	$12.68	709
98	Buffalo	$12.68	1,163
99	Stanton	$12.62	664
100	Hospers	$12.58	703
101	Hazleton	$12.48	711
102	West Point	$12.39	903
103	Hinton	$12.38	959
104	Preston	$12.38	940
105	Alburnett	$12.30	672
106	Hubbard	$12.30	837
107	Moravia	$12.27	625
108	Hedrick	$12.22	717
109	Carson	$12.22	772
110	Wheatland	$12.18	765
111	Schaller	$12.14	702
112	Winfield	$12.04	1,006
113	Elkhart	$12.00	1,079
114	Afton	$11.96	864
115	Lowden	$11.93	767
116	Tabor	$11.88	983
117	Albert City	$11.88	627
118	Aurelia	$11.84	970
119	Merrill	$11.64	713
120	Morning Sun	$11.50	702
121	Battle Creek	$11.49	683
122	Wall Lake	$11.43	739
123	West Bend	$11.42	770
124	Dakota City	$11.39	764
125	Marcus	$11.31	1,069
126	Dunkerton	$11.30	840
127	Sutherland	$11.25	628
128	Whiting	$11.21	725
129	Melcher-Dallas	$11.21	1,193
130	Shelby	$11.17	730
131	University Heights	$11.12	1,188
132	Blairstown	$11.04	705
133	Manilla	$11.01	756
134	Hamburg	$10.95	863
135	Clarence	$10.94	991
136	Fontanelle	$10.88	684
137	Cambridge	$10.53	844
138	Swisher	$10.39	909
139	Schleswig	$10.39	820
140	Melbourne	$10.38	771
141	Elk Run Heights	$10.33	1,061
142	Fredericksburg	$10.27	983
143	Lake Park	$10.25	1,155
144	Ventura	$10.22	701
145	Inwood	$10.22	962
146	Milo	$10.20	762
147	Hartford	$10.16	729
148	Central City	$10.01	1,254
149	Newhall	$9.99	887
150	Graettinger	$9.81	810
151	Doon	$9.78	640
152	Long Grove	$9.59	849
153	Lake View	$9.39	1,120
154	Paullina	$9.21	979
155	Fairbank	$9.00	1,133
156	Winthrop	$8.94	814
157	Walford	$8.72	1,357
158	Crescent	$8.72	626
159	Keosauqua	$8.58	944
160	Grand Junction	$8.57	715
161	Princeton	$8.24	917
162	Lone Tree	$8.13	1,341
163	Lakeside	$8.10	695
164	Riverside	$8.02	1,063
165	Agency	$7.94	623
166	Hills	$7.94	911
167	Fremont	$7.86	688
168	Larchwood	$7.52	954
169	North English	$7.49	1,030
170	Sloan	$7.49	1,078
171	Sully	$7.41	891
172	Fruitland	$7.21	928
173	Lawton	$7.10	949
174	Wayland	$7.07	935
175	Raymond	$6.85	754
176	Keystone	$6.80	616
177	Shueyville	$6.79	725
178	Arnolds Park	$4.95	1,214
179	Okoboji	$3.83	729

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$391,255100%

Budget and spending

Where each dollar of Princeton’s budget goes, FY26

Where it goes	Of each dollar	Cities this size (178)
Business Type / Enterprise	30¢	40¢
Public Safety	24¢	10¢
Public Works	18¢	16¢
Debt Service	13¢	6¢
General Government	9¢	9¢
Everything else	6¢	9¢

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 178 Iowa cities closest in size (610–1,400 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.

Public Works$503,91137%
Public Safety$339,01725%
Debt Service$210,00015%
Culture and Recreation$171,10412%
General Government$155,95311%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($489,347 in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23

Function	Budget	Spent
Public Works	$181,303	$282,806
Public Safety	$267,014	$280,354
Health and Social Services	$0	$0
General Government	$111,727	$120,546
Debt Service	$121,579	$81,680
Culture and Recreation	$119,547	$118,607
Community and Economic Development	$0	$0
Capital Projects	$160,558	$7,477
Business Type / Enterprise	$327,031	$463,663

What it spent each year

$3.1M

$1.4M

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23

State money

What the state sends the city

Sales tax and property tax credits the state paid the city: up 3% since FY23; down 6% after inflation.

In today's dollarsActual dollars

Show the numbers

Program	FY27	FY26	FY25	FY24	FY23
Local option sales tax	$15,138	$191,090	$188,353	$186,520	$185,291

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

City · 2

Princeton City Council At-Large

2 seats: the top 2 win.

Zach Phares Winner17732.6%
Lori Maher Winner16229.8%
Karen Woomert 14827.3%
Ann Geiger 5610.3%

Princeton Mayor

Travis Volrath Winner19170.2%
Tim Ruser 8129.8%

Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Princeton; official results are on each county auditor’s site.

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress⁴

Mike Zimmer (Sen. 35)Norlin G. Mommsen (Rep. 70)

U.S. House:District 1

Scott County North Scott schools

Notes

For a $200,000 home with the homestead credit, at the combined rate in most of the city. Some parts of the city pay a different rate (special districts, tax increment financing districts). ↩
Cities adopt their budgets each spring for the year starting July 1. ↩
FY27 rates from the Department of Management. A higher rate isn’t always a bigger bill: it depends on how much property there is to tax. Sizes: Census Bureau 2024 estimates. ↩
Legislative and congressional districts that cover Princeton; percentages are rough shares of its area. These lawmakers write the state laws and budget Princeton works within. ↩

Sources: City budgets and levies from the Department of Management; tax rates from the Iowa Data Hub; state payments from the Department of Revenue; prices from the consumer price index; legislative districts from Census Bureau maps.