Every Year My Property Tax Bill Goes Up. Every Year I Want Answers.

I'm a Des Moines homeowner. And every year when my property tax bill arrives I do the same thing — I look at the number, feel the frustration, and wonder what exactly I'm paying for.

I'm not against paying taxes. I understand that functioning communities cost money. Roads, schools, emergency services, local government — these things don't run themselves. I've never been someone who thinks taxes are inherently bad.

What I am against is paying some of the highest property taxes in the Midwest and watching the services those taxes are supposed to fund fall further and further behind.

Iowa's public schools are underfunded compared to our neighbors. Rural hospitals across this state are closing. Our infrastructure needs work. And yet the bill keeps going up.

I've lived in Iowa my whole life. I love this state. But loving something means being honest about it — and honestly, Iowa's property tax system isn't working for the people paying into it.

What Made Me Start Paying Closer Attention

It wasn't just my own bill that got my attention. It was watching what's happening to small family farmers across Iowa.

I grew up understanding that farming is the backbone of this state. But Iowa's property tax system is quietly doing something devastating to small family farmers — as land values have increased, so have the tax assessments on that land. Families who have farmed the same Iowa ground for three and four generations are facing tax bills their income can't support.

These aren't wealthy landowners sitting on appreciated assets and cashing out. These are families who work that land, who live on that land, who have built their entire lives around that land. And the property tax system is forcing some of them to sell.

When I started looking at how Iowa compares to states like Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin — states with similar economies and similar agricultural communities — the picture got even harder to ignore. We're paying more and getting less. That's not a political opinion. That's just math.

The Question Nobody Is Answering

Here's what I keep coming back to: if Iowa property taxes are among the highest in the Midwest, where is that money going?

It's not going to our schools — Iowa ranks below the national average in per pupil funding. It's not going to rural healthcare. It's not making Iowa more affordable for the young families and first time homebuyers we need to attract to grow this state.

And while property taxes have climbed steadily, Iowa recently overhauled its income tax system in ways that reduced the burden most for higher earners. The everyday Iowa homeowner, the renter absorbing property tax costs through rent, the small farmer — none of them saw meaningful relief from that overhaul.

That combination — rising property taxes, income tax cuts skewed toward higher earners, underfunded public services — is not a system designed to attract people to Iowa. It's one that makes people think twice about staying.

Iowa deserves better than this. Iowa homeowners, farmers, renters, and young families trying to put down roots here deserve a system that is fair, transparent, and actually funds the services that make this state worth living in.

I wrote a full in depth piece on this topic — comparing Iowa to our Midwest neighbors, breaking down what's happening to small farmers, and laying out what a fair system would actually look like.

Read the full article here: Iowa's Property Taxes Keep Going Up. So Where Is the Money Going?

Rebecca Nicole Schweitzer is a Des Moines, Iowa writer and community advocate. Find her on Medium, Substack, Pinterest, and X.