Welcome to Howard County, Iowa
Auditor
Contact Info
Officeholder
Julie Chapman
Auditor
Address
Howard County Courthouse
137 North Elm Street
Cresco, IA 52136
Phone
Fax
563-547-9229
Open Hours
Monday - Friday
8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Staff
Amy Retterath
First Deputy
Alexandria Johnston
Full-time Clerk
About the County Auditor
The Auditor prepares meeting agendas and notifies the media, maintains all official records of meeting minutes, Board voting records, resolutions, contracts, and correspondence.
The office publishes the proceedings and other legal notices.
Budget
The Auditor receives and compiles budget information from the various county departments and presents it to the Board of Supervisors and monitors the budget throughout the fiscal year. Budgets of other Governmental entities are filed with the Auditor's office such as:
911 Service Board
Agricultural Extension
Cities
County Assessor
Emergency Management
Schools
Townships
County Commissioner of Elections
The auditor administers all federal, state and local elections that take place in the county. Responsibilities include:
Absentee Voting
Certifying Results to the state or political subdivision involved
Issuing Certificates of election to the proper entities
Printing and counting ballots
Receiving nomination papers and notifying voters of elections
Recruitment and training of precinct election officials
Voter registrations
Financial Officer
- The Auditor completes an annual financial report at the end of each fiscal year.
- Payroll is processed by this office.
Claims for all services and materials rendered and charged to the various county departments are submitted to this office for payment.
Property Transfer and County Plats
The Auditor enters and maintains records of all real estate transfers in the county.
The Auditor keeps the plat maps and transfer books current so the public can examine them and determine property ownership.
Taxation
The Auditor receives the assessed valuations from the county assessor and applies the biannual equalization and annual rollback to produce the taxable valuation for each property in the county. The auditor processes taxes and produces a tax book for the county treasurer.
Permits
The Auditor processes cigarette licenses, beer and liquor permits for businesses in unincorporated areas
Passports
The Auditor's Office accepts passport applications on Behalf of the U.S Department of State.
Citizens Planning International Travel may apply for their passports during regular business hours at the Auditor's office.
Items Need to apply:
Passport application – print legibly in black ink.
DO NOT sign until the application is presented to the accepting agent.
One passport photo – available at the Howard County Recorder’s office.
A certified copy of your birth certificate or previous passport.
The birth certificate must be issued from the state or the county, NOT the hospital.
Driver’s license or other government issued photo ID.
Two checks for each application.
Money orders are acceptable. We do not accept debit or credit cards.
Each person applying for a passport must present themselves to the acceptance agent, including children.
Parental consent is needed for minor children.
Special Requirements for Minors:
Appear in person at the time of application
Have a parent or guardian present photo identification if the minor does not have identification of his or her own
Establish parental consent (You may be requested to provide written parental consent for a child age 16 or 17 if it is not implied on the application)
Passport applications are accepted in the Howard County, Iowa Auditor's Office Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
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