2024 Budget Workshops

Join us for the 2024 Budget Workshops as we help cities develop their Fiscal Year 2026 budgets. The annual workshops provide a review of the important factors that affect city budgets while helping attendees understand the state requirements for completing and filing the budget. Budget Workshops are primarily intended for city administrators, city clerks and finance officers, but the workshops are open to all city officials.

Workshop Topics:

Budget Projections and Issues
League staff will facilitate a discussion on financial trends and projections important to your city budget.

Iowa Department of Management Update
Ted Nellesen from the Iowa Department of Management will provide updates on the city budget form and other financial reporting that cities must complete. Always an important session for attendees, both veterans and those newer to their role in city government will benefit from this informative session.

Following lunch, attendees may choose between two concurrent sessions:

Budget Form Basics
Ted Nellesen from the Iowa Department of Management will provide step-by-step instructions on preparing your city’s budget and using the state budget form with plenty of opportunities for questions. This session will be presented as a hands-on walkthrough of the budget forms and submission process. Relevant example budget documents will be provided, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own laptops and city budget materials.

Economic Development Tools and Best Practices
Cities have an important role in economic development efforts by ensuring public infrastructure can serve the community, working with residents and businesses on shared goals, and utilizing its tools to help spur growth. This session will review the various ways cities can finance economic development and incentivize business retention and attraction, while also discussing some of the recent impacts stemming from changes to the property tax system.

Workshop Agenda:

9:30 a.m. | Registration Opens
10 a.m. | Budget Projections & Issues
11 a.m. | Iowa Department of Management Update
Noon | Lunch Break
12:45 p.m. | Budget Form Basics OR Economic Development Tools and Best Practices (Concurrent Afternoon Sessions)

Workshop Locations:

Tuesday, November 12 | Spencer
Clay County Fair Events Center
800 W 18th St, Spencer

Thursday, November 14 | Red Oak
Red Coach Inn
1200 Senate Ave, Red Oak

Tuesday, November 19 | Cedar Falls
Holiday Inn
7400 Hudson Rd, Cedar Falls

Thursday, November 21 | Iowa City
Highlander Hotel
2525 Highlander Pl, Iowa City

Tuesday, December 3 | West Des Moines
RecPlex
6500 Grand Ave, West Des Moines

Thursday, December 5 | Virtual (via Zoom)
Zoom meeting links will be provided to
attendees prior to the workshop

Payments can be made by check or credit card. If paying by check, complete the manual registration form. Please include a copy of your registration with the payment.

Latest Publications

Check out the League’s publications.

Published April 12, 2024

We asked our members about the League’s services, check out their responses in our membership survey.

Published April 12, 2024

Property taxes play a significant role in municipal government as the primary funding source for city budgets. Check out a variety of special reports regarding this topic.

Published November 7, 2023

This publication is designed to assist cities begin their annual budget process. Learn about revenues, expenditures, legislation and other budget issues.

IOWA League