DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders claims this year’s fiscal budget proposal was different from any he’s experienced before. He believes the reason for that starts with how the rules have changed over time with property tax collections, especially due to a state mandated cap on property tax revenue growth which was established in 2023.
“Property taxes are now limited on growth in that as we grow our tax base, there are haircuts and penalties that take us back a few percentage points as we grow,” Sanders said.
The changes have altered the city’s approach to the budget, and requires it to look further into operating levies. The current property tax levy set at $16.61 per $1,000 in valuation, will remain the same…