LCC will be lone participant in Pink Postcard meeting

HARTINGTON – Representatives from Laurel-Concord-Coleridge school district will answer to taxpayers as to why its anticipated budget exceeds the allowable growth set forth by state law.

By now, LCC school district patrons should have received a pink postcard in the mail advertising a public hearing at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 23, at the Hartington city auditorium.

Taxing entities are required by law to attend a special Truth in Taxation hearing if they raise property tax asking above two percent, plus an allowable growth percentage tax lid put in place by the Nebraska Legislature.

LCC Superintendent Jeremy Christiansen said the district’s proposed budget is only slightly more than the allowed amount under the law – less than one-half of 1 percent.

A special education reimbursement and federal COVID-19 stimulus funding used in prior years as revenue resources are no longer available to be used in that way, he said.

“It’s crazy because it’s not like theres’s any one major, specific reason, other than our starting resources are lower than what we had last year,” Christiansen said.

Last year, the LCC School Board voted not to authorize a higher taxing authority which was the goal of Gov. Jim Pillen’s property tax reform and changes in state aid to schools.

As a result, the school district’s allowable budget growth was based on the prior year’s actual budget, not the higher amount it could’ve authorized.

“That became a negative on us and we ended up getting caught up in that,” Christiansen said.

Christiansen and LCC Board President Carol Erwin will attend this year’s hearing.

This is the third year the law has been implemented.

Last year, three dozen taxpayers attended the hearing which lasted about 20 minutes and involved taxing entities Cedar County, City of Laurel, City of Randolph and Wynot Public Schools.

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.

For Cedar County, 2,236 pink postcards were mailed this year.

With an approximate cost of 50 cents each, the total cost amounts to more than $1,100.

The cost is passed on to those taxing entities who are required to attend the hearing, said County Clerk Jessica Schmit.

Some Cedar County taxpayers who are part of Bloomfield’s school district may have also received a pink postcard as that school district also exceeded the allowable growth set forth by the state law.

The public hearing related to the Bloomfield school is also set for Monday, Sept. 23 but it will be at 6 p.m. at The Barn at God’s Country in Center.