Voters could choose whether to divert a portion of sales taxes to property tax relief instead of a conservation fund under a proposed constitutional amendment the Senate is considering.
The Iowa Constitution currently says a three-eighths of a cent sales tax would go to a Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund the next time there’s a sales tax increase. The fund would help pay for projects to improve water and soil quality, as well as maintain parks and trails.
Mike Shannon, a biologist with Ducks Unlimited, says improving water quality will take decades, but redirecting funding will not help the state reach its goals.
“I work with a lot of agencies, like IDALS [Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship] and private landowners working on that, I still see the need, the desire, to improve habitat, to improve water quality. I think we need to respect that. But the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund is not about water quality, it's about quality of life for Iowans.”
No money has ever gone into the conservation fund because there has not been a sales tax increase since the fund was approved in 2010.
The proposal would have to be passed by two general assemblies and be approved by voters before it would be added to the state Constitution.