Floyd County Report: Thumbs up or thumbs down, supervisors welcome comments

By Mark Kuhn, Chair, Floyd County Board of Supervisors

In this report I’ll highlight two items on the March 27 board meeting agenda where the supervisors would like to receive comments from the public before taking action. New rules of procedure approved by the board at our organizational meeting in January make it easy to do.

Send an email to any or all of the supervisors. I guarantee you’ll get a response.

Our email addresses are mkuhn@floydcoia.org; dkeifer@floydcoia.org; jjorgensen@floydcoia.org

Call any of the supervisors on our cell phones. We’ll pick up and listen. If we are unavailable when you call, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you asap. Mark Kuhn, 641-330-4910; Dennis Keifer, 641-420-1870; Jim Jorgensen, 641-330-0287

‘Max Tax’ Levy Resolution

The public hearing for Floyd County’s “Max Tax” levy will be held at 9:15 a.m. on Monday, March 27, in the EOC room in the new Law Enforcement Center.

The hearing is required by Iowa law. It was established to further notify the public about property tax increases proposed by the Board of Supervisors in the general basic, general supplemental and rural basic funds.

Taxpayers and residents of Floyd County are invited to tell the board their objections to, or argument in favor of, any changes in the county tax asking. Comments received via emails or actual letters addressed to either the Board of Supervisors or the county auditor will be read and considered during the hearing.

As board chair, I will also ask for any comments regarding the county’s tax asking from any taxpayer or resident of Floyd County who may be listening to the meeting on the telephone call-in line. Once all comments have been received and considered, the hearing will be closed and the board will adopt the “Max Tax” levy by resolution.

The proposed “Max Tax” resolution for Fiscal Year 2023-24 reduces the tax levy in the General Services Fund total (the combined general basic and general supplemental funds) from 5.923/$1,000 valuation in the current year to 5.308/$1,000, a reduction of 10.39%, resulting in $598,530 fewer tax dollars collected.

The proposed Rural Services Fund tax levy will be reduced from 3.65/$1,000 valuation in the current fiscal year to 3.5947/$1,000, a reduction of 0.07%, resulting in $1.648 fewer tax dollars collected.

The board of supervisors met our goal to hold the line on property tax increases without cutting any county services, while maintaining 25% fund balances in the General Services Fund and the Rural Services Fund.

It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t achieved without significant reductions in salary increases recommended by the Floyd County Compensation Board for elected county officials and some of their staff whose salaries are based on a percentage of the elected official.

A one-time reduction in the transfer of funds to the Secondary Road Fund was also required to meet the fiscally responsible goals set by the board.

Mural honoring first responders proposed for LEC

The supervisors will also review and act at the March 27 board meeting on a proposal brought forward by the Charles City Town of Colors public mural project committee. (See story in the Friday, March 17, edition of the Charles City Press for details.)

Mayor Dean Andrews and Emily Kiewel, the director of the Charles City Arts Center, are both members of the committee, whose goal is to promote the placement of art murals throughout Charles City. I really like the six murals currently on display.

Also present was Brandy Molitor, the president of the Floyd County EMS Association, who indicated her willingness to raise the private funds needed to cover any cost from Floyd County to participate in the project.

When Molitor said the mural project would be a way to recognize the team effort of all first responders throughout the county, an idea popped into my mind: How about including an artist’s depiction of K9 Deputy Sirius and his trainer Sheriff Deputy Luke Chatfield? Just an idea. Food for thought.

There are lots of things for the supervisors to consider, and I’ve also received the opinions of two county citizens who would like to see the wall left as it is. So feel free to send your comments and suggestions on this issue and any other to the board of supervisors.

We look forward to hearing from you.