Following a property assessment settlement, Greene County’s largest town took a minor hit in terms of reducing its overall budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn reported at a County Board of Supervisors meeting that Wild Rose Entertainment had appealed a property assessment valuation by the Greene County Assessor’s Office. He said the Wild Rose Casino and Resort property was originally assessed over $23 million, and Wild Rose believed it was $15.5 million. Laehn noted that the matter was settled before the appeal went before the Iowa Property Assessment and Appeals Board.

Laehn mentioned that the county chose to settle for $18.1 million, due to a similar appeal where Clinton County lost its claim for its property assessed value against Wild Rose. Following the settlement, Jefferson City Administrator Scott Peterson says the $5 million reduction in taxable valuation impacts their budget going into the 2026 fiscal year, while trying to keep the overall tax levy rate at $14.88 per $1,000 of valuation.

“The way our tax rate works then, you know that equaled to about $32,000 worth of tax revenue. So we needed to make some adjustments into the budget, cut some expenses, look for some other ways that we would generate some additional revenue, and look to spread out some additional cost, maybe over subsequent years, and we’re able to do that then and keep that property tax levy the same as what it is. (I) feel real good about that.”  

Peterson says the changes that were made with respect the general fund include moving the funding source for the city to pay its share of the cost for the fireworks display during 4th of July, reducing expenses for part-time library employees, having utilities help pay for computers and other infrastructure at city hall, and reducing the local match that was budgeted for a Federal Aviation Administration grant project at the airport for the upcoming fiscal year. He adds that the city council set the public hearing for the stand alone proposed property tax levy as a special session for April 1st at 5:30pm in the City Hall Council Chambers.