WAVERLY - Some residents can expect to pay a little more in property taxes to Bremer County this coming fiscal year - and some a little less - depending on their addresses.

Supervisors unanimously adopted a budget Wednesday that calls for a slight increase in total property tax askings for 2009-10. Bremer County plans to take in about $6.97 million in the coming year, an increase of less than 1 percent from last year's collection of $6.92 million.

Members of the board decreased the countywide tax rate by about 26 cents to $6.04 per $1,000 of assessed taxable property valuation, which dropped the overall tax levy by 2.6 percent.

The rural basic rate will stay the same, which drops the overall tax rate for rural residents in Bremer County to $9.99.

The typical homeowner in an urban area will see a slight decrease in county taxes, while rural homeowners will face a small increase on their county bill. This doesn't account for school or city taxes. The assessed value of homes, as well as a statewide rollback that designates how much of a property's value can be taxed, also affect what owners pay.

In Bremer County, the owner of a $100,000 home in town can expect to pay about $275 in county taxes, about $2 less than last year. A rural homeowner with a similar house will pay about $455 in the coming fiscal year, a $3 increase.

Supervisors approved the budget after a five minute public hearing Wednesday attended by several county employees.

"I think we are sitting pretty good," Supervisor Steve Reuter said. "I'm very comfortable with it."

Board Chairman Gaylord Hinderaker said he and his colleagues examined all budget requests during work sessions. Supervisors applauded department heads for submitting reasonable plans.

"We took a pretty bold look," Hinderaker said. "Everything was on the table."

In the end, supervisors said they ended up with a fairly typical budget. However, the county expects the following budget might present more challenges, depending on the economy and the size of the tax base. They said they took that into consideration when adding up expenditures now.

"I guess we are thinking next year might be a tougher budget year than this year," said Cathy Tholkes, the county's finance director.

Bremer County expenditures total about $18.36 million for fiscal 2009-10. Expected revenue is around $17.41 million.

The largest projects reflected in the budget include $252,000 to replace courthouse windows, $100,000 to fix the courthouse roof and plans for a recreational trail to extend east from Readlyn, Tholkes said.

Last year's budget called for a more than 9 percent increase in tax askings.

Contact Karen Heinselman at (319) 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.