UPDATE from the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors

Sometimes there will be a push for the state government to reduce the number of Iowa’s 99 counties. I’m not entirely opposed to that idea, within reason. We no longer commute on horseback, so the equally mapped squares are less important than they used to be. Certainly, balancing population densities is the greater issue. We have seen this with Woodbury County’s rejection of wind turbines due to the disturbance they cause. One size has never fit all—county home rule is law for a reason.

However, it is clear that the state of Iowa only really wants there to be ONE county—the state’s county. Increasingly the state insists on micromanaging individual counties by proposing legislation that claims to fit them all. And micromanaging property taxes across various population, housing, and farmland densities is a fool’s errand. Local governments are run by elected representatives, and we stretch our dollars farther than the state. We and our neighboring counties have specifically warned against the bills that our state representatives have nevertheless passed, regarding local budget controls. 

For example, Iowa House Democrats are proposing a 4% property tax cap. Now here’s the reality: The state increased its spending by more than that number last year, and Woodbury County did less. Woodbury County even undercut inflation.

I applaud the state for providing the 3.8% income tax rate. But unlike us, they don’t make all their own cuts. Their secret is that they continue to push more unfunded mandates upon local governments. There are various state services where counties are required to pay 100% of the cost. This is robbing Peter to pay Paul… and then blaming Peter! 

Property taxes fund the most basic and fundamental functions of government. State income taxes do vital things—but frankly, less vital things. That’s why they campaign on it. Some of it was fluff they never should have funded in the first place. You won’t see a Woodbury County supervisor campaign on laying off deputies or taking bridge replacements off the 5-year construction plan.

Legally, counties are subdivisions of the state government. We all know that. But we are being treated like adversaries. To our state representatives and senators: Stop blaming us for federal inflation. Let us do our jobs. We are closer to the people than you think.

 

Many years ago, the Board of Supervisors injected $10 million to rebuild about 750 miles of our neglected gravel roads. The gravel took years to physically distribute, since it does not fall from the sky. It has been wonderful to see and hear about the positive impact. 

As the only current member of the Board who was present at the time of the decision, I remember the commitment made to our rural residents. We promised to maintain the improved roads. Now is the time to remember this commitment. Because the distribution of gravel has severely aged our fleet.

For the last five years, the new equipment budget has hovered between roughly $1.1 and $1.2 million. We have not increased the rate of our vehicle replacement in this time. Our fleet consists of about 110 vehicles, some having over 400,000—even 500,000—miles. Small equipment is even older. Our county engineer has warned us the department is operating in a reactive, survival mode. This not only presents operational difficulties but also increased repair and transportation costs. As a specific hardship for this year, we have new federal emission standards to worry about. These will make the next generation of vehicles even costlier to service—for regulatory rather than merely technical reasons. We are hoping for the opportunity to replace some vehicles ahead of this market increase, and so the time must be now.

You have seen the Board budget according to need, and I am hopeful that we will prioritize secondary road vehicles this year. Using $10 million of Tax Increment Financing for the gravel spread the cost over many years for our taxpayers. Those same people asked for assurance that we would maintain it. I have not forgotten.

 

In my soon-to-be twelve years on the Board, I have seen the occupant of every other elected office in Woodbury County change. Additionally, all but a couple of department heads have been new hires. One of the newer ones is Ryan, our Budget Director. Last year, County Auditor Michelle Skaff helped with the bulk of the budget materials; for the current budget (FY27), we are excited to include Ryan more on the numbers side. It is a difficult role to fulfill and so far, I’ve been pleased.

You can tell a lot about elected representatives by whom they hire, and the county is in an excellent overall position with our department heads. Looking back across several years, I’m pleased with how far we’ve come.

 

I will be holding a press conference to announce my intentions for the 2026 election cycle. It will be held at the Woodbury County Courthouse on Thursday, January 22nd, at 11:00am. It would be encouraging to see you if you are inclined to head to the city. Otherwise, I will see you later. Thank you for the honor of serving you. Despite my schedule, there is still a special place in my heart for our rural constituents.