DUNWELL: Process to property taxes is as important as the end product

Property taxes and tax relief are topics Rep. Jon Dunwell has always brought up at city council, school board and board of supervisors meetings in Jasper County, and they are issues he intends to pursue even further during the upcoming session of the Iowa Legislature.

The representative of House District 38 — which covers much of the northern portion of Jasper County — said the statehouse has worked really hard to deliver tax relief for Iowans by lowering the income tax rate to 3.9 percent and eliminating all retirement tax income.

“But the No. 1 thing I hear at the door is really what they say is the out of control costs of property taxes,” Dunwell told Newton News in a phone interview. “I’m someone who believes very strongly in local control. I probably will bring to the discussion … the idea of what I’ve always talked about: truth in taxation.”

Dunwell wants the legislature to create a process in which voters can be more engaged and more aware of what’s going on so that when property tax increases and real dollars are occurring, they “have the opportunity to hear why their property taxes are going up and share their thoughts, opinions and ideas.”

Proposals to cap tax increases for the next couple of years or lower the levy mandatory or have the state cover some of the costs do not seem like good solutions to Dunwell. The legislator said he ultimately wants to preserve local control while also making sure those taxing entities maintain transparency.

If Dunwell had it his way, he’d require municipalities or school districts contact citizens and provide them with all the needed information.

“Truth in taxation basically says if an entity is going to raise taxes, I’m talking not the levy, I’m talking the actual tax collection, they are required to mail out to you a statement that says, ‘Here’s what you paid last year. Here’s what you’re going to pay this upcoming tax year. Here’s a meeting when you can share your opinion.’”

By making cities, counties and school districts contact their citizens in this way, Dunwell hopes citizens will become more engaged. Property taxes are a complicated process, Dunwell added, and people “don’t really care about levy as much as ‘What am I really paying?’”

A levy rate could stay the same, but increased property assessments mean citizens are still paying more. Dunwell said if an entity is raising taxes they have an obligation to tell citizens what their tax dollars are going towards or at least provide a reasoning. The bottom line is: Dunwell wants interaction and process.

“That’s what I’ll be harping on and discussing and promoting as we go through the process talking about property taxes,” he said. “…Process is as important as the end product. I don’t care what you’re talking about. How things get done are important to me.”

SCHOOL CHOICE, SCHOOL FUNDING

Improving education is also at the top of Dunwell’s to-do list for this next session. School choice, he said, is certainly part of that conversation. To him, the legislation “would create an opportunity for every student to have diverse educational opportunities.” He always wants to address struggling schools.

Many of which, he claimed, are suffering from “uncontrolled spending” from the federal government. Schools are experiencing inflation and they are paying a heavy cost every time they have to buy something new. Dunwell said the Iowa Legislature needs to make sure schools are appropriately funded.

“We gotta create educational opportunity through school choice, ESAs, charter schools, et cetera,” Dunwell said. “One of the things I want to support the house in is I want to give our schools greater freedom in how they spend their money. There is a lot of what we call categorical spending in schools.”

Which means schools have certain funding streams that can only be used for specific needs like infrastructure or technology. Dunwell wants to remove some of those barriers and give school boards and administrators greater freedom in how they spend the money locally “so they can shift dollars from here to there.”

Dunwell added, “There will certainly be a lot of discussions around transparency in schools. My biggest thing always is, again, about process. More importantly I want to continue to ensure that our schools have processes by which parents can get engaged, share their concerns.”

Policies in school districts are important to ensure those kinds of opportunities are available for parents and citizens. Dunwell is also concerned with the burdens teachers are bearing on a regular basis. Whatever the legislature does, he said, it should not want to create extra burdens for teachers.

“I want to release them to do what they do best, which is provide a phenomenal educational and learning environment for our students. So I want to be cautious that we don’t create a bunch of extra things for them to do,” Dunwell said, noting the teacher shortages are also becoming huge issues.

MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILD CARE

Dunwell wants to expand on two other areas the Iowa Legislature has already worked on in recent years: mental health and child care.

To him, the child care issue “is really a workforce issue.” Dunwell said the capitol worked a lot last year creating slots, places for kids to be cared for. The state has to professionalize the workforce so that people recognize them as professionals impacting kids. Dunwell said that requires funding for expansion.

“I’m not saying that comes from the government,” he said. “I’m just saying the wages are fairly low in that space. Our focus all needs to be on quality child care and making sure our child care providers and child care things we’re doing are providing the kind of thing that moms and dads feel are safe for their children.”

Slots need to be created but they must also be of good quality. Partnerships between government and business could provide a solution, too. Dunwell said some businesses may provide child care for their employees and there could be grants available to help the physical infrastructure of those spaces.

“Child care is going to be a continual issue with our workforce issues in Iowa,” he said.

Dunwell wants to continue to examining mental health, and he “worries sometimes too many dollars are going toward the broad category of health and not enough to mental illness.” Which also means adequately addressing disorders like schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder.

If the state is not addressing those things, Dunwell said individuals end up in prisons, victimizing other people or are creating addictions in their lives.

“When we are addressing those things and making sure they have good resources and they’re getting their medication and they’re working with their counseling team, we don’t have those same issues,” he said. “I want to make sure when we’re talking about mental health we’re focusing on mental illness.”

Currently, when someone has a mental health issue, Dunwell said, they often get enough time in a hospital or in a facility to end up getting stabilized on medications; but as soon as they’re stabilized, they are kicked out. Dunwell said individuals need appropriate care in a good environment for longer periods.

“And then good after-care,” he said. “So they don’t become that victim of crime, so they don’t become that victimizer and so they don’t become someone who has addiction issues. Because that’s what happens when we’re not providing that care. That’s a complex issue.”

WHICH COMMITTEES DOES DUNWELL SERVE?

For the 90th Iowa General Assembly — which convenes on Jan. 9, 2023 — Dunwell will be a member of the transportation, judiciary, local government, state government, international relations and environmental protection committees.