SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 15, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/19/26
In this edition:
*Congratulations Susan Denneny!
*Strategic Plan
*CCA School Resource Officer
*War With Iran
*ICCSD Budget Woes
*Conference Boards
*Property Taxes
*Budget Expertise
*Did You Know?
*Congratulations Susan Denneny!
Susan is retiring from Johnson County Public Health – and just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! Congratulations, Susan, and thank you for your great work!
*Strategic Plan
Johnson County is in the process of developing a new strategic plan. If you would like to weigh in, please visit:
https://engageberrydunn.mysocialpinpoint.com/johnson-county-strategic-plan
*CCA School Resource Officer
On Wednesday the 11th the Board heard from representatives of Clear Creek Amana Schools who were requesting a contract with Johnson County that would have put a School Resource Officer (SRO) on the High School and Junior High campus in Tiffin. The officer would be a full-fledged Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputy.
We had a similar discussion with the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) eight or nine years ago. I recalled that Johnson County Social Services Director Lynette Jacoby had provided us with a great deal of data at that time, so I asked her to resend it in preparation for the meeting.
We do not take a formal vote until Thursday the 19th, so I cannot be certain how my colleagues will vote. But I am going to be a “no.” I spoke at some length about my own experiences as a parent and foster parent.
If you are interested in seeing the video, you can view it here: https://johnson-county.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=3595
It is a long discussion – a bit over an hour – but it is the first item on the agenda.
*War With Iran
I said exactly this last week, but it bears repeating: President Trump has started a war with Iran. This is illegal, unjustifiable, dangerous, and stupid.
Only Congress can declare war. But Trump did it anyway. His lap dogs like Ashley Hinson and Marianette Miller Meeks will be just fine with it, too.
We just did what Putin does. What Hitler did. What evil dictators do. We attacked another sovereign nation unprovoked. Trump just committed a war crime in our names.
Iran posed no particular threat to the US. But they do now. Prepare for another couple decades of motivated young terrorists.
Obama had reached a nuclear agreement with Iran. Trump railed against it, although it was working. He ended the agreement. With no agreement, Iran began increasing their nuclear capabilities. So Trump bombs them. He broke things, then broke them again trying to fix it.
Meanwhile, people are dead across the region, including American troops.
I cannot WAIT until November when we can vote out awful Trump rubber stamps like Ashley Hinson and Marianette Miller Meeks.
*ICCSD Budget Woes
By now you have probably all heard about the budget problems that have occurred in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD). These problems are serious, and the Board faces some real challenges now in determining what steps to take next.
I do not pretend to have any extra or special knowledge of the situation. But I do have a request of you all. Show a bit of grace.
I get it – you may be furious. And perhaps you have a right to be. But will displays of anger – even righteous anger – help our kids right now? I urge everyone to learn everything they can about the situation, and once you have the correct info, to exercise your right (I would say duty) to hold the ICCSD accountable. But please try to do so in a productive manner. Our kids deserve that.
*Conference Boards
The City and County Conference Boards met recently to discuss the performances and budgets of the Iowa City and Johnson County Assessors.
Assessors are the folks who determine the value of all our taxable real estate. Every county has an Assessor; so do several of the larger cities. In some areas, notably Des Moines/Polk County and Waterloo/Black Hawk County, the City Assessor’s Office has been absorbed by the County Assessor’s Office. All told, there are about 110 Assessor’s Offices in Iowa.
The Iowa City Assessor handles all the property inside Iowa City proper; the Johnson County Assessor does everything else. The IC Assessor is responsible for almost $10 billion in appraised value; the JC Assessor is responsible for about $13.5 billion. Both serve about 80,000 residents.
Houses, businesses, farms and the like all go up and down in value. Because Johnson County has historically been viewed as a very good place to live, property values here have gone up steadily. In addition, new construction is always being added to the rolls. Iowa City has seen quite a bit of growth three directions. And the growth in Tiffin, Solon, and North Liberty goes without saying!
Property tax-levying governmental units (county, cities, schools) are represented on the Conference Boards. So the IC Assessor’s Office is overseen by Johnson County, Iowa City, and the ICCSD. The JC Assessor’s Office is overseen by Johnson County, ten cities (all but IC) each represented by their Mayor, and ten school districts (including the ICCSD) each represented by a school board member. Not every city or school district is represented at every meeting, but there are always enough representatives to have a quorum.
These Conference Boards review the performance of the Assessor for that jurisdiction, and set the budgets for the upcoming year. You have a very tiny line on your tax bill labelled “Assessor.” That is how the expenses for these offices are funded.
Now for some very good news: Assessors are measured for accuracy and ranked every year. The IC Assessor’s Office ranked #2 in the state out of about 110 offices. The JC Assessor’s Office ranked #3. That is correct – Iowa City was number two, and Johnson County was number three! In all my years as a Supervisor, neither Iowa City nor Johnson County has finished lower than 4th.
In addition to being highly ranked as a simple matter of pride, we should be extremely pleased by these results. This means that property taxpayers are likely paying their fair share. You are not likely paying too much, nor are you paying too little, relative to all property taxpayers. That is a very good thing.
I know, I know. You all think your assessed value is too high. There is an easy way to check this. Would you sell your property today at assessed value? Most folks I know would not; they think it is worth more. There is your answer. If you DO think it is too high, assessed values are easy to appeal. Just call the appropriate Assessor’s Office.
We are being well-served by our Assessors. Congratulations to Iowa City Assessor Brad Comer, Johnson County Assessor Tom Van Buer, and all their employees on these tremendous accomplishments!
*Property Taxes
We are finishing the FY27 budget, and I thought it made for a good time to revisit the subject of property taxes.
The total property taxes you pay is a function of several factors:
1. Value of the property: The Assessor for your jurisdiction determines how much a given property is worth. The property then receives an assessed value.
2. Classification of the property: A given property is classified into one of several categories. With a few minor exceptions, taxable properties are classified as either Agricultural, Residential, Commercial, or Industrial.
3. Levy rates: Each taxing jurisdiction has a levy rate for Ag, Residential, Commercial, and Industrial. The rate for each jurisdiction is applied.
4. Credits/rollbacks, etc.: There are occasional credits and rollbacks that artificially adjust the taxes due on certain taxable properties.
So, you take the value of the property, apply any rollbacks or credits, and multiply times the total levy rate for that class of property for each jurisdiction. You now have your total amount of property taxes due.
The taxing bodies do not have as much control over property taxes as you might think. Assessors value and classify the property. The state determines credits and rollbacks. All the taxing bodies control are the levy rates.
The levy rate in Johnson County has dropped 9 of the past 10 years. That is primarily because property values continue to rise.
*Budget Expertise
The work of drafting the County budget for FY27 is coming to a close.
I am proud of what I bring to the Board of Supervisors. But do not take my word for it – see for yourself! Every Board meeting is available online at: https://johnson-county.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1
For starters, check out the last part of the February 4th budget meeting. The meeting is about 80 minutes long, but you need only watch from 1:10-1:20. In that window, I bring up several key budget discussion points that were not going to be discussed otherwise. In subsequent meetings, these points have had huge impacts in terms of how we plan our budget.
This is one reason I believe I deserve your support. If I am not a part of these discussions, this stuff does not happen.
*DID YOU KNOW? The US has not officially declared war on another nation since WWII. During that time, 150,000 US service members have lost their lives.
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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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 7:49 PM
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