Who runs it
The city council passes ordinances, adopts the budget and sets the city’s property tax.
- Dale KooimaRock Valley City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Jeremy Van't HulRock Valley City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Rod De KamRock Valley City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Jeff KoldenhovenRock Valley City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Kevin Van OtterlooRock Valley Mayor · elected November 7, 2023
- Mark FaberRock Valley 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 Rock Valley
The combined rate in most of Rock Valley is $35.31 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). The city sets only its own piece. Estimate your bill.
- Rock Valley schools$15.8345%
- City of Rock Valley$13.7639%
- Sioux County$4.0712%
- Northwest Iowa Community. College$1.314%
- Sioux County Assessor$0.22<1%
- Sioux County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.12<1%
Compared with places this size3
Rock Valley’s city property tax rate of $13.76 per $1,000 is the 26th lowest of 65 Iowa cities with 2,700–5,800 people. The middle of the group is $14.77.
See all 65
| # | Place | Rate per $1,000 | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Oak | $20.65 | 5,420 |
| 2 | Bloomfield | $20.41 | 2,773 |
| 3 | Oelwein | $20.16 | 5,788 |
| 4 | Sibley | $19.77 | 2,787 |
| 5 | Albia | $19.70 | 3,579 |
| 6 | Eagle Grove | $19.32 | 3,615 |
| 7 | Iowa Falls | $18.86 | 4,993 |
| 8 | West Liberty | $18.68 | 3,724 |
| 9 | Chariton | $18.37 | 4,278 |
| 10 | Tama | $17.74 | 2,997 |
| 11 | Clarion | $17.74 | 2,751 |
| 12 | Clarinda | $17.25 | 5,334 |
| 13 | Madrid | $16.93 | 2,824 |
| 14 | Centerville | $16.85 | 5,345 |
| 15 | Algona | $16.75 | 5,341 |
| 16 | Grundy Center | $16.36 | 2,821 |
| 17 | Vinton | $16.25 | 4,962 |
| 18 | Winterset | $16.15 | 5,421 |
| 19 | Cresco | $16.13 | 3,890 |
| 20 | Humboldt | $16.00 | 4,774 |
| 21 | Anamosa | $15.95 | 5,845 |
| 22 | Forest City | $15.77 | 4,199 |
| 23 | Tipton | $15.54 | 3,059 |
| 24 | Sheldon | $15.33 | 5,584 |
| 25 | Estherville | $15.27 | 5,796 |
| 26 | Harlan | $15.07 | 4,898 |
| 27 | Shenandoah | $15.02 | 4,878 |
| 28 | Manchester | $14.96 | 5,283 |
| 29 | Jefferson | $14.88 | 4,148 |
| 30 | Hampton | $14.86 | 4,340 |
| 31 | Carlisle | $14.82 | 4,381 |
| 32 | Cherokee | $14.82 | 5,186 |
| 33 | Glenwood | $14.77 | 5,250 |
| 34 | Waukon | $14.76 | 3,799 |
| 35 | Rock Rapids | $14.57 | 2,709 |
| 36 | Monticello | $14.49 | 4,095 |
| 37 | Osceola | $14.37 | 5,585 |
| 38 | Windsor Heights | $14.30 | 5,106 |
| 39 | Osage | $14.29 | 3,559 |
| 40 | Rock Valley | $13.76 | 4,024 |
| 41 | Sergeant Bluff | $13.70 | 5,335 |
| 42 | Emmetsburg | $13.70 | 3,632 |
| 43 | Wilton | $13.62 | 2,914 |
| 44 | Mount Vernon | $13.50 | 4,518 |
| 45 | New Hampton | $13.44 | 3,433 |
| 46 | Hudson | $13.19 | 2,916 |
| 47 | Garner | $12.86 | 3,049 |
| 48 | Camanche | $12.75 | 4,536 |
| 49 | Le Claire | $12.64 | 4,776 |
| 50 | Milford | $12.57 | 3,258 |
| 51 | Onawa | $12.32 | 2,795 |
| 52 | Huxley | $11.68 | 4,737 |
| 53 | West Branch | $11.63 | 2,876 |
| 54 | Mitchellville | $11.54 | 2,686 |
| 55 | Solon | $11.53 | 3,284 |
| 56 | Williamsburg | $11.11 | 3,380 |
| 57 | Carter Lake | $10.67 | 3,752 |
| 58 | Story City | $10.39 | 3,439 |
| 59 | Kalona | $10.37 | 2,762 |
| 60 | Dyersville | $10.27 | 4,559 |
| 61 | Spirit Lake | $10.17 | 5,548 |
| 62 | West Burlington | $10.15 | 3,249 |
| 63 | Robins | $9.68 | 3,362 |
| 64 | Fairfax | $8.10 | 2,937 |
| 65 | Evansdale | $8.00 | 4,515 |
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 Rock Valley’s budget goes, FY26
| Where it goes | Of each dollar | Cities this size (64) |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Projects | 79¢ | 16¢ |
| Debt Service | 11¢ | 8¢ |
| Business Type / Enterprise | 3¢ | 38¢ |
| Public Safety | 2¢ | 13¢ |
| Culture and Recreation | 2¢ | 8¢ |
| Everything else | 2¢ | 17¢ |
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 64 Iowa cities closest in size (2,700–5,800 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 ($1.9M in FY26), so this total is low.
Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
| Function | Budget | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works | $494,300 | $579,123 |
| Public Safety | $1.2M | $1.7M |
| Health and Social Services | $0 | $0 |
| General Government | $519,550 | $636,715 |
| Debt Service | $4.2M | $3.3M |
| Culture and Recreation | $789,150 | $1.0M |
| Community and Economic Development | $1.4M | $930,876 |
| Capital Projects | $6.8M | $5.4M |
| Business Type / Enterprise | $1.9M | $2.8M |
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 9% since FY23; down 1% after inflation.
Show the numbers
| Program | FY27 | FY26 | FY25 | FY24 | FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local option sales tax | $67,237 | $856,108 | $846,462 | $793,269 | $788,424 |
Elections
Most recent: November 4, 2025
City · 1
3 seats: the top 3 win.
- Rod De Kam Winner12936.4%
- Jeremy Van't Hul Winner11632.8%
- Dale Kooima Winner10930.8%
Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Rock Valley; official results are on each county auditor’s site.