Happy Wednesday!

🌧️ Weather: More rain, with a high of 72 and a low of 69.

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Today's newsletter is 1,049 words — a 4-minute read.

Iowa's new tax law is forcing cities to weigh cuts to police and fire — and whether to ask lawmakers to carve out public safety from the 2% property tax growth cap.

Why it matters: Staffing shortages can mean slower police and fire response times, delaying emergency help.

Driving the news: The Des Moines City Council this week approved $11.5 million in cuts, including reductions to police and fire.

• The vote previews another roughly $5 million in cuts expected in January, which council members warned will be much tougher.

Catch up quick: Iowa lawmakers approved the cap in May as part of a broader property tax package.

• It passed with bipartisan support and takes effect in July 2027.

Zoom in: Both departments say they are already short-staffed.

• Police cuts of about $566,000 will reassign three neighborhood officers and trim three positions from the next academy class.
• Fire reductions of about $425,000 include eliminating two vacant positions and changing how recruits are hired.

By the numbers: Police and fire account for about 58% of Des Moines' nearly $256 million general fund, making them difficult to insulate from cuts.

Flashback: The Iowa League of Cities warned lawmakers that essential-service costs were rising faster than the proposed cap.

• Its statewide survey found that police officer costs increased by roughly 4% annually between 2020 and 2026, while firefighter costs rose by about 6%.

Threat level: Councilperson Josh Mandelbaum called Monday for a separate public safety levy that could grow faster than the 2% cap.

• "We're talking next-steps amputation," Mandelbaum warned, calling for other solutions rather than cuts.

Context: Iowa's law already treats certain government services differently: County hospital revenue can increase by 4% compared.

The other side: Sen. Dan Dawson (R-Council Bluffs), Senate Ways and Means chair and the bill's Senate floor manager, tells Axios he opposes a separate public safety levy.

• Moving major expenses outside the 2% cap would "absolutely gut the intent of the law," Dawson said, noting cities can seek voter approval to raise additional revenue.

What we're watching: Whether public safety becomes a more prominent November issue after Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand called Tuesday for prioritizing it.

• Iowa's 2027 legislative session begins Jan. 11, when cities could seek changes to the law.

Read more: Two communities scrap police

Des Moines is already having its second-wettest September on record, with more rain expected for our already saturated ground.

By the numbers: This week, the metro experienced 2–3 inches of rain, with the west side hit hardest, says Alexis Jimenez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines.

• As of Tuesday morning, Des Moines had experienced 10.3 inches of rain this month, marking its second-wettest September on record.
• Last September, we experienced only 1.76 inches of rain for the whole month.
• The September record is 14.81 inches, set in 1914.

How it works: A high-pressure system over the southeastern U.S. has been funneling Gulf moisture into the Midwest, Jimenez tells Axios.

• Unlike flooding caused by overflowing riverbanks, the metro is experiencing oversaturated ground with nowhere left for the water to go, says Polk County Emergency Management director A.J. Mumm.

Zoom in: Some of the affected areas include Windsor Heights, Beaverdale, the Franklin Avenue neighborhood, and Mitchellville, though Mumm says flood reports are scattered across the whole metro.

What's next: Periods of rain and thunderstorms will continue through Wednesday, with a possible break Thursday before showers return Friday and last through the weekend.

• Expect this next stretch to be lighter though, bringing potentially 1-2 inches.

Be smart: The city of Des Moines offers $1,500 reimbursement to homeowners who hire a licensed plumber to install a sump pump.

• Polk County's self-reporting tool can help trigger state disaster assistance for lower-income households.
• Mumm advises documenting everything before filing an insurance claim, and be clear that the damage came from ground saturation, not river flooding.

📝 The Des Moines Public Schools board unanimously named Matt Smith its permanent superintendent, giving the longtime district administrator a three-year contract with a starting salary of nearly $294,000. (WOI-TV)

⛽ Iowa diesel prices hit a record high of $6.10 per gallon. (WHO-Radio)

👨‍⚖️ Two men pleaded guilty in a multistate scheme that stole used cooking oil from restaurants, including in Iowa, and resold it for biodiesel production. (Radio Iowa)

⚡️ More than 180 Iowa scientists or scholars are urging greater investment in renewable energy as electricity demand rises. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

"I live in the North of Grand neighborhood and heard sirens go off three separate times this evening (Sept. 8) during storms. They were all, presumably, for "severe thunderstorms with 70+ mph winds," but I had to search on my phone to confirm.

• Out of habit, I hear a siren and I go downstairs. But last night, there were sirens with no funnel clouds. So I wanted to know: Does the city use a different siren for a tornado warning? Otherwise, that seems awfully dangerous!" — Claire Richmond, DSM

The short answer: No.

Zoom in: The sirens are a "blunt tool" intended to alert people outdoors to a threat, with the call to action being universal for tornadoes or winds that are 70 MPH or greater, Brett McIntyre, a program assistant for Polk County Emergency Management, tells Axios.

Flashback: Using sirens for other warnings, such as flash floods, risks causing confusion because people might not distinguish the specific threat without additional context, Polk County Emergency Management Agency director A.J. Mumm told Axios last year.

The bottom line: If you hear a siren, get your a** inside and ask why later.

🤳🏾 Linh is blessed that her algorithm brought her to Aline Mayagoitia's hot takes while she walks around Des Moines. (She plays Elphaba on the "Wicked" tour!)

📺 Jason is watching some of Taylor Tomlinson's stand-up specials on Netflix.

• Presale tickets for her April 24 show in DSM go on sale today at 10am with the code NOBODY.

This newsletter was edited by Delano Massey and Larry Graham.