Please define what these numbers mean. I.e..... 11.17646 per what ?

Every once in a while, I will check other similar communites around the country a,d see what houses are selling for and what the taxes are on that property. Consistently, our taxes are in Ankeny are considerably higher than other places. Not by a small margin either. And, the Iowa car tags are now too high , and staying high for 12 years ( I am pretty sure this is accurate ). Used to be 8 years, then before that, it was 5 years. This is just plain too high ( a cars value declines very predictably over the life of the car .... the tag fees should adjust downward as well, as a car ages ). So..... I must ask again : WHERE is all of our tax money going to ? Is it buried in trips to China, retreats to fancy resorts , etc. ?

I did also want to comment on Charlotte G's posting on a similar Patch article. This is still a great place to live ( we've been here since '96 ) but it definitely has lost the small town feel. We have a lot of amenities here ( bike trails, acquatic parks, soccer fields, etc. ) and more planned, I am sure. At what point do we say "enough is enough ?" I think we are past that point. Probably not what the city fathers want to hear. But, with increased growth comes increased traffic congestion, more police sirens , less "neighborly" feel, etc. And, with all the growth we have had over the past few years ..... all of these houses are paying property taxes. There should be good reason to lower the overall rate. Senior Citizens are definitely the ones getting hurt in this environment.

I agree, senior citizens on fixed incomes are impacted with tax increases! Interesting door knocking this week and met some seniors who do own their homes and we talked about the taxes. One of them was grateful for the dog park, another goes to the Senior Center for meals and socialization and another was grateful for the program that helps her shovel her walk in the winter, all of which are amenities that people in the city like. Balancing the needs of those citizens is key. I think I can do that. Sometimes you have to ask the public the question - "is this project a wantsy or needsy" and then listen. That is one of my strengths.

@ Mona Bond : and , thanks for the info. I looked at my most recent tax bill paid in March. The tax levy I see on mine is 43.1142900. This is a far cry from 11.17646 and I am wondering who to discuss this with ( I have been to the Polk County building a couple of times without success ). Also, I see Broadlawns Hospital is getting 6.777 % of our taxes. Is this right ?

One last question for you - a couple of years ago, we had to replace our water heater. We got the new one from Sears and they charged us $27 for a City of Ankeny permit. I contacted City Hall and they said they had to send out an inspector to make sure everything was done right ( which is what the Sears installer is paid to do ). No city person ever came out ...... how can I get a refund and how do we stop other citizens from getting taken by this permit scam ?