Jefferson County, FPS Hold Joint “Pink Postcard” Hearing

By Gordon HopkinsJefferson County Commissioners and members of the Fairbury Public Schools’ administration and Board of Education heard from members of the public Thursday evening, September 18, during the ‘pink postcard’ hearing at the Jefferson County Courthouse. Postcards were sent out to all Jefferson County residents regarding a “Notice of Proposed Tax Increase.” Approximately 22 members of the public attended.The reason for the hearing was that a state law intended to improve transparency to taxpayers requires the issuance of pink postcards to property owners in the event of possible tax increases.While the postcards were mailed on September 6, a great many people only received them a day or two before the hearing. Jefferson County Clerk Kristina Riggle indicated the cards were printed and sent by the state, and the county had no control over when they were mailed or received, “We did submit our file and they were posted and mailed out in a timely manner. So, I don't know where the disconnect was once they left the state print shop.” Riggle explained to those in attendance, “Please note, there is no item on the agenda for this joint public meeting other than discussion of each political subdivisions intent to increase its property tax request by a percentage greater than the allowable growth percentage.” The school’s tax asking was presented by FPS Superintendent Dr. Devin Embray, “The dollar amount requested in the proposed tax request under the General Fund was being asked at $10,965,012; the special building fund was set at $1,725,681; Qualified Capital Purpose, or QCPUF fund, is at $202,020; for a total tax asking of $12,892,713.” County Commissioner Mark Schoenrock presented the county’s tax asking, “The amount of the property tax request is $8,286,021, of which $482,050 is our payment on the PWF Road bond. In addition, $988,985 is for the ambulance fund.” Schoenrock noted, “Based on the proposed property tax request and changes in other revenue, the total operating budget of Jefferson County will be less than last year's by minus 26.47 percent. The ambulance fund will exceed last year's by 17 percent.” After the presentations, attendees were allowed to speak. More than one complained about the salaries of county employees, which makes of the largest portion of the county’s budget. Brandon Pohlmann said, “And you guys hand out pay increases left and right. No accountability whatsoever.”However, Pohlmann also said, “I've got no problem with the sheriff's department. It's hard to recruit people. Keep paying them guys what they need.”“And also, the law enforcement contract you got in the City of Fairbury is garbage,” said Pohlmann. “I think that needs to be renegotiated.”Commissioners have often said people don’t want less law enforcement. However, one person who spoke suggested maybe the county could do with less. Kevin Banahan, who served on the County’s Planning and Zoning Board, said, “I don't know why we have so many deputies.”Banahan also took the school board to task, “What I see is the test scores are, we spend more money. They just get lower and lower. I don't know what all the issues are, but I think something needs to be done there better than what we're doing.” While many people complained about the increase in taxes, they also complained that county roads were not receiving enough maintenance.A number of attendees also complained about valuations. Commissioner Michael Dux noted that valuations are based on the market, “Several people mentioned valuations, and this should be part of the budget process. Valuations are not set by the board of commissioners or the school board. Valuations are set by people that buy the properties, whether it is a house or a farm.” “I will just make one comment on the budget. It's quite important for everyone to hear the board really struggled with this budget this year. The debate centered on one subject,” said Schoenrock at the end of the hearing. “Do we try to maintain that same level of service, or do we cut the level of service in order to reduce the tax rate?”“Our costs have gone up a lot,” said Schoenrock, issuing a stark warning for the future. “But I will say, this is going to be increasingly difficult if we continue the same tax structure in Nebraska. To pay for county government, and we rely on property tax. The state relies on income and sales tax.”

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