IOWA CITY

Property tax bills will be increasing in Johnson County in Fiscal Year 2026.

But just how much?

As the Board of Supervisors and the county’s financial staffers finalize the FY26 budget, the proposed tax askings have increased to $78.2 million from $72.3 million in FY25.

The proposed tax levy for county residents is $6.73092 per $1,000 of assessed property, up from $6.43080 in FY25. For rural residents, the rate is remaining at $3.61169.

Those who live in unincorporated areas of Johnson County pay the combined rural and county rate of $10.34261. Those living in cities pay their city tax rate, plus the county rate.

A public hearing on the proposed tax rates will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 26 in Iowa City.

Jon Green, Board Chair, told The News that the state requires an average of a 10% increase statewide, but he said the increases on individual properties will be much lower. Johnson County’s budget calls for an increase of 3%.

Pending state legislation would change many of the rules for property taxes, resulting in a moving target.

“It’s a damned mess made messier by years of patches and exemptions and attempts to flub the numbers for the taxpayer,” Green said.

Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz suggested to Finance Director Dana Aschenbrenner that an explanatory letter accompany tax bills to county residents.

The county’s proposed spending budget for FY26, which begins July 1, is a record $86.4 million.

Supervisors informally approved the budget at a work session March 5 following two previous rounds of cuts, but few appeared enthusiastic about the final product.

“We tried,” Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass said. “We got to this point.”

The final version of the budget is expected to be approved in April.

Opioid Project

Johnson County is moving ahead with a plan to spend $100,000 of $2.1 million in expected opioid settlement funds to make Naloxone available around the county to treat opioid overdoses.

Naloxone is a medication that can quickly reverse a suspected overdose from fentanyl, heroin and prescribed painkillers.

Allison Wells, Special Projects Manager, proposed a first round of action, costing about $100,000, that would make Naloxone available, possibly through vending machines.

A second project round of $1 million would be used in grants of up to $400,000 for organizations serving individuals with services that would include recovery support, housing, transportation, job placement and childcare.

Supervisor Rod Sullivan recommended that the local group, Systems of Care, be involved in the project.

“I’m excited about the potential here,” Sullivan said.

Board Action

The Board approved a change order of $31,031 with McComas-Lacina Construction for work done on the Administration, and Health and Human Services building remodels.

The Board approved job descriptions for Conservation Field Worker I and Office Coordinator, County Attorney’s office.

Next meeting:

The Board’s next formal session is at 5:30 p.m. March 13. This is the monthly evening session that includes public hearings for a number of zoning and platting applications.