City government · Pottawattamie County, IA

Council Bluffs's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Council Bluffs took in $172 million and spent $185 million.

Latest recorded year: ended June 30, 2024Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes51%Fees for services (water, sewer)31%State tax money8.3%Fines and other7.0%Federal tax money2.9%County and local tax money0.2%

What stands out

34%

of Council Bluffs' money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 20%.

City taxes51%

Property tax
34%$58.9 million
Other taxes
8.4%$14.5 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other selective sales taxes and 1 more
  • Public utility taxes$6.3 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$4.3 million
  • Other licenses$3.9 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
8.2%$14.1 million

Fees for services31%

Fees for services
31%$53.0 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 5 more
  • Water$16.3 million
  • Sewer$15.4 million
  • Other service charges$12.7 million
  • Garbage collection$7.0 million
  • Parks and recreation$1.3 million
  • Parking$165 thousand
  • Transit fares$158 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money2.9%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
2.9%$5.0 million

State tax money8.3%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
8.3%$14.3 million

County and local tax money0.2%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
0.2%$312 thousand

Fines and other7.0%

Interest, rents and other
5.9%$10.2 million
Fines
1.0%$1.7 million

Where it goes

Running the government and other costs30%Water, sewer, trash and utilities30%Police, fire, courts and jails21%Parks, recreation and libraries8.1%Roads, transit and parking6.1%All other spending5.9%

What stands out

30%

of Council Bluffs' spending goes to running the government and other costs.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 16%.

Spending by category100%

Running the government and other costs
30%$54.8 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$45.4 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$5.8 million
  • Government buildings$2.5 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$1.1 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
30%$54.6 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$36.7 million
  • Sewer systems$11.4 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$6.6 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
21%$38.2 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$21.6 million
  • Fire protection$15.1 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.1 million
  • Courts and legal services$480 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
8.1%$15.0 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$11.6 million
  • Libraries$3.3 million
Roads, transit and parking
6.1%$11.4 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; public transit and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$9.2 million
  • Public transit$2.0 million
  • Parking$131 thousand
Interest on debt
2.5%$4.6 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$4.2 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$404 thousand
Health and hospitals
2.3%$4.3 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$4.3 million
Sent to other local governments
0.8%$1.5 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$1.5 million
Housing and community development
0.2%$326 thousand
Environment and natural resources
0.1%$263 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$263 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Council Bluffs. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024.

What this covers. The money of City of Council Bluffs itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.