A bill making its way through the Legislature sends about three-and-a-half million dollars back to counties, cities and school districts. Last year, the legislature didn’t provide enough money to bankroll property tax credits for low-income elderly, the disabled, and veterans. Counties ate a small portion of the cost — that three-and-a-half million. The rest, about 19 million dollars, was passed along to taxpayers. Polk County Treasurer Mary Malone says low-income elderly were hardest hit.While the average homeowner in Polk County saw their property tax bill go up 18 dollars, low-income elderly suffered an average 78 dollar increase. Malone says that was hard to take because it affected low-income elderly who earned less than 12-thousand dollars a year. She says they had to refer a lot of people to social services to get help with their taxes.Malone, who is past-president of the Iowa County Treasurers Association, hopes legislators keep their commitment to providing all the money for the tax credits in the future. The Iowa House last night passed a bill on the issue, and the Senate is expected to endorse it soon.
