The council suspended the city-wide property tax abatement program at the end of 2026, by a 6–1 vote.
Closed the hearing, overruled objections and adopted the Second Amendment to the Fourth Restated City-wide Urban Revitalization Plan. Moved by Mandelbaum, seconded by Barron. Nays: Westergaard. Passed 6–1; voting no: Linda Westergaard.
What this means (Abatement): In city government this usually means one of two things: reducing property taxes on new construction for a set number of years, or requiring or arranging the cleanup of a nuisance or unsafe property.
How each member voted
| Official | Seat | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Connie Boesen | Mayor | Yes |
| Carl Voss | At-large | Yes |
| Mike Simonson | At-large | Yes |
| Rob X. Barron | Ward 1 | Yes |
| Linda Westergaard | Ward 2 | No |
| Josh Mandelbaum | Ward 3 | Yes |
| Joe Gatto | Ward 4 | Yes |
More from the record
Des Moines has offered tax abatement city-wide since 1987, temporarily reducing property taxes on new improvement value. The Development Services Director wrote that state Senate File 2472 restricts how much General Fund revenue can grow when abated value returns to the tax rolls, so continuing abatement would hurt funding for services such as firefighters, police and parks. The amendment suspends all abatement at the end of 2026. Projects with permits issued and taxable value added by then can still get abatement under current schedules. It does not affect abatement properties already receive or applications already approved. Notice ran in the Des Moines Register on Sept 2, 2026. Council packet, item 49 (resolution and Council Communication) (saved copy)
The alternative
No other options were presented in the record.
Money
- Who
- Homeowners and builders planning improvements or new construction
- How
- New projects after 2026 will not get city-wide tax abatement. Staff wrote this will reduce negative effects on General Fund revenue; dollar amount: Not in the record.
- When
- Suspended after Dec 31, 2026
- Source
- Council packet, item 49 (saved copy)
Housing and neighborhood
- Who
- Owners with permitted projects in progress
- How
- Eligible if permits are issued and value is added by the end of 2026
- When
- Deadline Dec 31, 2026
- Source
- Council packet, item 49 (saved copy)
Source Agenda for the whole meeting, item 49 (saved copy) · Full minutes for the whole Sep 14, 2026 meeting, p. 9 (roll call 26-1065) (saved copy) · Resolution and Council Communication, packet pages 535–540 (saved copy)