FY27 City Budget

Waukee City Council have been working through the proposed City Budget for fiscal year 2027 which runs July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, and the Capital Improvement Plan, which looks out five years. On April 6, 2026, City Council will hold a public hearing for the City’s proposed property tax levy. April 20 is the expected public hearing for City Council to approve the proposed FY27 Budget and proposed Capital Improvement Plan. If you have questions, please email them to communications@waukee.org. 

About the Draft Budget for Fiscal Year 2027

The $148.3 million budget includes general fund expenditures of $29.8 million, business and proprietary expenses of $28.6 million, debt service expenditures of $16.7 million and capital improvement expenditures of $49.7 million. Read the draft FY27 budget here. 

What does that mean?

General fund expenses include wages, benefits and operational costs, like consulting, software, fuel, maintenance of facilities and equipment, materials and utilities for all departments, except for utility departments and the golf course. That includes everything from City Council to the Fire Department to the Library to IT. Business and proprietary expenses include wages, benefits and all costs associated with running the utilities: Water, Sewer and Storm Water Departments as well as Sugar Creek Municipal Golf Course, including construction of infrastructure. Debt service is paying back principal and interest on the long term debt that the City has taken out to fund the bigger, expensive projects, like a new government facility or major road reconstruction. Capital improvement includes other major projects, such as new parks, new road construction and remodeling city buildings.

Where does the City get its money?

The proposed budget for the general fund has an estimated $29.4 million in revenue and $29.8 million in anticipated expenditures for much of the regular City operations. Funding sources for the General Fund are 57% property tax revenue, 15% transfers, 12% fees from licenses and permits, 8% charges for City services, 3% from intergovernmental sources and 5% from other sources. In addition to the general fund, we plan to use some reserve funds to purchase capital equipment which makes up the difference.

Property tax is the largest portion of revenue for the General Fund. The City of Waukee receives 36 cents from each property tax dollar paid by a homeowner in Waukee. Other taxing entities receive the remainder of the funds, including the Waukee Community School District, Dallas County, community colleges and other agencies. You can find more details on property taxes at Waukee.org/Tax.

Funding split: 57% property tax, 15% transfers, 12% licenses and permits, 16% other

What does the General Fund pay for?

The General Fund supports a range of services and operations for the City of Waukee. 63% goes to public safety, which includes police, fire, EMS, building inspections and animal control. 19% goes toward culture and recreation, such as park and trail maintenance, library and City-run events. 10% goes toward general government operations. 4.5% goes toward public works services. 3.5% goes toward community and economic development. Note that major road projects, street construction, new park construction, street maintenance and utility system operations are paid for through other funding sources.

Expense categories: 63% public safety, 19% recreation, 10% general government, 4.5% public works

What should you know when you read this draft budget?

The City of Waukee sold the Waukee Municipal Gas Utility to MidAmerican Energy in October 2025. The utility used resources from shared service departments, such as Communications, IT, Administration, Finance and Human Resources. Therefore, utility revenue paid for a portion of those shared resources. Those costs are now redistributed in the budget, so it can look like major changes in some line items when comparing FY26 and FY27. The new franchise fee on electric and natural gas service will help pay for those shared services, which continue to support all City departments and the services we provide to Waukee. The former gas employees have moved into roles with the new Infrastructure Services division, which maintains infrastructure around Waukee. Infrastructure Services is under the General Fund, so that makes the Public Works portion larger than prior years.  

Budget Highlights

The proposed FY27 budget covers continued City operations as they are today as well as new projects that align with the City Council's strategic goals. Here are some highlights and notable changes compared to prior years.

Maintain Current Property Tax Levy

The draft budget proposes keeping the City’s property tax levy the same at $12.80 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. Despite increasing costs from inflation, we are able to maintain the current levy rate because of Waukee's growth and the City's efforts to keep operational costs as low as possible while keeping a high quality for the services we provide.

Note that the City’s levy accounts for about one-third of property taxes. With the Rollback Rate set by the state, actual tax dollars paid could go down slightly for many Waukee households. Find more information on how property taxes work from what factors determine how much you pay to how those funds are spent at Waukee.org/PropertyTax.

Addition of Franchise Fee

The 2% franchise fee addition will offset reduced revenues after the City sold the municipal gas utility to MidAmerican Energy in October 2025. City Council had explored different options to cover the portions of costs from shared services, such as HR, IT, Finance, Communications and Administration, that were previously attributed to the utility. The 1% sales tax on electric and gas bills will be removed when the franchise fee goes into effect later this spring, making it a net 1% increase for gas and electric customers.

New staff positions will help meet the needs of our growing community.

Public safety is a critical focus for the City. To meet the needs of our growing community, the City expects to add 1 code compliance officer/rental inspector, 2 full-time firefighter/paramedics, 2 full-time police officers this summer and 1 additional police officer mid-fiscal year. Public Works will add 1 streets laborer to help maintain our ever-expanding road network. We also plan to move 2 part time roles to full time: a records technician at the Police Department and an outreach librarian at the Waukee Public Library. 

Small increases to utility rates will help cover increasing costs.

Like you experience in your daily life, the City has seen increased costs for the goods and services it needs to operate, including for the utility services you get from the City. The proposed FY27 budget includes modest increases to water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste rates. The current draft budget show that these changes will net a 4.25% increase, which is about $5.72 more per month in utility bills for the average Waukee household. The City is still working through some details related to wastewater (sewer) services, which may cause some adjustments to proposed sewer rates before the final draft budget goes to City Council for approval. 

Upcoming Capital Improvement Projects

$53.3 million will pay for improvements to major roads and add amenities for residents to enjoy. See the 5-year Capital Improvement Plan here.

  • The City will continue a multi-year University Avenue Extension project to close the remaining gap between Warrior Lane and 6th Street. This project includes improvements to several streets that intersect with University Avenue, four pedestrian underpasses and other enhancements to the area.
  • The widening project for NE Alice’s Road in partnership with the City of Clive will improve a major roadway for the western metro.
  • Street and parking improvements will continue the momentum for a refreshed and vibrant Downtown Triangle.
  • The current Public Safety building on L.A. Grant Parkway will be refurbished to better serve the needs of the Waukee Fire Department and transition the former Police Department side of the building into space for Community Development staff. We are a rapidly growing City, and many of our departments are outgrowing current office space. Once moved in, the City will no longer need to rent the annex building behind City Hall where Community Development is currently housed.
  • Public art, park improvements and trail extensions will add to the high quality of life within Waukee.

How does the City make the budget?

It is a long and very involved process. Each spring, the Mayor, City Council and City staff work on strategic planning to identify needs within Waukee and prioritize projects. This helps inform the budget process, which starts around October. Department heads estimate costs for daily operations, including staff, office supplies, software licenses and utilities for offices. They also add in costs for maintenance work, events, equipment and all the projects they expect to work on for the next year. The Finance team takes all those inputs, expected revenues and priorities to lay out the detailed budget. This goes back to City Council for review in January or February.

The City submits property tax levy information to Dallas County in March. Then we post notices to the public, so community members can give feedback through two public hearings, one for the proposed property tax levy and one for the budget. After those hearings, the City Council votes. The approved budget gets filed with the State of Iowa at the end of April. The final approved budget and capital improvement plan are part of our public record, and you can access them at Waukee.org throughout the year.

How can residents give feedback or ask questions?

If you have questions about the budget or tax levy, you can email communications@waukee.org or call City Hall at 515-978-7900, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

You can speak in opposition or support at a public hearing in a City Council meeting. April 6, 2026, is the public hearing date for the City’s proposed property tax levy. April 20, 2026, is the expected public hearing date for City Council to approve the proposed FY27 Budget and proposed Capital Improvement Plan. You can sign up to be notified of council meeting agendas at Waukee.org/NotifyMe.

In mid-March, residents will get a taxpayer statement in the mail from the Dallas County Auditor. This lists proposed tax levy rates and public hearing dates for the three primary levy agencies: City, County and School District. Sometimes, people have a hard time understanding these statements, so we will post more information about how to read the statements.