Starter Trees Available
For just $25 per tree, Urbandale residents can bring home up to two Iowa-native starter trees. This is your chance to add beauty to your yard, support local biodiversity, and invest in a greener future for our community.
News Flash
Parks & Recreation
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McDivitt Cemetery Seasonal Clean-Up: Week of April 13
McDivitt Grove Cemetery is cleaned at least three times a year: Spring (before mowing season), after Memorial Day, and Fall (end of mowing season).
We will be having a clean-up at McDivitt Grove Cemetery the week of April 13, 2026.
Items that do not comply with Cemetery Regulations will be removed. If there are items you wish to keep, we ask that you please remove them prior to the clean up.
If you have any questions, please contact our office at 515-278-3963.
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Urbandale News
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Property Taxes 101
Urbandale has a long history of fiscal responsibility, maintaining one of the lowest city tax levy rates in the metro area. If you’ve ever looked at your property tax bill and thought, “Why is this so complicated?”—you’re not alone.
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Electric & Natural Gas Fees
The Mayor and City Council met on Tuesday, January 20, and covered a range of items, including the first reading of an ordinance and discussion centered on new electric and natural gas franchise agreements with MidAmerican Energy.
- Why it matters: These agreements replace 25-year-old contracts and modernize how utilities operate within city rights-of-way, including updated rules for construction, maintenance, relocations, and vegetation management.
A key component of the new agreements is the introduction of a 1% franchise fee on electric and natural gas services.
- City staff emphasized that this fee is not an additional tax for residents. Instead, it replaces the existing local option sales and services tax (LOSST) that already appears on most utility bills.
- Residential households will see no change in their overall utility costs.
By the numbers: The franchise fee is expected to generate about $500,000 annually, helping stabilize the city’s budget without increasing costs for typical residential customers.
- Yes, but: Some nonprofit or tax-exempt accounts that previously did not pay LOSST may see a modest new charge on their bill—on average, less than $5.00/month.
The bottom line: The changes are expected to take affect around spring time.