The tax statement you recently received from Johnson County attempts to calculate and illustrate the county’s share of property taxes to be levied on your property. The percentage increase for the upcoming proposed FY 2025/2026 budget year assumes that your property’s assessed value will increase by 10% over the current year’s assessed value. This is an assumption the State of Iowa built into this statement and is a decision which Johnson County has no control.

The actual average increase in Johnson County assessed property value for the FY2025/2026 property tax calculations is as follows:

Rural Agricultural Land and Structures: The average increase in assessed value for this category of property across Johnson County was actually 0.4%, not 10%. Most properties in this category will have no increase in their assessed values unless improvements were made to the property.

Rural Residential Property: The average increase in assessed value for this category of property across Johnson County was actually 1.2%, not 10%. Most properties in this category will have no increase in their assessed values unless improvements were made to the property. 

Iowa City Residential Property: The average increase in assessed value for this category of property across Johnson County was actually 0.5%, not 10%. Most properties in this category will have no increase in their assessed values unless improvements were made to the property.

For most property categories listed above: The approximate expected increase in Johnson County’s property tax bill for next year will range from approximately 5.4% to 7.1%, not the inflated State increase reflected on your statement (16.1% to 17.8% or more).

If you’d like to see the expected increase in your Johnson County property taxes next year, visit  https://dom.iowa.gov/local-government/citizen-property-tax-guide to calculate your unique property’s taxes with an Excel-based tool. Once there, click on the Citizen Property Tax Estimation Tool, Fiscal Year 2025-2026 to launch the tax calculation spreadsheet.