Supervisors Discuss Recycling Numbers

SIGOURNEY – During the Feb. 10 meeting of the Keokuk County Board of Supervisors, County Auditor Christy Bates noted that she had received a call from a recycling center employee, who told her that more than 100 Sigourney residents use the center. Supervisor Mike Hadley stated that other towns in the county should consider talking to the center about recycling.

Supervisor Daryl Wood noted that Pathfinders, a conservation board he sits on, had to put multiple mine reclamation projects on hold due to threats of a federal funding freeze. Hadley stated things are a mess because of uncertainty.

The supervisors continued looking over plans for the 2025 budget. Hadley noted that people ask him what the tax levy rate is and stated that it doesn’t matter what the levy rate is, what matters is the actual total dollars the county gets. He noted that some neighboring counties have similar levy rates but much larger revenue, due to having more valuable properties. Bates stated that the max the county was allowed to levy for General Basic was 3.77, and that the state requires them to levy at least 3.50 to be allowed to use General Supplement funds. She stated she didn’t know how other counties got by. Hadley stated the problem with cutting taxes when you can is that, when something comes along that forces counties to raise taxes, they can’t do so easily. He said this forces them to take the max levy amount allowed.