Iowa DOGE task force weighs cutting down number of counties in the state
Members of the Iowa Department of Government Efficiency
By Ophelie Jacobson
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Members of the Iowa Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, Task Force had preliminary discussions Wednesday about the possibility of consolidating counties in the state.
Emily Schmitt, chief administrative officer for Sukup Manufacturing and the task force chair, said the first phase is getting feedback from Iowans. Then, they’ll do more research before deciding if they want to move forward and recommend the idea to Gov. Kim Reynolds.
“Some of the ideas that are in the gathering phases may not make it to the recommendation phase,” Schmitt said.
Terry Lutz, the chairman of McClure Engineering, leads the government efficiency group’s subcommittee on return on taxpayer investment. Lutz said consolidation could save Iowans money and cut property taxes.
“With our state’s small population and our 99 counties, we rank near the bottom of all states with the least number of people represented by thousands of locally elected officials,” Lutz said.
Lutz said the current county system is wasting valuable resources and that it is “simply not affordable.”
While seeking efficiency, Iowa DOGE acknowledges taxes as the ‘elephant in the room’While seeking efficiency, Iowa DOGE acknowledges taxes as the ‘elephant in the room’ Iowa State Association of Counties executive director Andrea Woodard said her organization wants to serve as a resource for the group. KCCI asked if ISAC supports the idea of cutting counties.
“ISAC believes that local control is important and that we can also provide ideas for efficiencies, whether they’re happening within counties or across counties,” Woodard said.
This was the second meeting for the task force. It consists of 15 members who come from business, local government and higher education.
Reynolds promised to set up the DOGE task force in her Condition of the State speech in January. It was officially established Feb. 10.
The task force is expected to meet again in August. The governor’s order establishing the task force asked for its final report 180 days after. That is Aug. 9.
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