School funding, local control discussed

Local state lawmakers discussed a variety of topics at a forum last week in Monticello, including school funding, local control and eminent domain legislation. 

The forum was organized by Jones County Economic Development and hosted inside the Monticello City Council Chambers. An estimated 30 people were in attendance. They wrote questions down on notecards beforehand which were then read aloud, but also had a chance to ask additional questions afterward. 

Both Iowa Sen. Carrie Koelker, R-Dyersville, and Iowa Rep. Steve Bradley, R-Cascade, were in attendance. They both said the early weeks of the session have been dominated by two topics: property taxes and eminent domain law. 

“We have only met on the floor and voted on one bill, and that was eminent domain,” Bradley said. That bill, house file 2104, bans companies from seeking eminent domain to construct underground carbon sequestration pipelines in Iowa. Bradley said at the forum that House leadership has indicated that it would “kill” any bill that includes eminent domain. 

“If it has eminent domain in the bill, it will be dead in the house. It’ll go nowhere,” he said. 

Koelker said property taxes this year are “a big issue” and much discussion will take place before any law is finalized. 

“The governor has a bill, Senate has a bill and the House has a bill, and none are perfect,” Koelker said. “Iowans are screaming at us for help. It’s a complex 40-year-old system.”

She said reduced spending at the local level will be a requirement going forward and said the state’s government has already consolidated its offices. 

“We went from 34 agencies in Iowa down to 13,” Koelker said. “We are expecting our locals to do the same. It wasn’t fun to go in and look at a 40-uyear-old system and how it needs to change, but at the end of the day , we had to do it. We are encouraging all levels of government to do that as well.”

An audience questions asked why supplemental state aid, which is the annual increase in funding given to schools from the state, has not kept pace with inflation in recent years. Koelker said she believes schools are adequately funded but said budgets need to be tightened, too.

“We have record-high funding for education. Inflation has been out of control over the past six years for everyone … through the federal government administration, in my opinion. We can’t keep up with the spending (being done) at the federal level. I am looking at all of you who are going to need to open your check books … We can’t expect Iowans to keep up with inflation whether it’s property taxes or at the grocery store.”  

Bradley also said he believes Iowa’s public schools are adequately funded. Prior to this year’s legislative session, he told local school officials to plan for 0% SSA this year, though he amended that comment at the forum.

“It won’t be zero. I know it’s going to be north of zero, but I can’t tell you what it will be.”

He believes funding has kept up with inflation. 

“In the last 10 years … we’ve more kept up with inflation and been higher than the rate of inflation of what we have given the schools,” Bradley said.

According to U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, the consumer price index rose 1.2% in 2020, 4.7% in 2021, 8% in 2022, 4.1% in 2023, 29% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2025. 

SSA was 2.5% in 2024 and 3% in 2023, which was the highest mark since 4% in the 2014-15 fiscal year. 

Monticello School Board member John Schlarmann, who was in attendance at the forum, said it’s difficult for school districts to keep up with expenses and salary raises with these incremental increases that have oftentimes been below the rate of inflation.

“SSA (needs to cover) inflation, wage increases, all of that … that’s why I’m wondering why you are holding schools back,” Schlarmann asked the legislators.

An audience question asked how local governments would make up the loss of revenue if proposed property tax freezes for older residents are approved. For example, both property tax proposals from the governor and Senate call for freezing property taxes for seniors aged 65 or older who live in homes valued at $350,000 or less. The Senate’s proposal also calls for eliminating property taxes for residents over 60 whose mortgage is paid off. 

“Cities and counties and school will need to do their budgets just like we are (at the state level),” Koelker said. “These property tax bills are just at a starting point. But, at the end of the day, I don’t want to see my 85-year-old mother property-taxed out of her house.” 

“I don’t either,” said Oxford Junction resident Bob Gertsen, who attended the forum. “But how do you make up that money?”

“Well, you can’t just keep charging (people) more money,” Koelker responded. “We need to reign in funding at every level -- schools, cities and counties.” 

Another discussion topic centered around the control local elected officials have in setting fees for work conducted by county recorders and revenues gathered from traffic tickets. 

“If one of our county officers write a ticket, the county gets $5 out of that ticket and the rest goes to the state,” said Jones County Supervisor Joe Oswald at the forum. 

Monticello City Council Member Dave Goedken echoed that sentiment. 

“We’ve been getting $5 forever,” he said. “The cost of that ticket keeps going up, but the county ain’t getting any more of it and the city ain’t getting any more of it. The state needs to give us a little of that increase.”

Bradley also said he believes consolidating county offices could lead to savings at the county level. Koelker said these decisions are different for every county. 

“Every city and district is different, so their needs are different. Some need shared services and some don’t,” Koelker said, adding that some county officials in Iowa are asking for office consolidation. 

“To that, as long as the citizens realize they may need to travel to get those same services,” Oswald said. “That’s a decision that I think ought to be made among those citizens and not at the state level.”