Jasper County’s property tax levy hearing highlights confusion of tax system

Before any more complaints about school district levies and assessments could be lobbed at Jasper County during a public hearing discussing its proposed tax rate, supervisors set the record straight and said they have no control over the schools or cities and that they lower their levies when assessments soar.

Taxpayers expressed their frustrations with tax rates published in a controversial mailer that has proven to only confuse and irritate those who have received it. They also argued against the reasons the proposed property tax rate exceeds the current property tax rate. Again, much of it dealt with the school and cities.

Others tried comparing their home budgets to government budgets. Coupled with inflation and other economic factors, they now have to budget themselves less because property taxes continue to take up more and more of their income. They also criticized the way some cities and schools keep the levy rate the same.

When assessments increase and levy rates stay the same, taxing entities can take in more property tax revenue generally speaking. But depending on that year’s rollback and other factors like the military and 65-and-older exemptions, some taxpayers may see a decrease in their property taxes.

Carla Sabin, of rural Newton, was distraught when she saw the mailer. As someone who lives on a fixed income, she was disturbed to see her taxes increase so significantly. She is also getting cash rent for a small farm. The cash rent for the farmland used to pay for the taxes and the insurance.

“It barely covers the taxes now,” she said. “So the insurance has to come out of my limited income. What’s happening is I’m going to get taxed right out of my house. If I have to sell it, I have to go somewhere else and I’m going to have the same problem. So what do I do? I’ve lived there for 30-plus years.”

Sabin lives in a more than 100-year-old house along a gravel road. According to the assessor’s office, the assessed value of the home, its other structures and the land it resides on has increased from $169,960 to $284,960 in the span of five years.

“How do I makes ends meet?” Sabin said. “You’ve guys have got to stop this.”

Supervisors were sympathetic and suggested Sabin’s story is unfortunately not unique. Several people are feeling this way, and they are struggling.

Eventually, Supervisor Brandon Talsma was confronted about the mailer and asked to explain it. He couldn’t provide an explanation, only that he does not like it. Which is exactly how the Newton school district felt last week during its public hearing discussing the proposed tax levy.

Talsma reminded the nine or so people in attendance on April 1 that the only portion of the tax rates Jasper County controls is the county’s.

“We don’t control the schools and we don’t control the cities — only the county,” Talsma said. “We have zero say over what the school does or doesn’t do. Same thing if you live inside city limits. We have zero say over what they do with their’s. That mailer you’re holding is what we’re required to have sent out.”

House File 718 required the mailers be sent out to taxpayers. But between the documents lacking any kind of property-specific information and including an arbitrary property value increase, several officials have criticized the mailer; Newton News reported the city, the county and school district had denounced it.

“Everybody agrees that it’s completely worthless,” Talsma said.

He went on to say that in response to the rising property assessments, Jasper County decided it would not keep the levy the same and instead lowered it so that the county was still only taking in the same amount — or close to the same amount — of revenues from the previous year. Attendees were skeptical.

“Every time valuation increases happen, the county has actually dropped the levies down in accordance,” Talsma said. “We have only increased our total property tax dollars being collected twice in the seven years that I’ve been here. We have routinely dropped (the levy).

Sabin asked, “Then why has mine not dropped every year?”

“Because I have no control over the school district. I have no control over the community college district. I have no control over the (cities). I can only control the county’s,” Talsma added before being asked if the school and city budgets run through the county. “No, that’s not at all how it works.”

Supervisor Doug Cupples said if the county did have control over the school levies and city levies then residents would not be paying as much. Supervisor Thad Nearmyer noted it is a common misconception that all of the budgets need approval from the county.

The board of supervisors stressed the need to find good people to run for school board and city council and who want to lower taxes and lower levy rates.

“Let me tell you, the three of us hate taxes,” Cupples said. “We hate ‘em! We hate doing ‘em. We don’t like ‘em. Fortunately, we authentically care about this … We have made tremendous, tremendous cuts to the budget. Your taxes right now, if we had not done that, would be considerably higher.”

Nearmyer added, “The property tax system is so convoluted… The system is a mess, and your state legislators are the ones that you have to talk to about fixing that. If we could sit up here and rewrite this thing we would do it. Unfortunately we can’t do that, so we have to go by the rules that are given to us.”