Dubuque budget proposal includes incremental tax rate increase

City of Dubuque officials are proposing an incremental increase to the city’s levy rate for the upcoming fiscal year. Dubuque City Council members on Thursday set a public hearing for March 25 to approve parameters for the fiscal year 2025 budget. During a special session Thursday, City Manager Mike Van Milligen proposed a property tax levy amount and corresponding tax rate for fiscal year 2025. Van Milligan seeks $28,223,481 in property tax revenue to support the city’s general fund. To meet that goal, he is proposing a 0.25% increase to the property tax rate to $9.9264 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. The rate increase would result in property taxes rising $40.75 for the average Dubuque homeowner. Commercial and industrial property owners also would see their taxes increase in the fiscal year starting July 1. The increased tax rate, coupled with reassessed property values, would raise about $1.6 million more in fiscal year 2025 than in fiscal year 2024.