(Des Moines,Iowa) – Iowa Republican Representative Tom Moore, from Griswold, said in his latest “Legislative update,” that “The end is near…,” at least with regard to the last week of the 90th General Assembly. Moore said “It looks like we finally have agreed to budget numbers with the Senate and the Governor. This allows for the start of the budget process and budget bills will soon come to the floor for action.

How each budget will spend their dollars is not yet agreed upon but that is nearing the end as well, according to Moore. He said also, the Iowa House, this past week, passed House File 1 (now House File 718)—property tax reform with a 93-1 vote. The bill does four major things to provide all Iowa property tax payers with immediate and direct property tax relief.

Division II of the bill, he say, puts a 3% limitation on how much a property tax payer’s bill can increase year over year. The division outlines a property tax increase limitation on a per parcel basis for qualified parcels. This is on the actual amount of property taxes paid (not the assessment). This division’s limitation does not limit taxes levied as a result of a voter-approved levy or a debt service levy.

Division III of House File 718, according to Thomas Moore, rounds out Iowa’s version of Truth in Taxation and works to get more information in the hands of property tax payers. With this information they will be more informed about how assessments and levies are working together in their area. This division also provides that if all of the information from all taxing jurisdictions is available in a timely manner—everything should be on one notice for the taxpayer

Finally, Division IV of the bill simply states that all special elections by any political subdivision for bonds or other debt must be on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year. (Bond/Debt elections will be on the same day as the General). Additionally, it provides that the commissioner of elections will send notice of a bond election to eligible voters 10 to 20 days before the election. The notice must contain the full text of the public measure to be voted on.

Prioritizing certainty and sustainability for property taxpayers over ballooning assessments, Moore says, will continue to be a driving force in the House. The Iowa House of Representatives this past week, also passed SF318 which Moore says creates the Iowa Registered Apprenticeship Act and establishes the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship within the Department of Workforce Development.

Iowa House Representative Moore serves District 18, which covers most of Cass and Montgomery Counties, and a portion of Page County.