(Harlan) Harlan City Administrator Gene Gettys spoke to the City Council regarding the uncertainty going into this budget season and the next three to four years.
A little background; this past session, the Iowa Legislature passed a bill capping levy rates for cities and counties. Cities will have a general fund levy, consolidated from 15 current levies, capped at $8.10 per $1,000 in taxable value. Counties have a top end limit of $3.50 per $1,000 for general services and $3.95 for rural. Local governments are placed into three levels based on their revenue growth with different formulas to determine how much of the excess revenue must be devoted to lowering property taxes and the process for bringing existing property tax rates down to those set maximums.
Gettys said he and City Clerk Jane Smith have enrolled in the advanced budget workshop to be held in November to help them better understand the budget process.
