In an odd legal fight, Polk County leaders are opposing cutting the government’s own tax burden.
The county, which owns the land and buildings where Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino operates in Altoona, is disputing an appeal from the casino to lower its property appraisal. In a review of the property last year, the county assessor’s office valued Prairie Meadows around $181 million, a $75 million increase from the prior assessment.
That would increase the property’s annual tax bill about two-thirds to $6 million, Prairie Meadows CEO Gary Palmer told the Des Moines Register. The casino’s lawyers have argued that the county’s assessment is “significantly” too high, and a Polk County District Court judge has scheduled a trial on the challenge for June 17.
