.jpg)
Joint hearing set for Sept. 22 on proposed property tax increases
HARTINGTON — Cedar County and three area cities will hold a state-mandated joint public hearing later this month to take public comment on proposed property tax increases that exceed Nebraska’s “allowable growth percentage.”
The hearing, dubbed the “pink postcard meeting,” is scheduled for Sept. 22, at 6:05 p.m., in the Hartington City Auditorium basement.
It gets its nickname from the oversized pink postcards the stat e sends out prior to the meeting, alerting area residents of their opportunity to learn more about budgets and local taxes.
Taxing entities are required by law to take part in the special Truth in Taxation hearing if they raise property tax asking above two percent, plus an allowable growth percentage tax lid which was put in pl ace by the Nebraska Legislature.
This is the fourth year the law has been implemented. Each budget season, taxing entities notify the county assessor if their budget will exceed the percentage growth lid. That information is then sent to the state which prints and mails each pink postcard.
Cedar County Clerk Jessica Schmit expects the postcards to go o ut later this week.
Last year, about 40 taxpayers attended the hearing, which lasted about 30 minutes.
This year, representatives from Cedar County, the city of Hartington, the city of Laurel and the city of Randolph are expected to attend.
The agenda is limited to discussion of the proposed increases, as required by state law.
Proposed requests
The 2025 property tax requests are: Cedar County: $8,466,677.07 City of Hartington: $809,319.32 City of Laurel: $339,074.19 City of Randolph: $352,265.78
Year-over-year comparisons
Cedar County’s proposed request represents a 9.9% increase over last year’s $7,700,596.88, though the overall county tax rate is projected to drop about 10.3% due to rising valuations .
Randolph’s request of $352,265.78 shows a modest increase from last year’s $347,000 range, with about $75,750 of the total tied to bond payments Hartington’s request of $809,319.32 is up about 10.7% from last year’s $731,035.79, based on city budget resolutions.
Laurel’s request of $339,074.19 is essentially flat compared to last year’s levy, despite total disbursements climbing from about $6.9 million to $8 million.
