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Mason City, IA

Recent Mason City Council topics include budget & taxes.

Topics found in recent meetings

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Our record for Mason City may be out of date. The most recent record we hold is from Tue Jun 16, 2026. (66 days ago) Newer meetings may not have been published to the official portal yet, or may not have been collected by us yet — this is a statement about our record, not about whether the city council has met. Check the official portal before concluding nothing is scheduled.
Mason CityIA averageUS Census ACS
Population
27,135
Per-capita income
$36,527
Median home value
$130,000
Bachelor's or higher
21%
Typical home value $160,581 +1.9% yr/yr · +25.9% 5-yr
Home-value trend 2009–2026 (Zillow ZHVI)
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Municipal budget

US Census Annual Survey of Local Government Finances
Total revenue$69.8M (FY2023)
Total spending$66.2M (FY2023)
Taxes$27.4M (FY2023)
Debt outstanding$56.1M (FY2023)
Spending per resident$2,440 (FY2023)

Development activity

Housing units permitted — US Census Building Permits Survey
202541 housing units ($7.0M)

Recent meetings

Tue Jun 16, 2026

June 16, 2026 Council Packet

Tue Jun 2, 2026

June 2, 2026 Council Meeting

Tue May 19, 2026

May 19, 2026 Council Packet

Tue May 5, 2026

May 5, 2026 Council Worksession & Regular Meeting

Tue Apr 21, 2026

April 21, 2026 Council Packet

Tue Apr 7, 2026

April 7, 2026 Council Packet

Tue Mar 24, 2026

March 24, 2026 Special Budget Meeting 1 and 2

Tue Mar 17, 2026

March 17, 2026 Council Packet

Tue Mar 3, 2026

March 3, 2026 Council Packet

Tue Feb 17, 2026

February 17, 2026 Council Packet

Tue Feb 3, 2026

February 3, 2026 Council Packet

Tue Jan 20, 2026

January 20, 2026 Council Packet

Tue Jan 6, 2026

January 6, 2026 Council Meeting

💰 Federal awards (top 10 by amount)
Largest recent federal contract/grant awards to recipients in this city (2023–present), via USAspending.gov.
$1.7MGOOD SHEPHERD GERIATRIC CENTER, INC.
Department of Veterans Affairs · EXPRESS REPORT: FY25 NH SPEND
$1.4MGOOD SHEPHERD GERIATRIC CENTER, INC.
Department of Veterans Affairs · EXPRESS REPORT: NURSING HOME SERVICES - 1ST QUARTER SPEND
$1.2MGOOD SHEPHERD GERIATRIC CENTER, INC.
Department of Veterans Affairs · EXPRESS REPORT: FY24 NH SPEND
$1.1MGOOD SHEPHERD GERIATRIC CENTER, INC.
Department of Veterans Affairs · EXPRESS REPORT: FY23 NH SPEND
$245,130PETROBLEND CORP.
Department of Defense · PURCHASE AND DELIVERY OF SMOKE OIL IN ACCORDANCE WITH ATTACHMENT 1 - S
$174,886PETROBLEND CORP.
Department of Defense · USAFADS SMOKE OIL
$123,731METALCRAFT, INC.
Department of State · GLOBAL ASSET TAGS FOR ALL DEPARTMENT OF STATE PROPERTY DOMESTIC AND AB
$43,320METALCRAFT, INC.
Department of State · INCREMENTAL FUNDING FOR ASSET TAGS
$39,425METALCRAFT, INC.
Department of State · INCREMENTAL FUNDING FOR ASSET TAGS IGF::CL::IGF
$18,116METALCRAFT, INC.
Department of State · BPA CALL ORDER FOR METALCRAFT INC. BARCODES WITH A PERIOD OF PERFORMAN

Source: USAspending.gov (U.S. Treasury) — federal awards only, not city budgets.

🌐 County-level context (Cerro Gordo County)
County-level context — from BLS, IRS, FEMA, HUD, Census. These figures cover the whole county this city sits in, not just the city itself.
Traffic fatalities2 (2 pedestrian · 2024)
Business establishments1,357 (20,024 employees · 2023)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)$917/mo (704 assisted households · 2025)
Adults with low literacy13.1% (low numeracy 21% · 2017)

Sources: BLS LAUS, IRS SOI, FEMA, NHTSA FARS, Census CBP, HUD, NCES PIAAC

City profile

Everything below is drawn from this city’s own public record and primary-source government data. AI-written summaries are a finding aid, not a citable quote.

$69.8M
Annual budget
$56.1M
Debt outstanding
41
Permitted housing units

The money — in

source: Census gov-finance & state comptroller

Budget

Revenue$69.8M
Spending$66.2M
Revenue ran ahead of operating spending this year.

Debt load MODERATE

Outstanding debt$56.1M
Debt-to-revenue0.80×
Debt-load index62 / 100
A debt-load indicator (national percentile of debt, deficit & aid-reliance) — not a solvency verdict. Cross-checked against official state fiscal-stress scores where they exist.

Outcomes — economic mobility

source: Opportunity Atlas (Harvard) · research use

For kids who grew up here in low-income households, their adult household-income rank (0–1). The average hides a gap by race:

White kids
0.485
All kids
0.469
Black kids
0.331

Research-only layer, shown here for context — not included in the CC BY 4.0 bulk download.

Where it’s happening

geocoded land-use decisions
🗺 Interactive map
Every rezoning, development approval, and permit — explore the geocoded records in the research explorer.
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