Municipal Code Book

2017 08 28 Blue Grass Municipal Code

The last update was implemented October 1, 2018; therefore, Amendments made after that have not yet been implemented. Please contact City Hall if you have any questions or inquries. Thank you.

Budget/Max Levy Public Hearing Notices:

Persons requiring language or physical accommodations at the meeting should notify the City of Blue Grass at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting date, allowing time to address reasonable accommodation at the meeting. Please call (563) 381-4700 for any language, accessibility, or other type of accommodation requests.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING - PROPOSED BUDGET

images/files/users/aschmidt/FY22BudgetPublicHearingNotice.pdf

FISCAL YEAR JULY 1, 2021 - JUNE 30, 2022

City Council Mtg. 3/15/21 @ 7:00 p.m. City Council Chamber, 114 N Mississippi Street, Blue Grass, IA 52726
Mon, Mar 15, 2021 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM (CDT)

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FY '22 Maximum Property Tax dollars for Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2022

According to Iowa SF 634 - notice concerning the proposed City Maximum Property Tax Dollars was published in the Quad City Times and posted on the City's website and social media account on February 4, 2021.

A public hearing will be held on February 16, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. via electronically: Max Levy FY 22.pdf

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Since there has been some confusion on tax assessments, rollbacks, etc. Here is some valuable information:

More than 20 years ago, Iowa residential property values were rising quickly and in order to help cushion the impact of high inflation, the Legislature passed an assessment limitation law called “rollback”. Each November, the Iowa Department of Revenue certifies the limitations percentages to the County Auditors who then multiply the actual (assessed) valuations by the rollback percentage to determine taxable valuations. The County Assessor determines each property’s assessed value as of January 1st – the taxable value of the property will be fixed by the following January, after a number of required steps. Among those steps is the application of a state-applied rollback percentage, which determines, by property class, how much of a property’s assessed value is taxed.

The State “rollback” – the percentage of a property’s value subject to property tax – is a major factor in computing property owner’s property tax bill. A second factor is the total value of a property as established by the County Assessor and the third factor is the tax rate set by local governments and School districts.

Local governments will take in more property tax revenue from residential property owners in the fiscal year beginning July 1st due to the Iowa Department of Revenues “rollback” determination. The July 1, 2022 residential rollback is set at 56.4094% compared to last year’s July 1, 2021 rollback of 55.0743%; whereas, a $100,000.00 home would increase by approximately $5.31 more because of the higher rollback.

How are property taxes determined?

1. The value of property is established. The Assessor (or the Iowa Department of Revenue) estimates the value of each property. This is called the "assessed value." The assessed value is to be at actual or market value for most property taxes.

2. The assessments of all taxable properties are added together.

The Assessor totals the assessed value in each classification and reports it to the County auditor.

3. The Department examines total assessed values and equalizes them. Each Assessor sends the reports, called "abstracts," to the Iowa Department of Revenue. The abstract shows the total values of all real property in each jurisdiction by classification of property, not by individual property.

A process called "equalization" is applied every two years to ensure that property values are comparable among jurisdictions and complies with Iowa code.

In addition, the "assessment limitation" is applied every year by the auditor. This process is commonly called "rollback" and is used in response to inflation. The application of the rollback results in taxable value in most cases.

4. Budgets are established. Each taxing authority determines its own budget. The budget includes the cost of providing services, the amount of aid received from the federal and state governments, the amount of money remaining from previous years, and revenue from other charges for services. Each approved budget is submitted to the County auditor.

5. A tax rate is established. The County auditor divides the amount of the budget that is not funded by other sources by the taxable value of all the property in the taxing district.

The result is referred to as "dollars per thousand." For example, If the dollars per thousand were $10, the tax on a home valued at $50,000 would be calculated at $10 x 50. The tax on that home would be $500 for that single taxing authority.

The rates for all authorities are added together, resulting in a single tax levy called a consolidated levy for each unique set of taxing districts. The consolidated levy rate is always the result of two or more tax rates established by different government entities.

6. Credits are subtracted. Credits such as the Homestead Credit are subtracted before a final tax bill is sent to the taxpayer.

Exemptions and Credits. Iowa law provides for a number of exemptions and credits, including Homestead Credit, Military Exemption and Business Property Tax Credit. It is the property owner's responsibility to apply for these as provided by law. If the property you were occupying as a homestead is sold, or if you cease to use the property as a homestead you are required to report this to the Assessor in whose jurisdiction the property is located. For properties currently receiving the Business Property Tax Credit, changes in ownership or other changes that would affect the requirements for the credit, requires reapplication for the credit.

What is Iowa property tax? The Iowa property tax is primarily a tax on "real property," which is mostly land, buildings, structures, and other improvements that are constructed on or in the land, attached to the land, or placed upon a foundation. Typical improvements include a building, house or mobile home, fences, and paving.

The following six classes of real property are evaluated:

Residential
Agricultural
Multiresidential
Commercial
Industrial

Utilities/railroad (This class is assessed at the state level)

The primary recipients of property taxes levied include:

K-12 Schools
Cities
Counties
Hospitals
Merged Area Schools
Assessors
Townships

Agricultural Extension Districts

How often is my home reassessed? The State of Iowa requires that all real estate property be reassessed every two years on the odd numbers year. At that time, studies of current market value, sales rations and economic trends of the local market will determine whether your assessment should change. If your property has any other changes, it may be reassessed more often. For example: if you build a new garage, your property will be assessed for the following year whether it is an odd number year or not.

How is my assessment calculated? At some point, an appraiser from the Assessor’s Office has or will walk through the property. Measurements and notes are taken as to the property’s condition, how many bathrooms, remodeling that may have taken place and many other details of the home relevant to market value. The data is then entered into the computer and values are calculated based upon the square footage, condition and other details found in the home. Recent sales of properties similar to your home are also reviewed.

My assessment has not changed, why have my property taxes increased? Each year, assessed values are subject to a rollback factor determined by the Director of Revenue creating a taxable value. Property tax is calculated by applying a levy rate to the taxable value. Levy rates and rollbacks change from year to year therefore adjusting the amount of property tax.

What causes property taxes to increase? Basically, three variables must interact to decrease or increase your property taxes:

The combined budgets of the taxing authorities
The total value of all the property in the taxing unit

The taxable value of your property

Your taxes increase if...

The budgets increase and the taxable value of all properties remain the same.
The budgets and taxable value of property in the entire government unit remain the same but the taxable value of the individual’s property increases.

The budgets and taxable value of the individual’s property remain the same but the value of the property in the entire government unit decreases.

Your taxes decrease if...

The budgets decrease and the taxable values of all properties remain the same.
The budgets and taxable value of property in the entire government unit remain the same but the taxable value of the individual’s property decreases.

The budgets and taxable value of the individual’s property remain the same but the taxable value of the property in the entire government unit increases.

Why might you pay higher taxes than your neighbor?

Assessed value of a house depends on land size, square footage, type of construction, age, quality, location, story height, and condition, as well as other factors. Your assessed value is one component of the property tax burden. Other components include the levy rates for the various levy authorities including City, township, County, school district, and other levying authorities. You may also be a different classification than your neighbor, as different classes have a different rollback applied to them. These differences all contribute to different tax burdens.

Credits and exemptions such as Homestead, Ag Land, and Military would also make a difference in the overall tax burden.

What is Taxable Value? Taxable value is the value determined by the County auditor after application of a rollback factor to the assessed value. Taxable value is calculated by multiplying the rollback rate for the correct property class by the equalized 100% actual value.

What factors will change my assessed value? Several factors can change the value of your assessment. Home improvements, such as building a garage, building a deck, siding/roofing, kitchen or bathroom remodeling, finishing the basement, etc., may change the assessed value of the home. Supply and demand may also change the value. If there are many homes for sale in the area similar to your home, the values may decrease because there are so many options for purchase. Similarly, if there are not many homes in the area for sale, value may be higher. Economy places a factor in the assessed value. When the economy is not at a stable point, home sales fluctuate causing assessed value to change.

How does the Assessor know if I have had home improvements on the inside of my property? The Assessor finds out these changes through building permits that are filed with the local City hall or the County.

What is the rollback value? The rollback value was set up by the State of Iowa to regulate large fluctuations in value. The rollback value is determined by the Director of Revenue and Finance each year. If the value increases more than four percent for the entire state of Iowa, the Director of Revenue and Finance will set the rollback percentage to use on the class of property. So, if you have drastic increases in one town and drastic decreases in another, the rollback value consider both.

How Does the Assessor Estimate Market Value? To estimate the market value of your property, the Assessor generally uses three approaches. The first approach is to find properties that are comparable to yours which have sold recently. Local conditions peculiar to your property are taken into consideration. The Assessor also uses sales ratio studies to determine the general level of assessment in a community, in order to adjust for local conditions. This method generally referred to as the MARKET APPROACH and usually considered the most important in determining the value of residential property. The second approach is the COST APPROACH and is an estimate of how many dollars at current labor and material prices it would take to replace your property with one similar to it. In the event improvement is not new appropriate amounts for depreciation and obsolescence would be deducted from replacement value. Value of the land then would be added to arrive to the total estimate of value. The INCOME APPROACH is the third method used if your property produces income such as an apartment or office building. In that case, your property could be valued according to its ability to produce income under prudent management; in other words, what another investor would give for a property in order to gain its income. The income approach is the most complex of the three approaches because of the research, information and analysis necessary for an accurate estimate of value. This method requires thorough knowledge of local and national financial conditions, as well as any developmental trends in the area of the subject property being appraised since errors or inaccurate information can seriously affect the final estimate of value.
The assessed (market) value of the property is determined as of January 1. The Assessor finds the market value by analyzing recent sales, but will also look at the replacement cost (the amount it would cost to rebuild the property) less depreciation. For commercial properties, recent sales are also analyzed and value may be determined by how much income the property can generate. The Assessor does not use the business income, only the income generated by the property. Assessed value should be as close to market value as possible.

Iowa Property Tax Assessment Cycle – Important Dates to remember:

January 1 - Assessment date

April 1 - Assessors complete assessments and notify taxpayers

April 2 - 25 - Taxpayers may request informal review of assessment by Assessor

On or before April 25 - Following informal review, Assessor may enter into a signed written agreement with the property owner or aggrieved taxpayer authorizing the Assessor to correct or modify the assessment according to the agreement of the parties

April 2 - 30 - Taxpayers may appeal assessments to local boards of review.

May 1 - May 31 - Local boards of review consider appeals. This time may be extended to July 15 by the Iowa Department of Revenue Director.

June 15 - Local boards of review submit reports to the Director.

July 1 - Assessors submit abstracts of the assessments to the Director.

August 15 - The Department issues tentative equalization notices to Assessors.

September - The Department holds equalization hearings, which are held for public input.

October 1 - The Department issues final equalization orders to County auditors.

October 2 - 12 - Assessing jurisdictions may apply for alternative methods of implementing equalization orders.

By October 8 - The County auditor must publish notice of the final equalization order by this date, and must provide notice by mail to the taxpayers if the equalization order results in an increase in valuation.

October 9 - 31 - Taxpayers may protest the final equalization order to local boards of review.

October 10 - November 15 - Local boards of review meet to hear equalization protests.

November 1 - The Director certifies assessment limitation percentages to County auditors.

November 15 - Local boards of review submit a report about the equalization protests to the Department.

Dec. 1 - Feb. 28 - The taxing authorities adopt the budgets based on the valuations.

March 1 - The County board of supervisors levies the taxes.

July 1 - The County treasurer receives authorization to collect taxes.

September 30 - First half of taxes are due.

March 31 - Second half of taxes are due.

Blue Grass Volunteer Fire Department

"Proud to Serve. Serve to be Proud."

Blue Grass Volunteer Fire Department
606 W. Mayne Street
Blue Grass, IA 52726

Emergency: 911
Non-emergency: 1-563-381-1234
Fax: 1-563-381-4652

The volunteer fire department total roster as of 07-01-10

Blue Grass Fire Department Roster "2020"

Brian Seamer, Chief - 20 years of service
Brad Schutte, Assistant Chief - 15 years of service
Jon Grunder, Captain - 22 years of service

Scott Powell, Captain, 20 years of service
Bob Downing, Captain - 15 years of service
Eric Morrison, Captain - 10 years of service
Jason Verschoore, Captain - 15 years of service
Chad Lofgren - Lieutenant - 12 years of service
Jake Freeman, Lieutenant - 11 years of service
Brandon Schadt - Lieutenant - 11 years of service
Spencer Ripperger - Lieutenant - 9 years of service
Lee Schmidt, Firefighter - 15 years of service
Justin Kinzer, Firefighter - 9 years of service
Sean Frantz, Firefighter - 6 years of service
CJ Downing, Firefighter - 5 years of service
Russ Johnson, Firefighter - 3 years of service
Greg Harrison, Firefighter - 3 years of service

Kyle Davis, Firefighter
Spencer Werthmannn, Firefighter
Jeff Oswald, Firefighter

Courtney Oswald, Firefighter

Fire Department Services

BGFD responds to fire, EMS, HAZ MAT and rescue calls. Calls average between 300 per year.

Approximately 65% are EMS calls.

BGFD is now working out of a state of the art building that houses 7 pieces of equipment, 3 pumpers (750 gpm, 1,250 gpm and 1,500 gpm), 2 tankers with 500 gpm pto pumps (1,500 gal. and 3,000 gal. capacity), a brush truck, a rescue truck and a command vehicle. Rescue equipment includes the Jaws of Life, shears, cutting shears, rams, air bags and numerous other items to perform heavy duty rescue. The Department also carries an AED in each truck and all medically qualified personnel are qualified in their operation. All members are certified in CPR.

BGFD serves a 50-square mile area with approximately 1650 residences. This includes a 300+ trailer park and numerous housing additions outside the city limits. If the BGFD responded to a call that required all trucks they could respond with approximately 7,000 gallons of water.

BGFD has one training and one business meeting per month. It conducts most of its training in-house. All new personnel are required to acquire their fire fighter I training within their first year on the Department.

BGFD belongs to the Scott County Fire Chief’s Association, Scott County EMS Association, Iowa Firemen’s Association, Iowa Association of Arson Investigators and the Iowa Chief’s Association.

Police Services

We are dispatched through the Scott Emergency Communications Center located in Davenport. If you need an officer to respond for any reason we ask that you call 911. If you are willing to wait for an officer to call you back, you can leave a message at the phone number listed above. When a Blue Grass Officer is not on duty, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department is dispatched to the call. Our office is a sub-station for the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, where they can complete and transmit their reports as well. The Blue Grass Police Department is here to serve and protect our citizens and to assist other agencies whenever needed. In additon to enforcing local and state laws, we provide house watches for when our citizens are on vacation or on an extended leave, and we provide fingerprint services free of charge.

Grant Awards

THE CITY OF BLUE GRASS AWARDED GRANT MONIES FROM THE RIVERBOAT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

The City of Blue Grass was awarded a grant from the Riverboat Development Authority during their Spring 2018 Grant Cycle to construct a shelter with electricity at Lauretta Park and in Fall of 2019 awarded the City another $5,535.00 to install a fence to protect children from the outter laying barb wire fence along the Highway 61 corridor. Without this grant funding, the City would not have been able to complete this project. Since then a basketball hoop and picnic tables have been added to the Park along with playround equipment. A special thanks to the Bi-State Regional Commission for the writing of this grant and hands off to the Park Board on carrying out the construction of the shelter.

BLUE GRASS POLICE DEPARTMENT IS AWARDED GRANT MONIES FROM THE SCOTT COUNTY REGIONAL AUTHORITY

The City of Blue Grass Police Department was awarded a grant from the Scott County Regional Authority to purchase new “life saving” equipment in the spring of 2019. According to Police Chief Garrett Jahns, the Officers at the Blue Grass Police Department were in desperate need of life saving equipment such as tourniquets, and other trauma equipment and AED’s to better serve in emergency situations.

The Blue Grass Police vehicles and officers now have lifesaving equipment equipped both on their uniform and in their vehicles ever ready to face any kind of medical need from cuts and scrapes to bullet and stab wounds. Since the grant was awarded, the blue grass police department used the trauma kit on a person involved in a motor vehicle accident who had minor injuries. The AED’s thankfully have not had to be used as of yet.

Chief Jahns commented, “With the current times we are in, where all cities are experiencing budget crunches, this purchase could not have been made possible without the help of the Scott County Regional Authority. This emergency equipment can make the difference between life and death. Thanks to the SCRA Grant, our officers are better equipped and ever ready to save a life.”

BLUE GRASS POLICE DEPARTMENT IS AWARDED GRANT MONIES FROM THE SCOTT COUNTY REGIONAL AUTHORITY

The Blue Grass Police Department was recently awarded grant monies during the Spring 2014 grant cycle in the amount of $25,000.00 from the Scott County Regional Authority to help offset the costs to purchase a 2014 Chevy Tahoe Enforcement Vehicle. The Police Department was also awarded grant monies from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau to help offset the cost of the new camera system.

On behalf of the City of Blue Grass and the Blue Grass Police Department, thank you “Scott County Regional Authority” and the “Governors Traffic Safety Bureau” for making this project feasible as without your support, projects of such would not be possible.

We would also like to thank the city staff and the Bi-State Regional Commission for the writing of the grant. Great job!

Thank you Scott County Regional Authority and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau for making this happen.

BLUE GRASS POLICE DEPARTMENT IS AWARDED GRANT MONIES FROM THE SCOTT COUNTY REGIONAL AUTHORITY

The Blue Grass Police Department was recently awarded grant monies during the Fall 2014 grant cycle in the amount of $12,192.00 from the Scott County Regional Authority to purchase two solar powered radar signs to remind motorists to “slow down” when approaching the School Zone area.

The City matched 15 percent of the project.

Both the City and Police Department are very grateful to the Scott County Regional Authority for their continued support, as the speed signs will help create a safer place for our children when commuting to the Blue Grass Elementary School.

We would also like to thank the city staff and the Bi-State Regional Commission for the writing of the grant.

Great job!

Scott County Regional Authority awards the Blue Grass Police Department monies

to purchase new mobile computers:

The Blue Grass Police Department was one of two police departments in the area to receive a grant from the Scott County Regional Authority on December 1^st, 2017 to purchase new equipment. According to Chief Jahns, the Blue Grass Police Department was desperately in need of new mobile computers for their department.

As a major tool for routine patrols, many police cars are fitted with laptops otherwise known as mobile data terminals (or MDTs), which are connected wirelessly to the police central computer at the Scott Emergency Communications Center in Davenport and they enable the officer to call up information such as vehicle and license details, offender records, and incident logs. The laptops in these vehicles can be used for nearly anything including mapping and GPS pinpointing. Using a mobile data terminal (MDT) software application such as, “New World Systems” shows the officer dispatch information, dispatcher notes, and it allows officers to update dispatch personnel on call status tactically. Furthermore the mobile computer allows officer to complete field reports, and assist in issuing citations to traffic violators. The laptops also allows police officers to access information databases such as, records from the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) for driver's license information and gives them access to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to collect information and conduct arrest warrant searches.

In addition to checking driver’s licenses and printing tickets, the use of the laptops and the software systems allow officers to share information, allowing all police forces in Scott County that use the software to see information recorded about people they’ve stopped. Field data collection, recordkeeping, and quick access to vehicle records, for example, are now vital tools in everyday law enforcement. In-vehicle computing devices make it easier for officers to take advantage of data out in the field. For example, officers are able to access necessary information out in the field that is instrumental in apprehending criminals within the moment. All of the law enforcement agencies in Scott County also share information by using mobile computers. Other information accessed on laptops are those with protection orders, prior calls for service at a location, and criminal histories. The computers purchased by the Blue Grass Police Department also acts as a camera and they have the capabilities of recording video as well during an investigation.

Chief Jahns said, “These are state of the art laptops, they also double as a tablet so we can take them into a call without compromising officer safety. We are so thankful to have been awarded this grant. We were in desperate need of new laptops. The two we had were outdated and one was barely functioning. With the current times we are in, where all cities are experiencing budget crunches, this purchase could not have been made possible without the help of the Scott County Regional Authority. These laptops are exactly what we have needed to better serve those who call on us.”

City of Blue Grass, Iowa

Utilities/railroad (This class is assessed at the state level)

Agricultural Extension Districts

The taxable value of your property

The budgets and taxable value of the individual’s property remain the same but the value of the property in the entire government unit decreases.

The budgets and taxable value of the individual’s property remain the same but the taxable value of the property in the entire government unit increases.

Articles

Fire