Last week there were four meetings held for the public to learn more about the levies or tax dollars which are paid through property tax bills every six months. The meetings were the Van Diest Medical Center — informational meeting and a public hearing which started at 5:15 and 6 p.m. back to back on Tuesday night; the Hamilton County public hearing to set the county maximum levy and the budget meeting of the Hamilton County Assessor’s office, both held on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

During those meetings, the public had a chance to ask questions about the costs, increases and plans for the future.

Each of these meetings were informative, and those who attended had a better understanding where their dollars go when they pay their semi-annual tax bill. Over 75 people attended the hospital informational and levy presentations on Tuesday night.

During the hospital meeting, it was explained that the existing levy of 2.1 goes to the hospital. According to the history on the hospital website, the Van Diest Medical Center was completed in 2010, with a $10 million donation from Bob and Mary Van Diest. A medical clinic was then constructed which was attached to the north side of the hospital and was completed in 2016, with another $3 million donation from Bob and Mary Van Diest. The remaining debt has been paid through a levy on the Hamilton County property owners. The debt on this expense will be paid off in June 2026.

The hospital administration and its board proposed during the evening that they want to keep that levy in place for a master plan that they would like to resurrect. This would be 1) to build a new garage for the ambulances at a cost of $2.9 million; 2) expand the clinic by adding rooms, exam rooms and improving privacy at a cost of $15 million, 3) create an outpatient specialty clinic at a cost of $4 million, and 4) build an enclosed walkway between the hospital and the clinic for another $4 million.

About a half dozen citizens and hospital employees spoke in support of the levy during the meeting. At least five spoke encouraging the levy be reduced or eliminated.

There were many positive comments from both groups supporting the need for the hospital in Webster City, and praised the care individuals received there.

The Daily Freeman Journal was in the room for the first hour of presentations, but due to newspaper deadlines, had to leave.

A summary of the comments made by Jake Van Diest was sent to the Freeman Journal, who was one of several speakers who talked about reducing or eliminating the hospital levy.

In his comments, he said:

“When comparing our community to other small communities, we are losing on facility appeal, especially with schools. Webster City High Achool is 70 years old and doesn’t have air conditioning. The elementary schools aren’t far behind either. We need to become more competitive with our school and rec facilities to recruit families, teachers, and businesses to choose our community over another.

“From a property tax standpoint, Hamilton County is $3.50 higher per thousand than comparable counties in the same size. We need to collectively fix our lack of tax competitiveness to allow for us to bond to improve our school facilities and to at least get down to the average so that our tax ask doesn’t continue to put us at a disadvantage.

“When I look at our successful hospital, we are in an extremely fortunate position. Our hospital has proven to be profitable. Last year alone the hospital had a profit of $8.85 million. We have an extremely healthy balance sheet with over $32.5 million of cash and CDs on hand. And after 2026, the hospital’s long-term debt will be paid off — we will be debt free. This is a great situation to be in. I’d challenge you to find a single other hospital in a situation remotely close to that.”

Van Diest agreed that the hospital was important to Webster City. His question was why the levy could not be reduced or eliminated.

The second meeting of the week was the county budget. The entire county budget which comes under this item includes all the county offices, the sheriff, conservation, roads and bridges.

This levy had to be approved prior to the budget being completed. For comparisons, the levies for both this current year and the proposed year are listed below. The below figures were approved by the supervisors, and once the budget is finalized may be reduced.

Type of levy: 2025-2026 2026-2027

General Basic Levy: 3.5218 3.45274

General Supplement: 2.22915 2.52044

Rural Parcels: 10.23293 10.30263

Debt Service: .34703 .32664

EMS: .3000 .3000

There were a few questions, but no presentations. The debt service levy will be paid completely by 2031.

The final meeting of the week was for the assessor’s budget. This was not a public hearing. This was a meeting of the Hamilton County Conference Board meeting. This group has oversight of the Hamilton County Assessor’s office. The board is made up of all the mayors in the county, school board representatives, Iowa Central Community college and the three supervisors for the county.

“The South Hamilton Community School District and the cities of Stanhope, Kamrar and Randall chose not to attend to represent this important meeting on behalf of their constituents,” said Hamilton County Supervisor Chair Rick Young.

During the meeting there was a lot of discussion, questions, and concerns raised.

“This is the most fueled meeting I’ve ever chaired,” said Young after the meeting.

The Assessor’s office had three budget requests: a 3% salary increase, individual departmental cell phones and an increase of $50 per diem for the members of the three-man Assessor’s Board. This small team meets with individuals who wish to appeal their tax appraisal.

The final decision from the Conference Board was denial of the increase for the staff, denial of the cell phones and approval of the increase of the three-man committee.

The next actions will be as follows: The Van Diest Hospital Board will meet Tuesday at noon to vote on capital improvements, the budget and levy. The Hamilton County Supervisors will finalize their budget. The Assessor’s Office will have a public hearing on their tax levy on April 22 at 6 p.m. when the Hamilton County Conference board meets.