Troop 19 gets civics lesson

FORT MADISON – Local Scouts from Troop 19 in Denmark got a unique look at the inner workings of a City Council meeting Tuesday night.
They got the added treat of listening to lessons in property taxes, unfunded mandates, and permitting on public rights of way.
The City Council approved a proposed $18.24 property tax levy on residential property within the city limits at a public hearing prior to the regular city council meeting. The council will next hold a public hearing on the proposed budget at the next regular meeting on the 15th.
The property tax ask for fiscal year 2026 represents a 3-cent reduction from $18.27 currently. That number is comprised of an $8.21 general fund levy; $3.39 for debt service; 38 cents for tort liability insurance, and $6.26 for employee benefits.  The employee benefit levy makes up the largest increase at 26.5 cents. The debt service levy has dropped 32 cents as some of the city’s debt falls off in 2026.
However, residents in Lee County are getting their assessments letters for the next fiscal year and some are seeing some marked increases, which will result in additional dollars being paid despite levy decreases from the city and the county.
Kathleen Nelson, of Fort Madison, said the letter she received from the county is confusing to her as to how the system works.
“Most of us want to know how much taxes we’re going to have to pay here,” she said.
Mayor Matt Mohrfeld pointed out that the state has a current rollback of close to 50%, there are homestead exemptions and senior exemptions that are part of determining the whole property tax bill.
Tracey Jordan, also of Fort Madison, said assessors were actually in her home for about 30 minutes and reassessed her home at a sharp increase.

“I’m a little upset. I did have Assessors to come into my house and I was not impressed. They looked at a few things, didn't look at the garage, didn’t look at the shed. Yes, my house does need some work, but they assessed my house at $15,000 more this year. My house is over 100 years old, which I'm sure a lot of people's houses here were 100 years old, and I don’t think it’s worth that much.”
She said she understands the market has gone higher, but she said those rates will eventually force people out of the city.
“I want to see improvement, yes, but I don’t want to see people leaving Fort Madison,” Jordan said.
Barb Asay, who sits on the city’s planning and zoning committee, told the packed council chambers that there is a mechanism for appealing the assessments, but a form on the state’s website must be filled out before April 30.
The Council voted to approve the proposed levy unanimously.
During the regular council meeting, after a presentation of colors by the Scout Troop, the council approved a set of required documents that are part of the Civil Rights Information Act. The documents are required for a Community Development Block Grant the city applied for as part of the EPA-mandated sewer separation project at 10th Street.
With the approval of the mayor’s signature on the documents by the council, Mohrfeld gave a quick lesson to Troop 19 on unfunded mandates. He told the scouts that the federal government is forcing the city to make the multi-million dollar separations without offering any money to help pay for the work.
Mohrfeld also asked the scouts for their opinion on what to do with an historic flag pole that is in the way of the new recreational trail that is going down Avenue L as part of the 20th to 30th Street reconstruction. One scout suggested landscaping the pole and building the trail around the pole leaving the flag intact – a suggestion that met with promise by the council.
Public Works Director Mark Bousselot then gave a quick lesson in public rights of way and said the pole should have been permitted to be where it is and there may be a long-standing issue with that that the city may have to look into.
In a related issue, the council approved an agreement with Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission for grant administration services for a Surface Transportation Block Grant for the Avenue L project at a cost of about $7,500. The grant total is $780,000 with a total project cost $2.3 million.