A potential ballot measure in the state of Iowa has been garnering some attention recently that would shift a funding mechanism from one fund to property tax relief.

District 24 Senator Jesse Green is one of 17 Senate Republicans that have signed on for an amendment that would shift some of the state sales tax to property tax relief instead of the money going to an amendment that was passed by Iowa voters in 2010 called the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreational Trust Fund. Green tells Raccoon Valley Radio when the trust fund was passed 15 years ago, he believes the landscape for programs like improving water quality and soil health that the trust would fund, has changed. 

Green points out that there currently is no funding in that trust because the state sales tax would need to be increased for that to happen, which hasn’t been the case since 1992. He explains one main reason why he supports the new amendment to use sales tax for property tax relief that would have gone to the trust.

“There’s a large portion of our population that is afraid that they might have to sell their homes because property tax liability is increasing so much every single year, especially from our older population. We have to take those fears into consideration and how do we address those?”     

Green mentions there have been other programs and funding measures in place to help with water quality, soil health and other such programs including $90 million annually for water quality efforts, $450 million that was allocated to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to financial assistance, and Governor Kim Reynolds nutrient reduction strategy that was done in 2018, among others. Opponents of the amendment argue that the trust needs to be funded and that using sales tax for property tax relief will disproportionately hurt lower income families. 

Green adds that the amendment has a long road ahead because it would not only need to pass out of the Senate and House this legislative session, it would also need to pass both chambers next session and then be placed on the ballot in November of 2026 for Iowans to decide.