(Radio Iowa) – The lawmaker who’s led tax reduction efforts in the Iowa Senate for nearly a decade says the legislature has been in a cycle of putting band aides on Iowa’s property tax system. Dan Dawson, the Republican who’s chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, says it’s time for a fix that will last for decades.

“Any reform that isn’t sustainable and doesn’t the needle on Iowa being one of the worst states for property taxes in the country isn’t worth doing,” Dawson said. “The reason why we’re talking about this isn’t because it polls well. Iowa is the 10th worst state in the country when it comes to property taxes, full stop.”

Governor Reynolds will soon release her proposal for changes in Iowa’s property tax system, perhaps next Tuesday when she delivers an annual speech to the legislature. Dawson isn’t ready to discuss what Senate Republicans might propose this year, but last April Dawson said the key would be limited how much local government budgets can increase year to year. During a recent interview with Radio Iowa, Dawson would only say whatever bill is developed must be comprehensive.

“If you don’t do that, all you are doing is creating a guerilla warfare system of taxpayer-versus-taxpayer,” Dawson said. “They want quality services, but they also want a fair property tax system and the current system we have right now is absolutely not fair.” Dawson says there are only so many levers state lawmakers can pull, but he says lawmakers have an opportunity during the 2026 legislative session to make wholesale changes in Iowa’s property tax system.