Who runs it
The city council passes ordinances, adopts the budget and sets the city’s property tax.
- Gary ByersLawton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Jesse PedersenLawton Mayor · elected November 4, 2025
- Nathan NiehusLawton City Council At-Large · elected November 4, 2025
- Erin NelsonLawton City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Kevin HeissLawton City Council At-Large · elected November 7, 2023
- Matthew OttoLawton 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 Lawton
Homes and businesses in most of Lawton pay a combined $26.52 per $1,000 of taxable value (FY27). They pay it all to the Woodbury County treasurer, who passes each government its share; the city sets and gets only its own piece, $7.10. Estimate your bill.
- Lawton-Bronson schools$10.8041%
- Woodbury County$7.1127%
- City of Lawton$7.1027%
- Western Iowa Tech Community College$1.024%
- Woodbury County Assessor$0.381%
- Woodbury County Extension (ISU Extension and Outreach)$0.11<1%
Rates over time
Per $1,000 of taxable value: the typical combined rate people in Lawton pay, and the city government’s own piece of it.
| Year | Combined | City’s own |
|---|---|---|
| FY20 | $32.40 | $8.10 |
| FY21 | $31.82 | $7.90 |
| FY22 | $31.80 | $8.05 |
| FY23 | $30.88 | $7.34 |
| FY24 | $27.84 | $7.38 |
| FY25 | $26.59 | $7.17 |
| FY26 | $26.57 | $7.10 |
| FY27 | $26.52 | $7.10 |
Show the numbers
| Year | Combined | City’s own |
|---|---|---|
| FY20 | $32.40 | $8.10 |
| FY21 | $31.82 | $7.90 |
| FY22 | $31.80 | $8.05 |
| FY23 | $30.88 | $7.34 |
| FY24 | $27.84 | $7.38 |
| FY25 | $26.59 | $7.17 |
| FY26 | $26.57 | $7.10 |
| FY27 | $26.52 | $7.10 |
Compared with places this size3
Lawton’s city property tax rate of $7.10 per $1,000 is the 6th lowest of 175 Iowa cities with 640–1,400 people. The middle of the group is $13.20.
See all 175
| # | 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 | Seymour | $18.78 | 646 |
| 9 | Fonda | $18.52 | 636 |
| 10 | Kanawha | $18.11 | 638 |
| 11 | Dysart | $17.95 | 1,266 |
| 12 | Greene | $17.91 | 971 |
| 13 | Alden | $17.90 | 738 |
| 14 | Lansing | $17.67 | 959 |
| 15 | Strawberry Point | $17.58 | 1,141 |
| 16 | Rockwell | $17.54 | 1,044 |
| 17 | Walnut | $17.46 | 728 |
| 18 | Gowrie | $17.17 | 943 |
| 19 | Colo | $17.14 | 856 |
| 20 | Mapleton | $16.90 | 1,114 |
| 21 | George | $16.89 | 1,106 |
| 22 | Fayette | $16.85 | 1,193 |
| 23 | Adair | $16.84 | 792 |
| 24 | Eddyville | $16.82 | 965 |
| 25 | Oxford | $16.70 | 715 |
| 26 | Buffalo Center | $16.58 | 839 |
| 27 | Bancroft | $16.52 | 677 |
| 28 | Roland | $16.51 | 1,376 |
| 29 | Eldon | $16.42 | 788 |
| 30 | Aplington | $16.34 | 1,088 |
| 31 | Panora | $16.14 | 1,096 |
| 32 | Mechanicsville | $16.12 | 974 |
| 33 | Dike | $15.94 | 1,293 |
| 34 | Armstrong | $15.87 | 847 |
| 35 | Ruthven | $15.84 | 710 |
| 36 | State Center | $15.80 | 1,403 |
| 37 | Walker | $15.74 | 671 |
| 38 | Earlham | $15.55 | 1,411 |
| 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 | Logan | $15.05 | 1,351 |
| 46 | Stratford | $15.03 | 688 |
| 47 | Griswold | $15.01 | 975 |
| 48 | Readlyn | $14.99 | 857 |
| 49 | Tripoli | $14.99 | 1,208 |
| 50 | Essex | $14.76 | 721 |
| 51 | Lenox | $14.65 | 1,355 |
| 52 | Manning | $14.62 | 1,390 |
| 53 | Dunlap | $14.56 | 1,030 |
| 54 | Garnavillo | $14.52 | 751 |
| 55 | Maxwell | $14.50 | 862 |
| 56 | Coon Rapids | $14.49 | 1,258 |
| 57 | Nora Springs | $14.25 | 1,330 |
| 58 | Kingsley | $14.25 | 1,394 |
| 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 | Woodward | $14.05 | 1,383 |
| 65 | Ossian | $13.88 | 777 |
| 66 | Alton | $13.87 | 1,248 |
| 67 | Montezuma | $13.79 | 1,421 |
| 68 | Redfield | $13.73 | 719 |
| 69 | Victor | $13.72 | 852 |
| 70 | Gilbert | $13.71 | 1,397 |
| 71 | Edgewood | $13.64 | 908 |
| 72 | Sioux Rapids | $13.63 | 722 |
| 73 | Donnellson | $13.63 | 859 |
| 74 | Gladbrook | $13.58 | 775 |
| 75 | Clarksville | $13.53 | 1,238 |
| 76 | Rockford | $13.52 | 722 |
| 77 | Janesville | $13.43 | 1,052 |
| 78 | Glidden | $13.43 | 1,140 |
| 79 | Calmar | $13.39 | 1,100 |
| 80 | Boyden | $13.39 | 694 |
| 81 | Baxter | $13.32 | 983 |
| 82 | Manly | $13.29 | 1,233 |
| 83 | Anita | $13.28 | 953 |
| 84 | Van Horne | $13.27 | 768 |
| 85 | Conrad | $13.23 | 1,098 |
| 86 | Springville | $13.22 | 1,161 |
| 87 | Keota | $13.21 | 888 |
| 88 | Shellsburg | $13.20 | 987 |
| 89 | De Soto | $13.18 | 937 |
| 90 | Treynor | $13.03 | 1,104 |
| 91 | Odebolt | $13.00 | 967 |
| 92 | Coggon | $12.99 | 691 |
| 93 | Earlville | $12.90 | 713 |
| 94 | Danville | $12.87 | 910 |
| 95 | Underwood | $12.85 | 973 |
| 96 | New Sharon | $12.80 | 1,249 |
| 97 | Malvern | $12.79 | 1,056 |
| 98 | Montrose | $12.78 | 734 |
| 99 | Wellsburg | $12.68 | 709 |
| 100 | Buffalo | $12.68 | 1,163 |
| 101 | Stanton | $12.62 | 664 |
| 102 | Hospers | $12.58 | 703 |
| 103 | Hazleton | $12.48 | 711 |
| 104 | West Point | $12.39 | 903 |
| 105 | Hinton | $12.38 | 959 |
| 106 | Preston | $12.38 | 940 |
| 107 | Alburnett | $12.30 | 672 |
| 108 | Hubbard | $12.30 | 837 |
| 109 | Hedrick | $12.22 | 717 |
| 110 | Carson | $12.22 | 772 |
| 111 | Wheatland | $12.18 | 765 |
| 112 | Schaller | $12.14 | 702 |
| 113 | Winfield | $12.04 | 1,006 |
| 114 | Elkhart | $12.00 | 1,079 |
| 115 | Afton | $11.96 | 864 |
| 116 | Lowden | $11.93 | 767 |
| 117 | Tabor | $11.88 | 983 |
| 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 | Whiting | $11.21 | 725 |
| 128 | Melcher-Dallas | $11.21 | 1,193 |
| 129 | Shelby | $11.17 | 730 |
| 130 | University Heights | $11.12 | 1,188 |
| 131 | Blairstown | $11.04 | 705 |
| 132 | Manilla | $11.01 | 756 |
| 133 | Hamburg | $10.95 | 863 |
| 134 | Clarence | $10.94 | 991 |
| 135 | Fontanelle | $10.88 | 684 |
| 136 | Cambridge | $10.53 | 844 |
| 137 | Swisher | $10.39 | 909 |
| 138 | Schleswig | $10.39 | 820 |
| 139 | Melbourne | $10.38 | 771 |
| 140 | Elk Run Heights | $10.33 | 1,061 |
| 141 | Fredericksburg | $10.27 | 983 |
| 142 | Lake Park | $10.25 | 1,155 |
| 143 | Ventura | $10.22 | 701 |
| 144 | Inwood | $10.22 | 962 |
| 145 | Milo | $10.20 | 762 |
| 146 | Hartford | $10.16 | 729 |
| 147 | Central City | $10.01 | 1,254 |
| 148 | Newhall | $9.99 | 887 |
| 149 | Graettinger | $9.81 | 810 |
| 150 | Doon | $9.78 | 640 |
| 151 | Long Grove | $9.59 | 849 |
| 152 | Lake View | $9.39 | 1,120 |
| 153 | Paullina | $9.21 | 979 |
| 154 | Fairbank | $9.00 | 1,133 |
| 155 | Winthrop | $8.94 | 814 |
| 156 | Walford | $8.72 | 1,357 |
| 157 | Keosauqua | $8.58 | 944 |
| 158 | Grand Junction | $8.57 | 715 |
| 159 | Princeton | $8.24 | 917 |
| 160 | Lone Tree | $8.13 | 1,341 |
| 161 | Lakeside | $8.10 | 695 |
| 162 | Riverside | $8.02 | 1,063 |
| 163 | Hills | $7.94 | 911 |
| 164 | Fremont | $7.86 | 688 |
| 165 | Larchwood | $7.52 | 954 |
| 166 | North English | $7.49 | 1,030 |
| 167 | Sloan | $7.49 | 1,078 |
| 168 | Sully | $7.41 | 891 |
| 169 | Fruitland | $7.21 | 928 |
| 170 | Lawton | $7.10 | 949 |
| 171 | Wayland | $7.07 | 935 |
| 172 | Raymond | $6.85 | 754 |
| 173 | Shueyville | $6.79 | 725 |
| 174 | Arnolds Park | $4.95 | 1,214 |
| 175 | Okoboji | $3.83 | 729 |
The $8.10 limit
Lawton’s general levy is $7.10 per $1,000 of taxable value in FY27, $1.00 below the limit.4 844 of 934 Iowa cities have a higher general levy. All cities.
FY23 $7.34 · FY24 $7.38 · FY25 $7.17 · FY26 $7.10 · FY27 $7.10 (before FY25, the general levy alone)
Tax increment financing (TIF)
Lawton’s TIF revenue, from its reports to the state.
| Year | TIF revenue |
|---|---|
| FY16 | $147,025 |
| FY17 | $219,928 |
| FY18 | $128,535 |
| FY19 | $736 |
Show the numbers
| Year | TIF revenue |
|---|---|
| FY16 | $147,025 |
| FY17 | $219,928 |
| FY18 | $128,535 |
| FY19 | $736 |
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 Lawton’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 174 Iowa cities closest in size (640–1,400 people).
| Where it goes | Of each dollar | Cities this size (174) |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works | 34¢ | 15¢ |
| Business Type / Enterprise | 23¢ | 40¢ |
| General Government | 13¢ | 9¢ |
| Capital Projects | 12¢ | 9¢ |
| Culture and Recreation | 8¢ | 9¢ |
| Everything else | 11¢ | 18¢ |
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 ($293,574 in FY26), so this total is low.
Budget compared with what it spent, FY23
| Function | Budget | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works | $295,322 | $228,440 |
| Public Safety | $77,620 | $69,970 |
| Health and Social Services | $0 | $0 |
| General Government | $114,989 | $117,940 |
| Debt Service | $36,000 | $0 |
| Culture and Recreation | $43,449 | $37,817 |
| Community and Economic Development | $5,000 | $2,855 |
| Capital Projects | $678,000 | $763,921 |
| Business Type / Enterprise | $445,467 | $275,703 |
What it spent each year
FY24 left out5
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? 6
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: $134,556 in FY25, up 13% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 10% less. Grants are below.
Show the numbers
| Source | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road Use Tax (streets) | $129,482 | $129,767 | $133,201 | $133,924 |
| Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”) | $1,581 | $632 | $948 | $632 |
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.
| Year | Grants and projects |
|---|---|
| FY19 | $0 |
| FY20 | $139,510 |
| FY21 | $7,304 |
| FY22 | $12,252 |
| FY23 | $0 |
| FY24 | $0 |
| FY25 | $0 |
Show the numbers
| Year | Grants and projects |
|---|---|
| FY19 | $0 |
| FY20 | $139,510 |
| FY21 | $7,304 |
| FY22 | $12,252 |
| FY23 | $0 |
| FY24 | $0 |
| FY25 | $0 |
Has it kept up with prices?
Each source from FY19 to FY25, after inflation.
- Road Use Tax (streets)−9%$117,301 → $133,924, up 14% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 9% less
- Commercial and industrial tax replacement (“backfill”)−65%$1,421 → $632, down 56% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 65% 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 40% since FY19 while prices rose 25%, so it buys 11% more.
Federal grants, for comparison: $73,489 in FY23.
Elections
Most recent: November 4, 2025
City · 2
2 seats: the top 2 win.
- Nathan Niehus Winner18634.3%
- Gary Byers Winner13224.4%
- Ashley Orzechowski 12923.8%
- Christian Bergheim 9517.5%
- Jesse Pedersen Winner3866.7%
- Bryan McNaughton 1933.3%
Local races from civicAPI and county auditors for Lawton; official results are on each county auditor’s site.