Local taxes › Washington County › Brighton

City

Brighton

$3,460 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home here, FY27, for every local government ($41.12 per $1,000 of taxable value)¹

$1,080 a yearof that goes to the city ($12.88 per $1,000)

$192,837property taxes the city levies, FY27

$535,466city 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.

Bill FarmerBrighton Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
Gerald CutlerBrighton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Kenny D. ShearonBrighton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
Charles J. EmryBrighton City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
David PrattBrighton City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
Dick GreenBrighton 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 Brighton

Homes and businesses in most of Brighton pay a combined $41.12 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Washington County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $12.88. Estimate your bill.

Washington schools$15.5438%
City of Brighton$12.8831%
Washington County$9.6824%
Kirkwood Community College$1.433%
Washington County Hospital$1.002%
Washington County Assessor$0.41<1%
Washington County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.18<1%

Rates over time

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

CombinedCity’s own

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$37.03	$10.19
FY21	$38.98	$11.96
FY22	$38.84	$11.92
FY23	$39.52	$12.06
FY24	$40.47	$12.61
FY25	$41.24	$12.68
FY26	$41.60	$12.98
FY27	$41.12	$12.88

Show the numbers

Year	Combined	City’s own
FY20	$37.03	$10.19
FY21	$38.98	$11.96
FY22	$38.84	$11.92
FY23	$39.52	$12.06
FY24	$40.47	$12.61
FY25	$41.24	$12.68
FY26	$41.60	$12.98
FY27	$41.12	$12.88

Compared with places this size³

Brighton’s city property tax rate of $12.88 per $1,000 is the 87th lowest of 178 Iowa cities with 400–890 people. The middle of the group is $12.98.

See all 178

#	Place	Rate per $1,000	People
1	Exira	$24.81	766
2	Rolfe	$22.67	505
3	Dayton	$22.51	766
4	Charter Oak	$21.32	521
5	Oxford Junction	$20.84	424
6	Correctionville	$19.84	759
7	Pomeroy	$19.60	511
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	Swea City	$18.04	545
14	Alden	$17.90	738
15	Elma	$17.82	493
16	Dows	$17.70	509
17	New Hartford	$17.69	555
18	Emerson	$17.54	401
19	Walnut	$17.46	728
20	Murray	$17.44	609
21	Thompson	$17.25	478
22	Ashton	$17.17	434
23	Colo	$17.14	856
24	Burt	$17.10	404
25	Latimer	$16.96	477
26	Adair	$16.84	792
27	Elk Horn	$16.78	631
28	Oxford	$16.70	715
29	Buffalo Center	$16.58	839
30	Whittemore	$16.54	478
31	Bancroft	$16.52	677
32	Titonka	$16.45	491
33	Eldon	$16.42	788
34	Early	$16.35	571
35	Truro	$16.34	515
36	Bayard	$16.05	402
37	Scranton	$16.01	496
38	Armstrong	$15.87	847
39	Ruthven	$15.84	710
40	Minden	$15.77	581
41	Walker	$15.74	671
42	Newell	$15.49	850
43	Riceville	$15.31	807
44	Russell	$15.18	475
45	Gilbertville	$15.15	792
46	Stanwood	$15.12	612
47	Stratford	$15.03	688
48	Zearing	$14.99	508
49	Readlyn	$14.99	857
50	Arlington	$14.98	415
51	Maynard	$14.85	466
52	Otho	$14.82	417
53	Wyoming	$14.81	526
54	Humeston	$14.80	472
55	Hopkinton	$14.79	622
56	Essex	$14.76	721
57	Gilmore City	$14.60	484
58	Garnavillo	$14.52	751
59	Maxwell	$14.50	862
60	Sabula	$14.38	498
61	Collins	$14.32	503
62	Clermont	$14.30	571
63	Moulton	$14.25	596
64	Ocheyedan	$14.22	424
65	Mcgregor	$14.20	725
66	Olin	$14.19	652
67	Garwin	$14.08	469
68	Farragut	$14.07	480
69	Elgin	$14.05	676
70	Lime Springs	$13.95	467
71	Dow City	$13.94	477
72	Ossian	$13.88	777
73	Redfield	$13.73	719
74	Victor	$13.72	852
75	Sioux Rapids	$13.63	722
76	Donnellson	$13.63	859
77	Albion	$13.58	444
78	Gladbrook	$13.58	775
79	Lamont	$13.57	429
80	New Albin	$13.55	435
81	Rockford	$13.52	722
82	Boyden	$13.39	694
83	Van Horne	$13.27	768
84	Keota	$13.21	888
85	Quasqueton	$13.12	587
86	Farmington	$13.10	583
87	Anthon	$13.05	534
88	Little Rock	$13.03	447
89	Coggon	$12.99	691
90	Lehigh	$12.97	395
91	Earlville	$12.90	713
92	Brighton	$12.88	592
93	Montrose	$12.78	734
94	Goldfield	$12.73	617
95	Wellsburg	$12.68	709
96	Delmar	$12.68	541
97	Galva	$12.68	416
98	Badger	$12.67	540
99	Martensdale	$12.63	413
100	Stanton	$12.62	664
101	Hospers	$12.58	703
102	Norway	$12.53	463
103	Everly	$12.51	570
104	Hazleton	$12.48	711
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	Hawkeye	$12.11	429
113	Afton	$11.96	864
114	Lowden	$11.93	767
115	Albert City	$11.88	627
116	Runnells	$11.79	467
117	Allerton	$11.72	432
118	Merrill	$11.64	713
119	Ellsworth	$11.57	495
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	Dunkerton	$11.30	840
126	Miles	$11.28	400
127	Sutherland	$11.25	628
128	Arcadia	$11.23	588
129	Whiting	$11.21	725
130	Shelby	$11.17	730
131	Blairstown	$11.04	705
132	Manilla	$11.01	756
133	Milton	$10.98	395
134	Hamburg	$10.95	863
135	Ireton	$10.93	571
136	Fontanelle	$10.88	684
137	Richland	$10.82	532
138	Grand Mound	$10.78	608
139	Batavia	$10.77	434
140	Cambridge	$10.53	844
141	Lovilia	$10.46	456
142	Schleswig	$10.39	820
143	Melbourne	$10.38	771
144	Radcliffe	$10.37	540
145	Stacyville	$10.36	436
146	Ventura	$10.22	701
147	Milo	$10.20	762
148	Hartford	$10.16	729
149	What Cheer	$10.01	595
150	Newhall	$9.99	887
151	Cumming	$9.85	527
152	Graettinger	$9.81	810
153	Breda	$9.80	492
154	Doon	$9.78	640
155	Long Grove	$9.59	849
156	Alleman	$9.12	439
157	Winthrop	$8.94	814
158	Crescent	$8.72	626
159	Ainsworth	$8.62	511
160	Grand Junction	$8.57	715
161	Gilman	$8.10	530
162	Lakeside	$8.10	695
163	Lost Nation	$8.10	425
164	Kellogg	$8.10	597
165	Grandview	$8.10	431
166	Agency	$7.94	623
167	Fremont	$7.86	688
168	Delhi	$7.81	438
169	Klemme	$7.74	429
170	Beacon	$7.56	434
171	Marquette	$7.08	434
172	Raymond	$6.85	754
173	Keystone	$6.80	616
174	Shueyville	$6.79	725
175	New Virginia	$5.97	499
176	University Park	$5.27	476
177	Orleans	$4.13	503
178	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$117,65661%
Total Employee Benefit Levies$26,93514%
Liability, property & self insurance costs$26,55514%
Debt Service Levy$20,92111%

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of Brighton’s budget goes, FY26

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 177 Iowa cities closest in size (400–890 people).

Where it goes	Of each dollar	Cities this size (177)
Business Type / Enterprise	56¢	40¢
Public Safety	14¢	10¢
Public Works	14¢	17¢
General Government	8¢	12¢
Community and Economic Development	3¢	1¢
Everything else	5¢	14¢

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$187,94535%
Public Works$143,23427%
General Government$99,79719%
Culture and Recreation$39,2907%
Community and Economic Development$34,0006%
Debt Service$21,2004%
Capital Projects$10,0002%

The state’s FY27 file doesn’t include business type / enterprise yet ($656,908 in FY26), so this total is low.

Budget compared with what it spent, FY23

Function	Budget	Spent
Public Works	$137,373	$155,915
Public Safety	$84,386	$78,855
Health and Social Services	$0	$0
General Government	$57,085	$98,050
Debt Service	$20,850	$21,201
Culture and Recreation	$40,360	$31,901
Community and Economic Development	$284,500	$160,216
Capital Projects	$2.5M	$747,991
Business Type / Enterprise	$502,090	$588,912

What it spent each year

FY24 left out⁴

$7.6M

$2.5M

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’25

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? ⁵

What the state pays the city

$88,011 in FY25: up 4% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 17% less. Road Use Tax, the money for streets the state sends every year by formula, is up 1% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 19% less; grants come and go.

In today's dollarsActual dollars

Source	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)	$84,237	$82,567	$84,752	$85,212
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)	–	–	$5,926	$794
Other	–	–	–	$2,005

Show the numbers

Source	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25
Road Use Tax (streets)	$84,237	$82,567	$84,752	$85,212
Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)	–	–	$5,926	$794
Other	–	–	–	$2,005

Has it kept up with prices?

Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.

Road Use Tax (streets)−19%$84,229 → $85,212, up 1% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 19% 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 31% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 4% more.

$94,562

$91,881

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25

Federal grants, for comparison: $6,935 in FY25.

Elections

Most recent: November 4, 2025

City · 2

Brighton City Council At-Large

2 seats: the top 2 win.

Gerald Cutler Winner9073.2%
Kenny D. Shearon Winner3326.8%

Brighton Mayor

Bill Farmer Unopposed90100.0%

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

Related places

At the Statehouse and in Congress⁶

Dawn Driscoll (Sen. 46)Heather Hora (Rep. 92)

U.S. House:District 1

Washington County Washington 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. ↩
The state’s FY24 spending file repeats the year before for nearly every Iowa city, so that year isn’t shown. ↩
From the city’s annual financial reports to the state (Iowa Data Hub, city actual revenues). “Today’s dollars” adjusts each year by the consumer price index for the Midwest, so a flat line in today’s dollars means the money buys the same as before. ↩
Legislative and congressional districts that cover Brighton; percentages are rough shares of its area. These lawmakers write the state laws and budget Brighton 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.