Iowa City school tax rate likely to hold steady next year

Iowa City School District officials expect the district's property tax rate for the area to stay the same or even decrease slightly, but area taxpayers might still pay more.

The school board won't likely approve a budget until April, but the current plan would leave the school district's property tax rate at 14.7 percent. However, that doesn't mean most Iowa City property owners can expect to pay the same dollar amount in taxes to the district. The owner of a $100,000 home will likely pay about $20 more because of an increase in the state's property tax rollback -- the portion of a property's value that can be taxed.

Property taxes are expected to make up about 30 percent of the district's maximum spending authority for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. State aid will make up less than half, and income surtax, unspent funds from this year, and miscellaneous income will make up the rest.

Final budget decisions won't be made until policymakers in Des Moines settle on an allowable growth rate for the fiscal year. Republicans don't want to increase the schools' per-pupil spending authority, but Democrats hope to pass 2 percent allowable growth.