SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 1, 2025
Sullivan’s Salvos 9/4/25
In this edition:
*One More Labor Day Thought…
*Gun Violence
*Property Taxes Due
*Precinct Population Data
*United Way Community Needs Assessment
*Interesting Political Analysis
*Did You Know?
*One More Labor Day Thought…
I ran into many great friends at the annual Iowa City Federation of Labor Labor Day Picnic. But I wanted to offer a special shout out to my longtime friends Nick Johnson and Mary Vasey.
Nick always seems to have just the right anecdote, and he came through again today. We were discussing how the successful Democrats in this environment are the ones connecting with regular people. Then Nick reminded me of this story:
When FDR’s funeral procession was going by, a man was so distraught that he fell to his knees. A person helped him to his feet and said, “Did you know the President?” The man answered, “No, but he knew me.”
Amen!
*Gun Violence
By this point, we are all familiar with the recurring headline of articles published by the Onion after every mass shooting: “No Way to Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.” The headline satirizes and laments the unique failure of the US to prevent gun violence.
We simply must stop pretending there is nothing we can do. Every Republican in office needs to go. Period. Given the choice, they always choose guns over the lives of our kids.
Oh, and one more thought… Remember how many of these folks claimed to be arming themselves against government overreach? We are currently experiencing the greatest government overreach since the Confederate states decided to secede. Where are these wannabe patriots?
*Property Taxes Due
The first installment of Johnson County property and mobile home taxes is due on Sept. 1, 2025. Payments must be delivered to the Treasurer’s Office, paid online, or postmarked by Sept. 30 to avoid a 1.5% monthly penalty that will begin Oct. 1. The U.S. Postal Service postmark is the only date recognized for date of mailing. The date written on a check, or a business metered date, cannot be accepted as proof of the mailing date. Residents who would like a receipt must include a self-addressed stamped envelope with their payment.
In-person payments must be made at the Treasurer’s Office, located on the first floor of the Johnson County Administration Building, 913 S. Dubuque St. in Iowa City. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Treasurer’s Office will be closed Monday, Sept. 1, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
To make an online payment, visit https://pay.iowataxandtags.org. You can pay with an e-check, debit card or credit card. Those methods of payment, whether online or at the Treasurer’s Office, are subject to a convenience fee. Iowa Tax and Tags now has customer accounts to manage property tax, receive reminders about upcoming bills and schedule future payments. Contact the Treasurer’s Office at 319-356-6087 if you have questions about Iowa Tax and Tags customer accounts.
County Treasurers collect property taxes on behalf of all jurisdictions in the county and then distribute the taxes collected to the other jurisdictions, including the property owner’s city of residence, school district and other taxing bodies in the county.
Questions about payments should be directed to the Treasurer’s Office at 319-356-6087 or rblack@johnsoncountyiowa.gov. Additional information about property taxes is available at
www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/department-of-treasurer .
*Precinct Population Data
We recently got some updated precinct population data from the Auditor’s Office, and I found some interesting stats. I should note that this info is out of date. Because it is based on old census data, it shows the Johnson County population as 152,854. In actuality, the current Census Bureau estimate for Johnson County is 160,080. It is reasonable to think Johnson County will be pushing 170,000 by the time of the 2030 census.
This population growth should help Johnson County in terms of gaining representation in the Iowa Legislature. Right now, Johnson County has the population of about 4.9 House seats, and 2.4 Senate seats. As of 2030, we should be looking at 5.5 House seats and 2.74 Senate seats. That should lead to one more Democrat representing Johnson County in the House, and could lead to one more Democrat in the Senate. Every little bit helps!
Some other tidbits:
There are 5 precincts that have less than 1000 population: Graham at 470, Madison at 524, Hardin at 539, Cedar at 545, and Union at 688. In the future, one might see some of these precincts consolidated with others.
Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 49.3 sets out a limit of 3500 population per voting precinct. This is a *REALLY* good law! 49.3 is why Iowa does not have 6 hour wait times for voting the way Texas, Georgia, and some other states do. If one assumes about 2/3 of the population might be eligible to vote, that means a precinct could have around 2300 voters. Over the course of a 13-hour day, that is almost 175 voters per hour. Needless to say, because we do not have 100% turnout and because there are early voting options, no precinct approaches that 175 voter per hour figure. But even half that amounts to a very busy day!
Johnson County has ten precincts over 3000 right now; two in Coralville, seven in Iowa City, and the City of Solon. The single largest precinct is Iowa City 5, with 3388 residents. (IC5 is primarily eastside dormitories, and ironically, typically has relatively few actual voters.) After the 2030 census, Iowa City, Coralville, and Solon will need to add precincts. My guess is that North Liberty and Tiffin will need to do the same.
The largest rural precinct in Johnson County is Penn Township at 2560, followed by Newport at 2200, and Scott at 2057.
Johnson County had 52 precincts following the 2010 census, and 65 following the 2020 census. Assuming similar growth, Johnson County will need to add another 10-15 precincts after 2030. That means 10-15 precincts worth of voting equipment, and 10-15 precincts worth of poll workers. These are significant expenses, and are the responsibility of Johnson County, not the state or feds.
*United Way Community Needs Assessment
Johnson County is one of several organizations that collaborated with the United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties on a Community Needs Assessment. I am going to spend four weeks of Salvos highlighting four different areas of community need. This week: Financial Security.
Some alarming stats:
*41% of Johnson County families are “ALICE”; asset limited, income restrained, employed.
*A single parent with a young child in Johnson County needs to earn $28.35 an hour to meet basic needs.
*Child care costs more in Johnson County than tuition at the UI.
*79% of children in Johnson County have both parents working.
*$12.57 is the average hourly wage of a childcare worker in Johnson County.
*54% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on rent.
Community Goals:
1. People have the resources they need to support their families.
2. Families have access to quality childcare they can afford.
3. Everyone has safe and stable housing they can afford.
*Interesting Political Analysis
I recently heard some interesting political analysis on the Pod Save America podcast that I thought was worth discussing. One of the hosts noted that the biggest divide in the Democratic Party right now is not liberal/moderate/conservative. The divide is how big of a threat to democracy do you feel Donald Trump is?
To illustrate, pretend you rank elected Democrats on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being the most conservative member of the party and 10 being the most liberal. He noted that Bernie Sanders (not technically a Dem but play along) would be a 9, Elizabeth Warren an 8, JB Pritzker a 7, Gavin Newsome a 5, and Alyssa Slotkin a 4. Yet all five of those elected officials feel we need to have urgency as we oppose Trump.
On the other side, Kamala Harris is a 7, Chuck Schumer is a 6, Gretchen Witmer is a 5, and Rahm Emanuel is a 2. Yet all four of those elected officials seem to believe that the system will hold, and Dems need to be patient and stick to the rules.
I will be the first to admit that I do not have all the answers. If I did, I’d be rich, and everyone would be following my lead. But my inclination is to side with the folks who are alarmed. I’d rather take more drastic steps and avert a crisis than wait and wonder if we should have done more.
Frankly, I think it just comes down to leadership, which does not accrue to any one set of values. What are your thoughts?
*DID YOU KNOW? The population of Johnson County, Iowa in 2022 was 156,420, up 19.1% from the 131,344 who lived there in 2010. For comparison, the US population grew 7.7% and Iowa's population grew 4.9% during that period.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 5:05 PM
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