Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Council Bluffs spent more per resident in 2022 than 67% of similar cities
Council Bluffs’ city government spent $112.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,797 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Council Bluffs is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Council Bluffs
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: councilbluffs-ia.gov ↗
Council Bluffs’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on councilbluffs-ia.gov ↗.
About $1,797 per resident a year, or $4.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,632 per resident in 2022: more than 67% of them
Council Bluffs’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,632 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Iowa cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,490, and the middle half spent $1,137–$1,782. Council Bluffs spent more than 67% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($16.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Council Bluffs itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Council Bluffs reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,632 · 2023: $1,713 · 2024: $1,797.
full-time in March 2025, up from 483 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,063 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.78% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Council Bluffs’ 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.
Tax bills are one input to Council Bluffs’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Council Bluffs →
One full-time city employee for every 125 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (62,405).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Council Bluffs Community School District
Council Bluffs’ K–12 school district, shared with Carter Lake, Crescent. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,997 per pupil, $9,553 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.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
Lewis Central Community School District · $12,497 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Council Bluffs’ votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Council Bluffs alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pottawattamie County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.3%26,335 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.3%17,468 votesOthers: 1.4% (608 votes).
Most votes in Pottawattamie County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Council Bluffs lies in Pottawattamie County. Every 2024 race in Pottawattamie County is on the county’s page.
Pottawattamie County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Council Bluffs.
- 1Your cityMayorJill Shudakas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Iowa HouseCouncil Bluffs is split between 3 districts
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Council Bluffs compares with the towns next door
Council Bluffs spent $1,632 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,155. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Carter Lake | $1,155 | $2,478 |
| Council Bluffs | $1,632 | $3,063 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Council Bluffs’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Council Bluffs’ government
How much does Council Bluffs spend per resident?
About $1,797 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,632 was more than 67% of 18 Iowa cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Council Bluffs?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,063 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.78% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see councilbluffs-ia.gov.
Who is the mayor of Council Bluffs?
Jill Shudak, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on councilbluffs-ia.gov.
How did Council Bluffs vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Council Bluffs alone. Pottawattamie County, where 100% of Council Bluffs lies, voted Trump 59.3%, Harris 39.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Council Bluffs?
499 full-time and 36 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.7M (about $44.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Council Bluffs in the state legislature?
Council Bluffs is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Iowa Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Council Bluffs’ government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →