Sand says county consolidation should not be on table for state DOGE task force

MASON CITY — During a meeting of Governor Reynolds’ DOGE task force last week, the idea of county consolidation came up, with one member stating that Iowa’s 99 county model is outdated and that property taxes could be lowered if more services were delivered on a regional basis.

State Auditor Rob Sand, who is also running for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2026, tells us he’s not in favor of that plan. Sand says there’s laws already in place to encourage counties to share services.  “We have been promoting service sharing agreements and 28E organizations for a long time through our government efficiency program. Counties can already do this to an incredible degree. I think that encouraging them to do it more is a great thing to do, and the Iowa legislature in Des Moines can certainly do more to encourage it.”

Sand says the idea is just another proposal by state government for overreach to the local level.  “I think we’ve seen enough of Des Moines telling cities and counties exactly how to run their own business.”

The chair of the governor’s task force, Emily Schmitt of Clear Lake, says county consolidations is among the recommendations Iowans submitted this spring to the task force. Sand made his comments while making a campaign appearance earlier this week in Mason City.