Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0Grimes spent less per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities
Grimes’ city government spent $24 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,472 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grimes is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Grimes’ own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3Planning & Zoning CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · Grimes Community Center, 410 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA 50111Planning and Zoning CommissionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov10City CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · Grimes Community Center, 410 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA 50111City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17Library Board of TrusteesTuesday · 5:00 pm · Grimes Public Library, 200 NE Beaverbrooke Blvd, Grimes, IA 50111Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov18Board of AdjustmentWednesday · 5:30 pm · Grimes Community Center, 410 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA 50111Board of Adjustment MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov18Parks & Recreation Advisory BoardWednesday · 5:30 pm · Grimes Community Center, 410 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA 50111Parks & Recreation Advisory Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov24City CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · Grimes Community Center, 410 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA 50111City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct28Parks & Recreation Advisory BoardWednesday · 5:30 pm · Grimes Community Center, 410 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA 50111Parks & Recreation Advisory Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27City CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · Grimes Community Center, 410 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA 50111City Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct26Board of AdjustmentMonday · 5:30 pm · Grimes Community Center, 410 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA 50111Board of Adjustment MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct20Library Board of TrusteesTuesday · 5:00 pm · Grimes Public Library, 200 NE Beaverbrooke Blvd, Grimes, IA 50111Meeting page ↗
- Oct14City CouncilWednesday · 9:00 amCity Council Strategic Planning October 14, 2026Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,472 per resident a year, or $4.03 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,126 per resident in 2022: less than 83% of them
Grimes’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,126 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,463, and the middle half spent $1,198–$1,838. Grimes spent less than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.7 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Grimes itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 35% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Grimes 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: $1,126 · 2023: $1,261 · 2024: $1,472.
full-time in March 2025, down from 68 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 $5,377 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.76% 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 Grimes’ 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 Grimes’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grimes →
Who’s in charge in Grimes
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 259 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 (16,295).
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.
Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District
Grimes’ K–12 school district, shared with Dallas Center. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,805 per pupil, $7,350 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.
Johnston Community School District · $12,934 per pupil
Urbandale Community School District · $13,490 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Grimes’ votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grimes alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Polk County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat54.8%140,075 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican43.9%112,240 votesOthers: 1.3% (3,248 votes).
Most votes in Polk County: Kamala D Harris
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Grimes lies in Polk County; the rest in Dallas County. Every 2024 race in Polk County is on the county’s page.
Polk 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 Grimes.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: grimesiowa.gov ↗
- 2Iowa HouseState representatives
- 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 Grimes compares with the towns next door
Grimes spent $1,126 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $990 to $1,025. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Grimes’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Grimes’ government
How much does Grimes spend per resident?
About $1,472 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 $1,126 was less than 83% of 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grimes?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,377 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see grimesiowa.gov.
Who runs Grimes’ government?
See grimesiowa.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grimes yet.
How did Grimes vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grimes alone. Polk County, where 100% of Grimes lies, voted Harris 54.8%, Trump 43.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Grimes?
63 full-time and 40 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $495,643 (about $5.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Grimes in the state legislature?
State Senate District 23 (Jack Whitver) and State House District 46 (Dan Gehlbach). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Grimes?
The next posted meeting is Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday, November 3, at 5:30 pm in Grimes Community Center, 410 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA 50111, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Grimes’ 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 →