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Local taxes › Winneshiek County

County

Winneshiek County

8 cities · 7 school districts · How counties work

$3,200 a yearproperty tax on a $200,000 home in a typical town here, FY27 (a rate of $38.05 per $1,000 of taxable value)1
$2,170 a yearon a $200,000 home in the countryside, FY27 ($25.82 per $1,000)
$29.6Mcounty budget, FY27
$1.61Btaxable value, 2025 valuations (+21.1% 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.

  • IncomingDennis KleveWinneshiek County Board of Supervisors District 5 · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingMark FaldetWinneshiek County Board of Supervisors District 2 · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingMark VickWinneshiek County Board of Supervisors District 1 · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingTimothy Neil Keli'i SmockWinneshiek County Treasurer · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingCharles W. CrainWinneshiek County Attorney · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingBritt RhodesWinneshiek County Hospital Trustee · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingChris WicklundWinneshiek County Agricultural Extension Council · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingIsaac LuzumWinneshiek County Agricultural Extension Council · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingIsaac LuzumWinneshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingJill ImoehlWinneshiek County Agricultural Extension Council · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingJustin GulleksonWinneshiek County Hospital Trustee · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingLexi SchmittWinneshiek County Agricultural Extension Council · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingMark JensenWinneshiek County Hospital Trustee · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingRebekah KruegerWinneshiek County Hospital Trustee · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingScott J. HolthausWinneshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner · elected November 3, 2026, takes office in January 2027
  • IncomingStacy BushmanWinneshiek County Agricultural Extension Council · 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$38.05$25.82$9.23
FY26$36.11$25.40$9.61
FY25$35.31$25.28$9.67
FY24$35.07$24.35$8.74
FY23$32.90$23.94$8.64
FY22$32.84$23.64$8.51
FY21$34.07$23.91$8.64
FY20$33.60$23.41$8.21

Rates by city, FY27

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

CityTypical rateSince FY22
Calmar$38.05+10.4%
Castalia$31.37+0.2%
Decorah$38.83+5.8%
Fort Atkinson$38.85+18.3%
Jackson Junction$23.32+0.8%
Ossian$38.55+13.5%
Ridgeway$35.50+16.0%
Spillville$37.06+19.4%
Show the numbers
CityTypical rateSince FY22
Calmar$38.05+10.4%
Castalia$31.37+0.2%
Decorah$38.83+5.8%
Fort Atkinson$38.85+18.3%
Jackson Junction$23.32+0.8%
Ossian$38.55+13.5%
Ridgeway$35.50+16.0%
Spillville$37.06+19.4%

Compared with places this size2

Winneshiek County’s countywide property tax rate of $7.36 per $1,000 is the 5th 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: $8.20Buena Vista 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: $1.90Winneshiek 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: Winneshiek County Assessor

What a protest can and can’t change →

What’s taxed

$1.61B of taxable value in 2025 valuations, +21.1% since 2020. Who carries the load, by kind of property:

  • Homes$899.3M55%
  • Farmland and farm buildings$451.7M28%
  • Commercial$219.9M13%
  • Utilities, railroads and other$39.6M2%
  • Industrial$27.8M2%
Show the numbers
Valuation yearHomesFarmlandCommercialIndustrialTotal
2025$899.3M$451.7M$219.9M$27.8M$1.61B
2024$821.0M$415.9M$195.6M$26.5M$1.46B
2023$788.6M$404.0M$188.1M$25.3M$1.42B
2022$792.2M$415.9M$158.1M$19.5M$1.40B
2021$721.6M$408.1M$180.6M$35.0M$1.36B
2020$691.7M$408.8M$171.6M$34.8M$1.33B
2019$668.9M$395.7M$170.3M$34.9M$1.29B
2018$684.8M$434.6M$158.0M$34.7M$1.33B

Budget and spending

Reading a local budget

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

Roads & transportation: 32¢ of every dollar32¢Public safety & legal services: 22¢ of every dollar22¢Capital projects: 15¢ of every dollar15¢Administration: 12¢ of every dollar12¢Parks, libraries, extension & environment: 11¢ of every dollar11¢Everything else: 8¢ of every dollar8¢

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 & transportation32¢33¢
Public safety & legal services22¢24¢
Capital projects15¢11¢
Administration12¢11¢
Parks, libraries, extension & environment11¢8¢
Everything else8¢9¢

The county’s budget

Winneshiek County plans to spend $29.6M in FY27, from property taxes, state and federal money, fees and its reserves. It spent $23.9M in FY25.

  • Roads & transportation$9.4M32%
  • Public safety & legal services$6.6M22%
  • Capital projects$4.4M15%
  • Administration$3.6M12%
  • Parks, libraries, extension & environment$3.4M11%
  • Physical health & social services$1.3M4%
  • Services to residents (records, elections, licenses)$961,2653%
  • Other$4,0000%

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$4.31
  • General Supplemental · countywide$3.05
  • Countywide · countywide$7.36
  • Rural Basic · rural$1.87
  • Total Rural · rural$9.23

Roads: spending per mile

Winneshiek County spent $8.2M on roads and transportation in FY25, $7,745 for each of its 1,054 miles of county roads: 52nd most of 99 counties (the middle county spent $7,810). It budgeted $9.4M for FY27.4

$9,100
$7,745
YearSpentPer mile
FY25$8.2M$7,745
FY24$8.4M$7,950
FY23$9.6M$9,100
FY22$8.1M$7,665
FY21$7.3M$6,898
FY20$9.4M$8,924
FY19$8.3M$7,820
FY18$6.7M$6,332
Show the numbers
YearSpentPer mile
FY25$8.2M$7,745
FY24$8.4M$7,950
FY23$9.6M$9,100
FY22$8.1M$7,665
FY21$7.3M$6,898
FY20$9.4M$8,924
FY19$8.3M$7,820
FY18$6.7M$6,332

Debt, reserves and audits

How local debt works · What an audit tells you

What Winneshiek County owes

$2.4M at June 30, 2026: $119 per resident. 70th most per resident of 99 Iowa counties (the list).5

$4.5M
$2.4M
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$2.4M$119
2025$2.8M$143
2024$3.6M$183
2023$2.8M$142
2022$3.0M$150
2021$3.1M$156
2020$2.4M$123
2019$4.1M$204
2018$4.5M$228
2017$3.0M$152
2016$189,759$10
2015$213,780$11
2014$223,620$11
2013$218,492$11
2012$1.5M$78
2011$1.9M$98
2010$2.8M$142
Show the numbers
June 30OwedPer resident
2026$2.4M$119
2025$2.8M$143
2024$3.6M$183
2023$2.8M$142
2022$3.0M$150
2021$3.1M$156
2020$2.4M$123
2019$4.1M$204
2018$4.5M$228
2017$3.0M$152
2016$189,759$10
2015$213,780$11
2014$223,620$11
2013$218,492$11
2012$1.5M$78
2011$1.9M$98
2010$2.8M$142

Down 16% since 2010.

Money in reserve

Winneshiek County plans to end FY27 with $13.3M across its funds, about 5.4 months of its planned spending.6 Why governments keep reserves

5.4 mo
Show the numbers
YearStartEndMonths of spending
FY27–$13.3M5.4
FY26$12.0M$11.4M4.6
FY25$11.5M$9.8M4.1
FY24$10.7M$8.8M3.8
FY23$10.8M$9.3M4.1
FY22$8.1M$7.5M3.8
FY21$8.2M$7.4M3.5
FY20$8.3M$6.8M3.4
FY19$9.0M$8.8M4.8
FY18$6.7M$6.7M3.4
FY17$5.5M$6.0M3.1
FY16$7.0M$5.0M2.7

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.

$4.0M
YearCollected
FY24$4.0M
FY23$3.7M
FY22$3.7M
FY21$3.7M
FY20$3.4M
FY19$3.0M
FY18$2.9M
FY17$2.8M
FY16$2.7M
FY15$2.7M
FY14$2.7M
Show the numbers
YearCollected
FY24$4.0M
FY23$3.7M
FY22$3.7M
FY21$3.7M
FY20$3.4M
FY19$3.0M
FY18$2.9M
FY17$2.8M
FY16$2.7M
FY15$2.7M
FY14$2.7M

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): $1.5M in FY26, up 9% since FY14 while prices rose 39%, so it buys 22% 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$1.1M$1.0M$992,913$934,957$894,184$864,261
Ag land and family farm tax credits$388,532$434,434$475,794$487,117$483,320$447,645
Business property tax credit–$927,505$1.0M$992,284$967,874$955,395
Elderly and disabled property tax credit$11,024$12,469$24,198$19,926$24,624$26,988
Military service property tax credit––$10,688$11,291$11,816$12,137

Who received the state’s payments

Property tax credits and the local option sales tax the state collected and sent back, by recipient: $5.5M in FY26. The newest year may be partial.

  • Winneshiek County$3.7M66%
  • City of Decorah$1.4M26%
  • City of Calmar$197,3754%
  • City of Ossian$145,4253%
  • City of Fort Atkinson$51,7261%
  • City of Ridgeway$44,8351%
  • City of Castalia$24,7260%
  • City of Jackson Junction$6,8630%

Federal money, business awards and disasters

Federal money statewide · Business awards statewide

Disaster proclamations

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

  • Gov. Reynolds issues Disaster Proclamation for Allamakee and Winneshiek Counties in response to severe storms
    August 8, 2024 · disaster · Allamakee County, Winneshiek County · signed proclamation

    AI summary Governor Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Allamakee and Winneshiek Counties due to severe storms that occurred on August 5 and are continuing. This proclamation allows state resources to be used for response and recovery and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and Disaster Case Advocacy Program. Potential applicants for the grant program have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to apply, and the Disaster Case Advocacy Program closes 180 days from the date of the governor's proclamation.7

Every disaster proclamation

Elections

Most recent: November 3, 2026

Ballot measures · 2

Passed Yes 61.6% (2,374) · No 38.4% (1,481)

Passes with more yes votes than no.

Passed Yes 80.1% (141) · No 19.9% (35)

Passes with more yes votes than no.

County offices · 9

4 seats: the top 4 win.

4 seats: the top 4 win.

2 seats: the top 2 win.

Townships · 36

    No candidates listed.

      No candidates listed.

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

      Past ballot measures

      None found since 2022.

      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 ballot8.

      Voter turnout9

      General electionWinneshiekIowaAbsentee
      2026– (10,480)–55.5%

      Every county →

      Places in the county

      At the Statehouse and in Congress10

      Mike Klimesh (Sen. 32)Michael R. Bergan (Rep. 63)

      U.S. House:District 2

      Cities

      CalmarCastaliaDecorahFort AtkinsonJackson JunctionOssianRidgewaySpillville

      School districts

      AllamakeeDecorahHoward-WinneshiekNorth WinneshiekPostvilleSouth WinneshiekTurkey Valley