Board of Supervisors

Meeting of May 5, 2026

Bancroft County, Iowa · Open to the public

Agenda

Call to order
Approval of minutes and claims
Statehouse watch: property tax reform signed into law (SF 2472)
Auditor: initial FY2028 impact analysis
Public comment
Adjournment

Minutes

The Bancroft County Board of Supervisors met in regular session at 9:00 a.m. in the Supervisors' Room of the courthouse. Chair Ostergaard called the meeting to order.

Present: Supervisors Ostergaard, Whitmore, and Cabrera. Also present: County Auditor Gene Prewitt, recording.

Minutes of April 28, 2026 and claims of $142,898.98 were approved, 3–0 (Whitmore/Cabrera).

Auditor Prewitt reported that Governor Reynolds signed Senate File 2472 on May 3, 2026, enacting the most significant overhaul of Iowa's property tax and local government finance system in the state's history. As applied to Bancroft County, the law caps annual growth in county general levy revenue at 2%, county hospital levy revenue at 4%, and emergency management levy revenue at 3%, beginning with the budget the county will set for FY2028 (fiscal year 2027-2028).

Prewitt presented an initial analysis showing the county's general fund, under the new cap, would grow roughly $150,000-$200,000 more slowly per year than under recent historical trends, with secondary roads, sheriff patrol staffing, and the new EMS levy all drawing on the same capped general levy.

Motion by Whitmore, seconded by Cabrera, to direct the Auditor to prepare a full FY2028 budget model under SF 2472 for Board review this summer, and to begin identifying efficiencies across departments in advance of the FY2028 budget cycle. Carried 3–0. Chair Ostergaard thanked ISAC and county staff for their advocacy work over the past legislative session.

No public comment.

Motion by Cabrera, seconded by Whitmore, to adjourn. Motion carried 3–0. Meeting adjourned at 9:37 a.m..

_________________________
Marian Ostergaard, Chair
Attest: Gene Prewitt, County Auditor

Minutes approved as presented at the following regular meeting. Fictional demonstration record.