To the editor:

As the Legislature debates property tax reform, I want to be very clear about what’s at stake for Iowa Central Community College and the communities we serve.

Community colleges account for just 2 to 3 percent of the average property tax bill. That’s a small slice. Limiting that portion will not meaningfully change what most Iowans pay. But it will have a very real impact on students, workforce training, and local economies.

At Iowa Central, those dollars are not sitting in a flexible pot. They are largely restricted by law to essential costs–facilities, insurance, liability, and equipment. These are not optional expenses, and they are not easily reduced. They are driven by market realities like rising insurance premiums and construction costs.

Statewide, Iowa’s community colleges collect about $225 million annually in property tax revenue. The proposals being considered would limit how those funds can grow, regardless of whether the underlying costs increase.

The Senate bill caps growth on already limited levies. The House bill goes further, placing caps on all community college levies–including those that pay for fixed and unavoidable costs like insurance and equipment. The proposed legislation’s approach doesn’t reduce costs. It just limits our ability to pay for them.

If these caps are enacted, community colleges will have to make real tradeoffs. At Iowa Central, that could mean higher tuition and fees for students, fewer new workforce and career programs, delays in replacing critical training equipment, and deferred maintenance on aging facilities.

Those decisions don’t happen in a vacuum. They affect students trying to get an affordable education, employers who rely on a skilled workforce, and communities working to grow and stay competitive.

Iowa Central serves more than 6,200 students and employs 1,200 people in our region. In addition, we train over 10,000 employees a year. We support one out of every 26 jobs in our nine counties we serve. We are part of the economic engine of this area. Policies that weaken community colleges ultimately weaken the communities they are meant to support.

There is a path to property tax relief that doesn’t undercut community colleges. But it requires acknowledging a simple truth: the community college share of the tax bill is small, while the impact of these proposed changes is not.

I would encourage lawmakers to take a more balanced approach–one that delivers relief without shifting the burden onto students and the workforce pipeline Iowa depends on.

Dr. Jesse Ulrich, President

Iowa Central Community College