WATERLOO â Unpaid furloughs for city employees could be part of Waterlooâs plan to mitigate increasing tax rates. The proposal was presented at a Monday work session with City Council members. It would mean all city staff â including police and fire â would need to take five unpaid days off work during the next fiscal year. The move would add to 120-day hiring delays for the cityâs open positions. Both measures would make for a $18.43 tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value. That would mean a 2.38% tax increase for residential property owners, and a 0.05% reduction in taxes for commercial and industrial property owners. State rollbacks contribute to increased taxes for Iowaâs residential property owners, including those in Waterloo.