MUSCATINE, Iowa – It has been an interesting past several months for staff with the City of Muscatine as they worked to formulate department budgets. Changes to state code have created weeks of uncertainty as City officials waited to find out if property valuations were going up or going down.
While not knowing exactly how much funding the City would receive in property taxes for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year, the budget still needed to be prepared and readied for presentation to the Muscatine City Council. After months of work, a balanced budget has been achieved with the City of Muscatine “Budget Season” starting this Thursday night.
City Administrator Carol Webb and Finance Director Nancy Lueck have worked with department heads and members of each department’s staff over the past several months to prepare the proposed budget for City Council’s consideration.
Webb presented an overview of the proposed FY 24-25 budget to the City Council during a special Council session Thursday that took place following the regular City Council meeting. This is the first of a series of budget sessions that will be held in the City Council Chambers over the next several weeks.
Council members, Webb, and City staff members will be present in the City Council Chambers for each session. All sessions are open to the public.
There will not be opportunity for public comment during the budget sessions. The public is urged to take notes, write down any questions or concerns, and bring those questions and concerns up during the Public Hearing for the proposed budget that will be held in April.
Thursday’s meeting will be followed by several weeks of presentations to the City Council by the various departments and outside agencies supported by the City of Muscatine. The first session will start at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. Sessions will also be held on Feb. 6, Feb. 7, Feb. 8, Feb. 10, Feb. 13, and Feb. 22. The February 22 meeting will be a wrap-up of discussions and a decision on the Property Tax rate.
Two public hearings will again be required. The first hearing is on the proposed property tax levy and is tentatively scheduled for April 14, 2024. The final public hearing is on the adoption of the budget and certification of taxes. That hearing is scheduled for April 18, 2024.
To help cities meet the requirements of holding two public hearings, the State of Iowa moved back the deadline to file an approved budget with the county auditor for certification to April 30. The previous deadline was March 31.
A complete schedule of the meetings along with additional information can be found at 2024/2025 Proposed Budget on the Finance & Records page of the City of Muscatine website.
2024-2025 CITY COUNCIL BUDGET SCHEDULE
Date Location Time Department/Agency
Thursday Council Chambers Will be held General Fund Overview
February 1, 2024 after regular to City Council
Council meeting
Saturday Council Chambers 8:00 a.m. City Council Budget Review
February 3, 2024 Legal Services
City Administrator
Human Resources
Risk Management
Finance
Information Technology
Community Development
Airport/Airport Subsidy
Police Operations
Animal Control
Library Operations
Cablevision
Art Center
Fire Operations
Ambulance
Tuesday
February 6, 2024 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. GMCCI Economic Development
GMCCI Marketing & Tourism
Senior Resources
Humane Society
MCSA
Wednesday
February 7, 2024 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Parks Administration
Park Maintenance
Aquatic Center
Recreation
Soccer
Kent Stein
Wellness
Cemetery
Golf Course
Boat Harbor
Marina
Sports Dome
Thursday
February 8, 2024 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Public Works Administration
Engineering
Roadway Maintenance
Traffic Control
Snow and Ice
Street Cleaning
Building & Grounds
Collection & Drainage
Equipment Services
Equipment Replacement
Saturday
February 10, 2024 Council Chambers 8:00 a.m. Iowa Legislatures
Housing
Transit
Parking
Refuse Collection
Landfill
Transfer Station
WPCP
Storm Water
Tuesday
February 13, 2024 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Capital/Debt/TIF/RUT
Local Option Review
Start General Fund Discussion
Thursday
February 22, 2024 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Final Discussion
Decision on Property Tax Amt.
Thursday
March 7, 2024 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Approve Budget Statement
To Tax Payers creating a
Proposed tax rate levy.
Set Public Hearing for April 4
Thursday
April 4, 2024 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Hold Property Tax Hearing
Set Public Hearing for April 18
Thursday
April 18, 2024 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Hold Public Hearing on Budget
Adopt budget