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Local taxes › Buena Vista County

County

Buena Vista County

10 cities · 10 school districts · How counties work

$3,770 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home in a typical town here, FY27 (a rate of $44.73 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$2,150 a yearon a $200,000 home in the countryside, FY27 ($25.48 per $1,000)
$33.9Mcounty budget, FY27
$1.65Btaxable value, 2025 valuations (+29.8% in 5 years)

Who runs it

The Board of Supervisors sets the county budget and its property tax; the other officers run elections, records, taxes and law enforcement.

  • IncomingKathy CrokerBuena Vista County Board of Supervisors District 1 · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingKelly SnyderBuena Vista County Board of Supervisors District 2 · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingPaul MertenBuena Vista County Board of Supervisors District 3 · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingDanelle HabermanBuena Vista County Treasurer · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingCurtis J. ReisBuena Vista County Recorder · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingPaul AllenBuena Vista County Attorney · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingAnnie MillardBuena Vista County Agricultural Extension Council · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingBrenda HalversonBuena Vista County Hospital Trustee · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingDuane MillerBuena Vista County Hospital Trustee · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingJanice WorthanBuena Vista County Agricultural Extension Council · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingJohn WilsonBuena Vista County Agricultural Extension Council · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingNeira Ek RodriguezBuena Vista County Agricultural Extension Council · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingRichard LampeBuena Vista County Hospital Trustee · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingRobert R. DonahooBuena Vista County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingSalli NicholsBuena Vista County Agricultural Extension Council · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingSean WaldsteinBuena Vista County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingTara RadkeBuena Vista County Hospital Trustee · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingThomas BonaguraBuena Vista County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027

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 Board of Supervisors is deciding: each agenda, the resolutions and ordinances on it, and a plain-language summary.

Iowa Funnel doesn’t read this county’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

Rates over time

Typical combined rate per $1,000 of taxable value, and the county government’s own rural levy.

Show the numbers
YearIn citiesRuralCounty’s rural levy
FY27$44.73$25.48$10.80
FY26$43.95$25.92$11.14
FY25$41.19$25.36$10.90
FY24$40.84$25.23$10.96
FY23$36.91$23.41$9.34
FY22$37.70$24.86$10.80
FY21$40.56$25.18$11.08
FY20$38.20$23.89$9.89

Rates by city, FY27

Typical combined rate in each city, per $1,000 of taxable value.

CityTypical rateSince FY22
Albert City$32.47+1.1%
Alta$33.24+12.0%
Lakeside$37.66+7.9%
Linn Grove$33.06+8.3%
Marathon$35.91+2.2%
Newell$39.02+8.8%
Rembrandt$34.23+9.4%
Sioux Rapids$35.65+1.8%
Storm Lake$44.73+11.0%
Truesdale$35.47-5.9%
Show the numbers
CityTypical rateSince FY22
Albert City$32.47+1.1%
Alta$33.24+12.0%
Lakeside$37.66+7.9%
Linn Grove$33.06+8.3%
Marathon$35.91+2.2%
Newell$39.02+8.8%
Rembrandt$34.23+9.4%
Sioux Rapids$35.65+1.8%
Storm Lake$44.73+11.0%
Truesdale$35.47-5.9%

Compared with places this size2

Buena Vista County’s countywide property tax rate of $7.36 per $1,000 is the 6th highest of 35 Iowa counties with 14,000–27,000 people. The middle of the group is $6.10.

Washington County: $9.68Henry County: $9.19Hardin County: $8.26Tama County: $8.20Winneshiek County: $7.36Page County: $7.34Iowa County: $7.29Jefferson County: $6.97Clayton County: $6.89Buchanan County: $6.80Benton County: $6.77Harrison County: $6.69Allamakee County: $6.45Butler County: $6.28Jones County: $6.20Floyd County: $6.16Cedar County: $6.10Hamilton County: $6.03Clay County: $5.97Mills County: $5.90Fayette County: $5.83Delaware County: $5.79Kossuth County: $5.79Bremer County: $5.32Jackson County: $5.28Crawford County: $4.90Madison County: $4.70Mahaska County: $3.95Carroll County: $3.90Poweshiek County: $3.86O'Brien County: $3.59Plymouth County: $3.53Boone County: $3.24Dickinson County: $1.90Buena Vista County: $7.36$1.90 lowest$9.68 highestmiddle
See all 35
#PlaceRate per $1,000People
1Washington County$9.6822,631
2Henry County$9.1919,361
3Hardin County$8.2616,464
4Tama County$8.2016,738
5Winneshiek County$7.3619,723
6Buena Vista County$7.3620,816
7Page County$7.3415,038
8Iowa County$7.2916,423
9Jefferson County$6.9715,781
10Clayton County$6.8916,931
11Buchanan County$6.8020,733
12Benton County$6.7725,799
13Harrison County$6.6914,626
14Allamakee County$6.4514,184
15Butler County$6.2814,156
16Jones County$6.2021,116
17Floyd County$6.1615,008
18Cedar County$6.1018,231
19Hamilton County$6.0314,856
20Clay County$5.9716,474
21Mills County$5.9014,717
22Fayette County$5.8319,152
23Delaware County$5.7917,609
24Kossuth County$5.7914,408
25Bremer County$5.3225,328
26Jackson County$5.2819,390
27Crawford County$4.9016,378
28Madison County$4.7017,161
29Mahaska County$3.9522,034
30Carroll County$3.9020,407
31Poweshiek County$3.8618,454
32O'Brien County$3.5914,260
33Plymouth County$3.5325,825
34Boone County$3.2426,729
35Dickinson County$1.9018,158

Think your assessment is wrong?

Start by talking with the assessor’s office. If that doesn’t settle it, you can file a written protest with the local board of review from April 2 to April 30 (May 1 to June 5 in a county declared a disaster area).3

Who values property here: Buena Vista County Assessor

What a protest can and can’t change →

What’s taxed

$1.65B of taxable value in 2025 valuations, +29.8% since 2020. Who carries the load, by kind of property:

  • Homes$595.3M35%
  • Farmland and farm buildings$523.5M31%
  • Industrial$226.4M13%
  • Commercial$212.0M13%
  • Utilities, railroads and other$130.7M8%
Show the numbers
Valuation yearHomesFarmlandCommercialIndustrialTotal
2025$595.3M$523.5M$212.0M$226.4M$1.65B
2024$614.5M$478.6M$196.5M$239.7M$1.62B
2023$595.3M$464.4M$192.0M$171.9M$1.52B
2022$533.9M$463.4M$148.5M$135.1M$1.38B
2021$503.6M$449.2M$171.8M$146.5M$1.37B
2020$464.5M$408.5M$171.1M$123.6M$1.27B
2019$449.4M$395.2M$169.8M$122.2M$1.23B
2018$428.2M$401.1M$165.8M$122.6M$1.20B

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

Where each dollar of the county’s budget goes, FY27

Roads & transportation: 27¢ of every dollar27¢Public safety & legal services: 25¢ of every dollar25¢Capital projects: 15¢ of every dollar15¢Administration: 11¢ of every dollar11¢Parks, libraries, extension & environment: 9¢ of every dollar9¢Everything else: 14¢ of every dollar14¢

Planned spending from all funds. “Counties this size” is the average for the 34 counties closest in size (14,000–27,000 people).

Where it goesOf each dollarCounties this size (34)
Roads & transportation27¢34¢
Public safety & legal services25¢24¢
Capital projects15¢11¢
Administration11¢11¢
Parks, libraries, extension & environment9¢8¢
Everything else14¢13¢

The county’s budget

Buena Vista County plans to spend $33.9M in FY27, from property taxes, state and federal money, fees and its reserves. It spent $30.5M in FY25.

  • Roads & transportation$9.0M27%
  • Public safety & legal services$8.3M25%
  • Capital projects$5.1M15%
  • Administration$3.6M11%
  • Parks, libraries, extension & environment$3.0M9%
  • Physical health & social services$2.2M7%
  • Services to residents (records, elections, licenses)$1.2M4%
  • Debt payments$1.1M3%
  • Other$330,5551%

Its property tax levies, FY27

Dollars per $1,000 of taxable value. Everyone in the county pays the countywide levies; people outside cities also pay the rural ones, which mostly pay for roads and rural services.

  • General Basic · countywide$4.27
  • General Supplemental · countywide$2.76
  • Debt Service · countywide$0.33
  • Countywide · countywide$7.36
  • Rural Basic · rural$3.45
  • Total Rural · rural$10.80

Roads: spending per mile

Buena Vista County spent $7.9M on roads and transportation in FY25, $7,819 for each of its 1,007 miles of county roads: 48th most of 99 counties (the middle county spent $7,810). It budgeted $9.0M for FY27.4

$8,311
$7,819
YearSpentPer mile
FY25$7.9M$7,819
FY24$6.6M$6,536
FY23$6.8M$6,781
FY22$5.9M$5,832
FY21$5.6M$5,519
FY20$6.1M$6,017
FY19$8.4M$8,311
FY18$5.5M$5,423
Show the numbers
YearSpentPer mile
FY25$7.9M$7,819
FY24$6.6M$6,536
FY23$6.8M$6,781
FY22$5.9M$5,832
FY21$5.6M$5,519
FY20$6.1M$6,017
FY19$8.4M$8,311
FY18$5.5M$5,423

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Buena Vista County owes

$10.8M at June 30, 2026: $526 per resident. 29th most per resident of 99 Iowa counties (the list).5

$10.8M
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$10.8M$526
2025$9.6M$469
2024$7.2M$350
2023$6.9M$334
2022$3.5M$170
2021$4.8M$234
2020$3.2M$155
2019$4.0M$194
2018$5.0M$242
2017$3.0M$148
2016$3.6M$177
2015$4.5M$218
2014$6.0M$291
2013$6.8M$328
2012$6.6M$323
2011$6.7M$325
2010$7.5M$365
Show the numbers
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$10.8M$526
2025$9.6M$469
2024$7.2M$350
2023$6.9M$334
2022$3.5M$170
2021$4.8M$234
2020$3.2M$155
2019$4.0M$194
2018$5.0M$242
2017$3.0M$148
2016$3.6M$177
2015$4.5M$218
2014$6.0M$291
2013$6.8M$328
2012$6.6M$323
2011$6.7M$325
2010$7.5M$365

Up 44% since 2010.

The 5% limit6

General obligation debt is $10.8M, 8% of the limit of about $129.1M (5% of $2.58B, the full value of its taxable property in 2024).

4 obligations at June 30, 2026
KindForPaid off byOwed
General ObligationPlatinum Crush Soy Bean2041$3.4M
General ObligationRISE Grant2044$3.2M
General ObligationGO Capital Loan Note series 2025A Plat Crush2030$3.1M
General ObligationGO Capital Loan Notes Series 2023A2030$1.1M

General obligation bonds are repaid from property taxes; revenue bonds and loans from the fees or revenue they’re tied to. On the Treasurer’s site

Money in reserve

Buena Vista County plans to end FY27 with $9.0M across its funds, about 3.2 months of its planned spending.7 Why governments keep reserves

4.6 mo
3.2 mo
Show the numbers
YearStartEndMonths of spending
FY27–$9.0M3.2
FY26$14.8M$9.3M3.2
FY25$12.7M$6.6M2.3
FY24$14.2M$7.1M2.4
FY23$11.1M$6.6M2.6
FY22$9.8M$6.3M3.2
FY21$5.8M$5.2M2.7
FY20$6.8M$4.0M2.3
FY19$8.5M$4.8M2.8
FY18$10.0M$7.8M4.6
FY17$9.0M$6.9M4.5
FY16$7.1M$4.9M3.2

Audits8

The latest: Financial Statement for the period ending Monday, June 30, 2025 (PDF), released Wednesday, February 11, 2026, by a CPA firm.

18 earlier reports for Buena Vista County

Sales tax and state money

Where else the money comes from · Does state money keep pace?

Local option sales tax collected

The extra local sales tax voters approved, collected by the state and paid back to the county and its cities.

$3.8M
YearCollected
FY24$3.8M
FY23$3.7M
FY22$3.4M
FY21$3.2M
FY20$3.1M
FY19$2.8M
FY18$2.7M
FY17$2.6M
FY16$2.6M
FY15$2.5M
FY14$2.4M
Show the numbers
YearCollected
FY24$3.8M
FY23$3.7M
FY22$3.4M
FY21$3.2M
FY20$3.1M
FY19$2.8M
FY18$2.7M
FY17$2.6M
FY16$2.6M
FY15$2.5M
FY14$2.4M

Property tax credits the state pays

The state pays part of residents’ property tax bills (homestead, ag land and family farm, business, elderly and military credits): $1.3M in FY26, up 12% since FY14 while prices rose 39%, so it buys 20% less. County and city state aid for roads isn’t in the state’s county files yet.

Show the numbers
CreditFY26FY25FY24FY23FY22FY21
Homestead property tax credit$948,220$882,763$787,093$750,476$752,971$756,593
Ag land and family farm tax credits$365,512$393,421$400,163$335,321$283,734$302,494
Business property tax credit–$1.3M$1.3M$1.2M$1.2M$1.2M
Elderly and disabled property tax credit$22,638$21,728$30,696$28,644$27,840$27,500
Military service property tax credit––$7,140$7,507$8,158$8,828

Who received the state’s payments

Property tax credits and the local option sales tax the state collected and sent back, by recipient: $5.0M in FY26. The newest year may be partial.

  • Buena Vista County$2.4M47%
  • City of Storm Lake$1.7M35%
  • City of Alta$301,1856%
  • City of Newell$135,3683%
  • City of Albert City$115,1732%
  • City of Sioux Rapids$113,8562%
  • City of Lakeside$101,4022%
  • City of Marathon$38,4781%

Federal money, business awards and disasters

Federal money statewide · Business awards statewide

State economic development awards

2 businesses have state awards in Buena Vista County: $10.7M in grants, loans and tax benefits, for 51 jobs.9

  • Ranco Fertiservice, Inc. · Sioux Rapids
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY25 · Under contract: Building · 0 jobs required
    $500K
  • Platinum Crush, LLC · Alta
    High Quality Jobs Program · FY22 · Under contract: Keeping the jobs · 51 jobs required, 51 reported
    $10.2M

Community college new jobs training: 6 contracts since 1998 worth $1.6M, for 379 pledged jobs.

Awards statewide

Disaster proclamations

The Governor’s disaster proclamations that named Buena Vista County in the last three years. One can open state help and extend deadlines.

  • Gov. Reynolds announces disaster proclamation for highly pathogenic avian influenza in Buena Vista County
    March 14, 2025 · disaster · Buena Vista County · signed proclamation

    AI summary Governor Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for Buena Vista County in response to highly pathogenic avian influenza in commercial pullets. This proclamation allows state resources from Iowa Homeland Security, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and other agencies to assist with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection. It also waives regulatory provisions related to commercial vehicles responding to affected sites.10

  • Gov. Reynolds announces disaster proclamation for highly pathogenic avian influenza in Buena Vista County
    February 13, 2025 · disaster · Buena Vista County · signed proclamation

    AI summary Governor Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for Buena Vista County in response to a confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock. This proclamation allows state resources from Iowa Homeland Security, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and other agencies to assist with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection. It also waives regulatory provisions related to commercial vehicles responding to affected sites.

  • Gov. Reynolds Issues Disaster Proclamation for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Buena Vista County
    October 20, 2023 · disaster · Buena Vista County · signed proclamation

    AI summary Governor Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for Buena Vista County in response to a confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock. This proclamation allows state resources from Iowa Homeland Security, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and other agencies to assist with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection. It also waives regulatory provisions related to commercial vehicles responding to affected sites.

Every disaster proclamation

Elections

Most recent: November 3, 2026

County offices · 10

5 seats: the top 5 win.

4 seats: the top 4 win.

2 seats: the top 2 win.

Townships · 34

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

                                      Past ballot measures

                                      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 ballot11.

                                      Voter turnout12

                                      General electionBuena VistaIowaAbsentee
                                      202656.9% (6,144)63.4%39.6%

                                      Every county →

                                      Places in the county

                                      At the Statehouse and in Congress13

                                      Lynn Evans (Sen. 3)Megan Jones (Rep. 6, 77%)Zach Dieken (Rep. 5, 24%)

                                      U.S. House:District 4

                                      Cities

                                      Albert CityAltaLakesideLinn GroveMarathonNewellRembrandtSioux RapidsStorm LakeTruesdale

                                      School districts

                                      Albert City-TruesdaleAltaAlta-AureliaAureliaGalva-HolsteinLaurens-MarathonNewell-FondaSchaller-CrestlandSioux CentralStorm Lake