The Webster City Community School District’s fiscal year 2026 budget of nearly $39 million was approved by its Board of Education Monday evening after holding its final public hearing on the matter.

That is almost $5 million lower than the actual school budget in 2024.

The fiscal year 2026 budget is $38,999,136.

It calls for a levy of 12.79 per $1,000 per taxable valuation of property for the Webster City school district.

The levy for Northeast Hamilton is 11.09.

Superintendent Matt Berninghaus explained: “If you take that $100,000 assessed value house on each one of these and you apply this $12.76 tax rate from last year, that’s what the resident would would pay: $591. This year with a 3-cent increase and a rollback change it would be $606. So $15 difference.”

For a Webster City property owner, the school budget makes up about 30% of their overall property tax bill.

Hamilton County has yet to set its budget. The Hamilton County Board of Supervisors will host a public hearing on the budget April 29. This will be in the basement conference room of the Hamilton County Courthouse, 2300 Superior Street, Webster City.

It should be noted that petitions to the Board of Review to protest your property valuation are open from now through April 30, according to the Hamilton County Assessor’s Office.