Residents of Ankeny will be able to vote in September on whether the city will adopt a 1% local option sales tax.
The sales tax is a move the city has long considered and the Sept. 8 special election will be the second time in about eight years that residents will vote on it.
Ankeny City Council voted in December 2025 to place the question on the ballot. If approved, the sales tax would take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
Here’s what to know about the proposed sales tax ahead of the special election.
What is a local option sales tax?
Communities with a local option sales tax charge 7% on goods and services, with several exceptions including gasoline, groceries, medications, rent and vehicles.
All local option sales tax money collected in Polk County goes into a fund that is then distributed among jurisdictions that have a local option sales tax. The amount is determined by population and property tax levies, according to city documents. Local option sales tax payments to Polk County cities totaled more than $99.7 million in the 2025 fiscal year, according to Ankeny documents.
Ankeny is the only city in Polk County that does not have a local option sales tax and one of five in Iowa that does not, according to a city news release. Ankeny’s sales tax rate is currently 6%.
West Des Moines has used the funds to pay for more police officers, firefighters and amenities, while Des Moines has used the funds to pay for streets, flood prevention, neighborhood improvements and public safety.
Why does Ankeny want a local option sales tax?
A local option sales tax is expected to generate more than $12 million for Ankeny annually, according to the city’s release.
Half of the collected money would be used for property tax relief and the other half for capital projects, including “street improvements, park and trail improvements, recreational facilities, public infrastructure, public safety equipment, public facilities or debt retirement,” according to the release.
Shoppers who do not live in Ankeny and visit the city would generate about half of the sales tax to be collected, according to the city.
What might happen to property taxes?
The city projects that if voters approve the local option sales tax, its property tax rate would decrease by about 6% and remain steady through the 2032 fiscal year.
If voters do not approve the sales tax, the property tax rate is expected to increase by about 5% over the next eight years, according to the city’s release.
Ankeny City Council in May 2024 voted against setting a special election for a 1% sales tax. And 53% of Ankeny voters were against the sales tax in a March 2018 referendum.
Ankeny to hold public information meetings
The city plans to host three meetings about the local option sales tax at the City Council Chambers at 1250 S.W. District Drive:
Each meeting will include a presentation to explain the sales tax, how the revenue from it would be used and what it could all mean for residents. People who attend will also be able to ask questions.
More information is available at ankenyiowa.gov/lost.
When can Ankeny residents vote in the special election?
Aug. 19 is the first day for early in-person voting at the Polk County Election Office and for submitting absentee ballot requests.
Absentee ballot requests must be received by 5 p.m. Aug. 24.
Aug. 24 is also the pre-registration deadline.
Sept. 4 is the last day to vote early in-person.
On Sept. 8, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
More information is available at https://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/county-auditor/election/.
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at PSitter@usatodayco.com. Find out more about him online in the Register’s staff directory.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Here’s what to know about Ankeny’s proposed local option sales tax
Reporting by Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
