116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Home / News / Government & Politics / Local Government
Swisher voters approve local-option sales tax
Half will go to property tax relief, other half to city budget

Mar. 4, 2025 9:36 pm, Updated: Mar. 5, 2025 1:04 pm
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
SWISHER — Swisher voters approved a 1 percent local-option sales tax in a special election Tuesday.
Voters approved the sales tax by 75 percent, with 36 “yes“ ballots and 12 ”no“ ballots. The tax needed 50 percent approval to pass.
Turnout was 7.3 percent of the city’s 654 active registered voters.
Fifty percent of the tax proceeds will go toward property tax relief. The other 50 percent will go to public infrastructure, such as parks and recreation, public safety and economic development.
Some 61 percent of the Swisher voters approved a 1 percent local-option sales tax in November 2014. The tax, used for street improvements, is set to expire at the end of June.
Tiffin passed a local-option sales tax in 2023 to help pay for projects such as a recreation center, fire station and a park.
In 2014, 54 percent of those voting in Johnson County municipalities — Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and Tiffin — rejected a local-option sales tax.
Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com
Get a weekly roundup of Johnson County news by signing up for my Johnson County Update newsletter.