No 'pink postcard' hearing for county

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County won’t need to hold a “pink postcard” hearing after all, but it was too late to stop the cards, which began arriving Monday afternoon.

Regardless, County Clerk Penny Cooper will oversee a hearing in the City of McCook upstairs training room next week, which would have been a joint hearing with the city.

The change came Monday when commissioners voted to allocate an additional $135,000 from the inheritance fund to keep the property tax request under the allowable 2.63% growth limit.

At the commissioners’ direction, CPA Dan Miller had prepared a budget with a $4.6 million tax request, calling for a 5.72% increase.

The proposed budget already included $473,600 from the inheritance tax fund, which the county rarely spends but keeps available for emergencies. The fund generated more than $1 million last year and contained about $4.2 million at the start of the budget year.

Commissioners had been concerned that LB 34, hurriedly drafted during the recent special session of the Legislature, would impose a strict 0% increase limit that might require tapping the inheritance tax reserve fund.

On Monday, however, commissioners noted that the 0% limit doesn’t apply to public safety, specifically police, fire, and the county attorney. It could also be interpreted to include several other items that make up a significant portion of the county budget. Many of these items are currently included in the county’s general fund budget but can be moved into specific budgets, removing them from under the 0% lid.

As a result of the changes on Monday, Red Willow County’s levy will decrease by about 1.8 cents per $100 of property value, to around 26 cents, thanks to the total property value of $1.64 billion, up from $1.50 billion last year, a 9% increase.

Luke Bonkiewicz of the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) briefed commissioners on the organization’s services and statewide issues such as LB 34. He also mentioned that the organization had recently opened an office in Ogallala and conducted a wage and benefit study for county employees to help counties remain competitive during budget planning.

Commission Chairman Ted Gans noted he had used NACO’s website with the wage data and had found some inconsistencies, which Bonkiewicz acknowledged, stating the site was still being improved. In addition, NACO is launching a "County Explore" page to provide a variety of information about each county to residents and others interested in economic development and other matters. He also highlighted NACO’s efforts to help counties improve cybersecurity.

During a Board of Equalization meeting, commissioners approved a property tax refund of about $2,000 for a parcel of land that had been assessed as irrigated despite its well going dry, rendering it non-irrigable.

Commissioner Randy Dean reported that the jail repairs were complete, and the facility was being aired out in preparation for the return of prisoners and staff, including several new hires.

Commissioners also approved designating a backhoe, mower, and other items as surplus from Commissioner District 3. They reviewed a letter of approval for a 2,000-head expansion of Daffer Feedyard west of Danbury and a letter of gratitude from the Bridge of Hope Child Advocate Center for the county's support of the program.

The “Pink Postcard” hearing is scheduled for Sept. 17 in the upstairs training room at the city municipal building, and the county’s budget hearing will be held on Sept. 23 in the commissioners' room at the courthouse.