Recently, the Iowa Legislature passed sweeping property tax reform. This was a change for all local government bodies in their budgeting process. Per Iowa Code 331.510, the auditor is responsible for the annual valuation report due to both the Department of Management and the governing body of each taxing district by January 1 of each year. The auditor’s office finally submitted this report on January 22nd, with another error correction submitted to the City of Marshalltown on January 26th and finished 97th out of 99 counties in the State of Iowa. Listen for yourself to her interview explaining her errors on KFJB Radio’s website from Jan. 30, 2024. This is a mistake from what should be a seasoned auditor.

Our cities in Marshall County needed this valuation information as soon as possible this year to account for the property tax reform. Instead of the information arriving early, it arrived three weeks beyond the deadline according to Iowa Law without any extensions given to our cities. This can’t happen again; we need a change. Joel Oliva has experience managing projects and systems, and he has built relationships to help him successfully run the auditor/recorder office.

With my background managing IT, software development, and cybersecurity for a growing company, I really appreciate the fact that he is a cybersecurity professional. At this point in history, we must have leaders who intimately understand technology and the threats posed by malicious cyber actors, especially with where the world is with AI. Joel and I have had great conversations about these topics. If there is a candidate to improve processes and keep our elections safe, it’s Joel. Vote Joel Oliva for Auditor/Recorder on Nov. 5!