Adopted Budget

• State Forms
• Budget Packet

Key Highlights

The General Fund budget for FY 2026 totals $34 million in expenses, a 2.54% increase over last year  (not counting transfers for equipment reserves). 

• Public Safety (police, fire, and E911 communications) makes up more than 57% of the budget (excluding transfers). The budget includes the addition of one E911 communications operator to support our goal of maintaining a minimum of two-person staffing in the 911 Communications Center around the clock.
• Culture & Recreation (parks, recreation, and the library) accounts for 21% of the general fund expenditures. The Parks and Recreation budget includes funding for a full-time event coordinator and staffing for Central Plaza operations. This is offset by savings from other areas where we have streamlined or reduced costs. The library budget includes the addition of library materials for  the mobile library. 

 Where the Funding Comes From

The General Fund budget for FY 2026 is supported by $33 million in revenue. Over 75% of this comes from property taxes with 8% coming from franchise fees on electric, gas and cable utilities.

Property Taxes

To support the budget, a property tax rate of $14.89684 is proposed. If property values stay the same (properties are re-assessed every other year), homeowners can expect about a 3% increase in the City portion of their property tax bill. For example, a residential home valued at $300,000 would see an increase of about $62 per year (or $5.17 per month). A commercial property valued at $1 million would see an increase of about $102 per year (or $8.50 per month).

Please note, the City does not control changes in property values or how the tax burden is  allocated among various property classifications.

FY 2026 Capital Improvement Program

The FY 2026 Capital Improvement Program budget is heavily focused on transportation needs, making up about 40% of the planned expenditures. Most of the funding in the transportation category goes toward completing Tower Terrace Road and various overlay projects. T he second largest category is facilities, which accounts for 17% of the budget. This includes the construction of an elevated water tower and the second phase of the Public Safety Training Facility.

Key Projects Over $1.5 million:

• Tower Terrace Road: completes Tower Terrace Road from I-380 to Highway 13, pending federal funding.
• Pavement Management Program: an ongoing annual program that replaces streets in residential areas.
• Sanitary Trunk Sewer – Projects 4 & 5: based on a Sanitary Sewer Study, addresses an area southeast of Alburnett Road and west of 10th Street.
• Lucore Road Elevated Water Tower: a new one-million-gallon elevated water tower will create  a new water pressure zone for current and future developments in the area.
• Outdoor Aquatic Center: in the planning phase, $1 million is set aside for land acquisition and another $1 million for construction plans.  A public vote on the project is expected in November 2025.
• CeMar Trail: includes 1.44 miles of 10-foot-wide concrete trail and the construction of three bridges over Indian Creek, creating largely grade-separated bike and pedestrian travel from  Uptown Marion to Downtown Cedar Rapids/Cedar Valley Nature Trail. 

Budget Calendar

City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 through July 1, 2025) budget on April 18, 2024 with Resolution 31895.

As adopted, the budget includes resources to fund initiatives that come from the City's Strategic Plan:

• Focus Area: Safe Community
  • Fills two vacant police officer positions left open last year to fund unplanned wage increases to help police department recruitment
  • an upgrade to a recently vacated administrative position within the Fire Department
  • Emergency Management Services Feasibility Study
  • Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover
• Focus Areas: Vibrant Community; Community & Economic Development
  • Central Plaza project implementation
  • Staffing for the mobile library (a new initiative that is part of the new library project)
• Focus Area: Team Marion
  • Implementation of Compensation Study recommendations
• Focus Area: Sustainable Infrastructure & Services
  • Robust Capital Improvement Program with significant investments in Street ($21M) and Sewer ($20M) improvements.

Public Notice Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Process

House File 718, passed during the 2023 Legislative Session, requires that a hearing on the property tax rate be held prior to completion of the budget. The proposed property tax hearing is intended to spotlight the change in property tax levy to be requested by cities each year. This hearing must be held as a stand-alone meeting, with its own agenda and minutes. No other city business may be on the agenda or discussed during the meeting. This hearing requires a public notice. The notice must be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the city not less than 10 and not more than 20 days prior to the date of the public hearing.

The notice (as populated by the State's budget system) will be published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette and posted on the City's social media pages on March 13. The public hearing is scheduled for March 26 at 4:30 p.m.

The first column is representative of the prior year (FY 24) budget.  The second column represents what the tax rate would be if the City asked for the same dollar amount in taxes for FY 25 as FY 24.  The third column is the current proposed budget.

A second public hearing on adoption of the budget will be held on April 18, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.  The notice will be published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette on April 5.  

FY 22 Recommended Budget - General Fund

FY 22 Recommended Budget - All Funds

Budget Presentations

• 03.18.21 FY 22 Adopted Budget
• 03.16.21 FY 22 Final Budget
• 02.16.21 FY 22 Tentative Budget
• 02.02.21 Work Session - Continuation
• 01.22.21 Work Session - Expenditures
• 01.22.21 Work Session - Revenue

Budget Memos

• 02.12.21 FY 22 Tentative Budget Memo
• 01.29.21 FY 22 Recommended Budget Memo - Additional Information
• 01.18.21 FY 22 Recommended Budget Memo - Proprietary & Debt Funds
• 01.15.21 FY 22 Recommended Budget Memo