North Liberty’s property tax levy held to previous level

Again this year, North Liberty’s property-tax levy will not increase. At last night’s regular meeting, the North Liberty City Council approved the new budget, concluding months of budget work. The process began last fall when city councilors and administrators started setting priorities for the coming fiscal year.
“Not increasing our property-tax levy — and keeping it at a rate lower than our metropolitan neighbors — was a high priority for the council,” said Mayor Tom Salm. “Despite that, we were able to include some important, progressive projects for our growing community.”
Major initiatives in the budget include second phases of improvements to Highway 965 and Jones Boulevard, upgrades to North Front Street, and an expanded and improved trail system.
The City of North Liberty’s levy is an important piece of residents’ property-tax equation. A resident’s tax bill is determined when Johnson County assesses a property’s value and the State of Iowa sets “rollback,” or what percentage of that value is subject to tax. That value is then multiplied by the levies of other applicable taxing authorities, such as the State of Iowa, Johnson County and local school districts.
The approved budget, which you can look at in detail in the city council packet, will go into effect July 1, 2013.