New $85.7 million budget will boost most Johnson County property tax bills

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors approved an $85.7 million budget for fiscal year 2014 with a unanimous vote Thursday.

The budget for the year that starts July 1 will increase taxes on most property owners.

The levy for property in unincorporated areas will be $10.08 per $1,000 of taxable value, an increase from the current $9.84.

The levy in the cities will be $6.74 per $1,000 of taxable value, down slightly from $6.75 this year.

But homeowners will still pay more in taxes next fiscal year because the state-set rollback, which is the percentage of a residential property subject to taxation, increases two percentage points July 1.

The owners of a $100,000 home in rural Johnson County will pay $532.45 in county taxes next fiscal year, up $38.63 from this year. Homeowners in cities will pay $355.88, an increase of $22.75 in Iowa City and $25.16 in other cities.

Owners of $100,000 worth of rural agricultural land will pay $40.24 more next fiscal year, while a $100,000 rural agricultural building will increase $38.10. Industrial properties are one of the few classifications that will see a decrease.

The budget also formalizes the county's plan to reduce – for next fiscal year, at least – what county officials consider a subsidy to cities for the SEATS program, which gives rides to the elderly and people with disabilities. That has been a source of controversy with officials in Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty.

The amount going to the cities will decrease to $130,000, compared with nearly $600,000 this year.

The discussion over the future of the program will continue, however, and there are still significant differences between the county and the cities. The supervisors on Thursday continued to express frustration with city officials.