District 11 Representative Brian Best and District 6 Senator Jason Schultz responded to concerns from local officials about state government infringing on local control during the Chamber’s Legislative Forum on Saturday. City and county representatives pressed Best and Schultz about Senate Study Bill 1124, which would consolidate some property tax levies available to municipal governments and limit their year-to-year growth to around three percent maximum. Sen. Schultz says he and his colleagues at the statehouse regularly hear from Iowans anxious about how much their property taxes have grown.
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Schultz adds the existing property tax system is complex and cumbersome. He says the proposed 35-page bill will eliminate or combine some current levies and cap how much municipal governments can increase taxes from one year to the next.
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He acknowledges SSB 1124 represents some strong positions in the Senate, and it is unclear if it will gain enough support to pass in the upper chamber. Rep. Best says the House is also looking at easing Iowans’ property tax burden, but they are going about it in a different manner.
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Best says the state needs to be cautious of impeding local control.
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Best and Schultz both serve on the Ways and Means Committees for their respective chambers. They anticipate many adjustments and negotiations to the bill as it moves through the legislative process. Full audio from Saturday’s Legislative Forum at St. Anthony Regional Hospital is included below.
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FULL AUDIO:
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