5006 Panorama Drive
P.O. Box 157
Panora, Iowa 50216
(641) 755-2301
Fax: (641) 755-3810
info@lakepanorama.org
The Lake Panorama Rural Improvement Zone is a tax-increment financing district authorized by the Iowa Legislature. The Rural Improvement Zone (RIZ) is an actual governmental unit that consists of the Lake Panorama subdivision. It is governed by an elected board which is authorized to spend the funds provided for the purposes of lake and water quality improvement. The funding of the RIZ comes from the taxpayers of the district. Under the terms of the law, regular tax collections for property in the district as of January 1, 1996, levels continue as before and increases in taxes over and above those amounts due to increases in valuations and growth go to the RIZ. The RIZ is authorized to borrow money to pay for lake improvements and finance the improvements by the collection of these future tax dollars. The RIZ has purchased the "Horizon" dredge, paid for the further increase in size of the CIECO silt basin, acquired a debris collection boat-the Enterprize-and has invested in construction of a debris diversion boom at the upper end of the lake. Other projects have been the encouragement of erosion control efforts in the Lake Panorama watershed, cove dredging, and rip rap work on LPA areas.
Funding for the RIZ and funding for the Lake Panorama Association is separate. The LPA contracts with RIZ to dredge the lake and is paid for the amount of yards of silt that are pumped. RIZ can pay for items that are used for lake quality improvements, but not for such member oriented items as roads, security or water distribution. The RIZ has entered into an agreement with Guthrie County to limit the funds received from the growth of the taxable valuation district. This will help Guthrie County tax income and will prevent the Guthrie County taxpayers from having to subsidize Lake Panorama projects. This inequity was caused by some problems in the legislation that allows for rural improvement zones. Although this will slow the potential dollars available considerably, it will prove to be a fair means of Lake Panorama tax dollar growth to be provided for Lake Panorama benefit. Current RIZ projects include the planning and construction of a new silt basin to accommodate up to twenty years of silt dredging and rip rap of the upper basin of the lake.
Current RIZ board members include:
- Frank Teale, chairman
- Doug Hemphill
- Tom Bergsma
- Dale Grotjohn
- Cory Welberg
- Doug Hemphill
Visit the Erosion Control Department page to get more information on their duties and responsibilities.