Johnson County, Iowa
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Johnson County is one of 99 counties in Iowa. The population was 130,882 in the 2010 census, an increase from 111,006 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Iowa City, the home of the University of Iowa. Johnson County is one of the two counties that make up the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is named for Richard Mentor Johnson, the ninth vice president of the United States.
Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Iowa county websites
This site was last reviewed on Feb. 23, 2013.
The good
- Budget
- Current and proposed budget information is posted.[1]
- Budget information is archived to 2002.
- Meetings
- Elected Officials
- County supervisors are listed with contact information.[4]
- Administration
- Administrative officials are listed under respective department web pages. [5]
- Permits and Zoning
- Taxes
- Public Records
- Information about obtaining public records is provided.[10]
- Audits
- The county publishes both the most current and archived audits since 2005.[11]
- Lobbying
- Memberships to government sector lobbying associations and memberships dues are disclosed online.[12]
- Contracts
- Vendor campaign contributions and contract bids and rfps are available online.[13]
The bad
- Contracts
- Awarded Contracts are not posted.
Budget
Budgeted expenditures for FY 2011 totaled $72,553,265. This was $17,548,509 less than the FY 2010 budget, due in part to the completion of several capital development projects. The largest portion of the county's expenditures, 29%, was budgeted to public safety and legal services. 18% was spent on mental health, MR & DD, while 12% was spent on physical health and social services.[9]
Property taxes are the county's largest revenue source, comprising 62% and totaling $42,763,605. Intergovernmental revenue contributes 28% of all revenues.[9]
Public Employees
Elected Officials
The county elects a five member Board of Supervisors. Members are:[14]
| Supervisor | Term Expires |
|---|---|
| Janelle Rettig | 12/31/2014 |
| Terrence Neuzil | 12/31/2012 |
| Pat Harney | 12/31/2012 |
| Sally Stutsman | 12/31/2014 |
| Rod Sullivan | 12/31/2012 |
Administrative Officials
Names and contact details for administrative officials are available on individual department webpages.[15]
Salaries
Salary schedules, as outlined in the county's six collective bargaining agreements, are published on the Human Resources webpage.[16] Employees are eligible for merit based performance compensation increases based on performance evaluations. Pay increases for all employees are decided upon by the Board of Supervisors, and are announced each July 1.[16]
Pensions
Employees participate in the mandatory Iowa Public Employee Retirement System. It is designed to supplement both Social Security and private savings. The County contributes 8.07% towards the plan, while non law-enforcement employees contribute 5.38%.[16]
Emergency personnel
Lobbying
The County does not provide information on taxpayer funded lobbying.
Transparency & public records
Taxes
The FY 2011 budget contained several tax increases. Farm houses saw a 7.3% tax increase, while regular homes faced a 1.8% tax increase. This followed a 1.13% increase in Johnson County assessments.[9]
External links
- See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard
- Iowa on State Budget Solutions
- Johnson County official website
- Johnson County Auditor's Website
- Johnson County Free Public Records Directory
- Johnson County Quick Facts
