County Supervisors Approve Hiring Of Additional Sheriff's Deputy

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office has been given the green light to hire an additional deputy.

The board of supervisors approved a request from Sheriff Greg Schultz to add the deputy position during the board’s April 1 meeting.

“It will increase our coverage throughout the county,” Schultz said. “We’ll be able to have more deputies on the road.”

Schultz told supervisors he would like to consider only applicants who are already certified law enforcement officers, eliminating the need and cost of sending the new deputy through training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.

With the addition of the new deputy, the sheriff’s office will have 14 “sworn” officers, including the sheriff.

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Property Tax Concerns Voiced At Meeting

During their regular April 1 meeting, the Mills County Board Of Supervisors heard from two residents who have concerns with property tax rates in the county – Tad McDowell and Sarah Curry.

“I have problems with the taxation level in this county, as most people know,” McDowell said.

Noting Mills County ranks 53rd in the state in population, McDowell shared data indicating Mills County is ranked 67th out of 99 counties for having the highest tax rates in the state at $10.18 per $1,000 valuation and is ranked 71st out of 99 counties for the highest tax revenue in Iowa at $11.9 million.

“Mills County has high property taxes within a state known for high property taxes,” he said. “I don’t believe that is a recipe for growth and success.”

McDowell placed the blame for the county’s tax rates on supervisors Richard Crouch and Lonnie Mayberry, who have both served multiple terms on the board. Mayberry was not present at the meeting, but McDowell’s comments did get a response from Crouch.

“Our problem in Mills County, we have nothing else to tax,” Crouch said. “Do you see any large businesses in here? We can’t seem to anchor one. Most counties have more than just personal property.”

Crouch added that cutting property taxes also means cutting personnel and reducing services to residents.

“What else is there to cut other than personnel,” Crouch said.

McDowell suggested the supervisors visit other counties across the state and see how they’re managing to provide services with lower tax rates. He also noted Mills County residents are being taxed by other entities besides the county, including local school districts.

“A community only has so much capacity to be taxed,” he said. “If one entity is going to absorb too much, it’s not going to leave much for the necessary things.”

Curry, research director for Iowans For Tax Relief, pointed out that per capita, Mills County is above the statewide average in every category of the budget, except for government services to residents.

Both McDowell and Curry expressed disappointment that more line-item information wasn’t provided at a public hearing for the county’s tax levy on March 25. Mills County Auditor Amber Farnan said the county was close to getting its fiscal year 2026 budget finalized and it would be made available to the public this week.

A final public hearing on the county’s proposed budget for FY 2026 will be Tuesday, April 22, 8:20 a.m., in the board of supervisors’ meeting room on the first floor of the Mills County Courthouse in Glenwood.