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Town Hall · Marengo

How Marengo is run

Marengo spent $48.6 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $20,094 per resident.

Town website
Photo: cwwycoff1
City budget
$48.6 million
spent, year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$20,094
Above typical Iowa cities ($2,814)
Long-term debt
$30.7 million
$12,684 per resident
City staff
221
full-time · 20 part-time
Typical tax bill
$1,893
a year · IA $2,897

What stands out about how Marengo is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Who runs it

Who runs Marengo

From public records, which can lag behind an election. Tell us if a name is out of date.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,893 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.54% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Iowa$2,897
Marengo$1,893
$1,893
typical bill a year
1.54%
effective rate
$123,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Marengo’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Over the years

Per resident, spending is up 26% since 2022

Spending per resident, by fiscal year. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Spending per resident by year

2022$15,930
2023$17,017
2024$20,094
City staff
221

full-time in 2025, up from 184 in 2022.

$48.6 million
spent in 2024
$41.2 million
spent in 2023

* A Census Bureau estimate for that year (the town didn’t report most of its figures).

Your share of the budget

About $20,094 per resident a year, or $55.05 a day

The biggest line: health & welfare, at 92% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 91%Interest, fines & other 6%Property taxes 1%Utility sales 1%From the state 1%Sales taxes 1%From other local governments <1%From the federal government <1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Who works for Marengo

One full-time town employee for every 11 residents

On the payroll in March 2025.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Health & welfare210 + 16 pt
Police4
Administration & buildings3
Parks & libraries1 + 4 pt
Roads & transportation1
Sewer & trash1
Water & other utilities1
221
full-time
20
part-time
$85,900
average full-time pay, before benefits
4
sworn police officers

Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Iowa Valley Community School District

Marengo’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Marengo →
$13,199
per pupil · IA $13,713
548
students
$12.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,199 per pupil, $7,932 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 48%State 43%Federal 9%

Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who represents Marengo

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Marengo.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Iowa HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Iowa SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Marengo’s government

Numbers and hours come from neighbors and the town’s own site (the Handbook). A new one goes live once two neighbors confirm it.

The Handbook →
Official websitemarengoiowa.com ↗

Questions about how Marengo is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Marengo get good value for its tax dollars?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Officials: Open States and Wikidata. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.

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