Property owners in Linn County and across Iowa will soon receive a mailing from their county Auditor containing information about the proposed property tax rates for the next budget year that starts July 1, 2026. Iowa Code 24.2A requires county Auditors to mail a budget statement to property owners by March 15. This is the third year this budget statement has been required by the State of Iowa.
The budget statement will include information about property taxes payable in September 2026 and March 2027 for a property owner’s school district, county, and city as well as information about upcoming public hearings regarding the proposed tax rates. Specifically, the mailing will include:
• Date, time, and location for three different public hearings – one each for the property owner’s school district, their county, and city – where each jurisdiction will discuss its proposed property tax rates. If the property is outside of a city, the city public hearing section will be blank.
• Phone number and website for each taxing district (school district, county, and city)
• Current, effective, and proposed taxation (effective taxation is the tax rate needed to keep the tax revenue the same as the current fiscal year but with next fiscal year valuations)
• Current distribution of property taxes
• Comparison of current and proposed taxation for residential property and commercial property
The budget statement is not a property tax bill. The budget statement is for informational purposes only and notifies property owners about upcoming public hearings for their school district, city, and county Board of Supervisors. These hearings provide an opportunity for the public to give input to their elected officials. Attendance at the public hearings is optional.
The budget statement does not include proposed property taxation for smaller taxing authorities, such as community colleges, assessor’s offices, townships, or agricultural extension. Property owners with more than one property may receive multiple letters if those properties are taxed by different school districts, counties, or cities.
Mailer Will Include Hypothetical Examples
The back page of the mailer will include two required hypothetical examples that show how the proposed taxes owed would change for a sample residential property and a sample commercial property. These examples assume a hypothetical 10% increase in property value. Each example includes a “% Change” column showing the percentage increase or decrease in taxes owed to each local government. This assumption is used only for demonstration purposes and does not necessarily reflect a taxpayer’s individual property. In past years, some taxpayers were confused and believed the hypothetical 10% valuation increase applied to their actual property. County Auditors are required by law to include these standardized examples in the mailer.
More Information
This mailing from the Linn County Auditor to Linn County property owners is in addition to assessment notices being mailed to property owners by the City of Cedar Rapids Assessor and the Linn County Assessor.
Additional information regarding the budget statement is available on the Iowa Department of Management’s website at https://dom.iowa.gov/local-government/citizen-property-tax-guide.
Residents with questions about the public hearings or the proposed property tax rates should use the school district, county, or city contact information included on the budget statement.
Linn County’s Budget Process
Linn County holds more than 20 public budget meetings annually as part of its budget planning process. The public can provide input at any of these public meetings; however, the best opportunity to provide input on the development of the County’s annual budget is at the beginning of the budget planning process during the fall budget forum. During the fall budget forum, County staff provides general information on how the County develops its budget and attendees can share their thoughts on what programs and services they would like Linn County to fund. To get notified of the annual fall budget forum, sign up for Linn County’s news announcements at LinnCountyIowa.gov/NotifyMe.