SIDNEY - Over 60 people packed the Cheyenne County District Courtroom Monday night and spoke with Cheyenne County Commissioner Randy Miller about a property tax request in the county budget this year.

Miller, the representative of District 1, was the lone commissioner in attendance. Legislative Bill 644 states "each political subdivision shall designate one representative to attend the joint public hearing on behalf of the political subdivision." 

Miller thought it was a great turnout and appreciated the 16 people who voiced their concerns in protest of the tax hike. 

"We spend a lot of time on the budget," Miller said. "We dropped it for seven years in-a-row, but with rising health insurance and fuel costs being the top-two things, we had to go up a small amount."

Commissioners requested an 8% increase in property taxes from $5,686,095.00 in 2021 to $6,140,030.00 in 2022. They slashed the budget by 9% from $20,948,458.64 in 2021 to $18,985,333.71 in 2022. The tax rate and valuations would both increase 4% in the property tax request.

The county's tax rate in 2021 was 0.406647, the eighth highest tax levy out of 21 in the county behind the four school districts (Sidney, Potter-Dix, Leyton and Creek Valley), the City of Sidney, and the villages of Dalton, Potter and Lodgepole. The request would increase the tax rate to 0.422733 in 2022.

According to a summary of the budgeted cost, salaries and benefits would increase $139,900, a 3% increase.

"The line item went up 17%, because in that line item, the auditors make us also include a cash in lieu for one of the commissioners, because he doesn't have health insurance," Miller said. "So, we're saving money for the county through him. One of the commissioners has mileage, because he lives out of town. That's all included in that one line item. Our current salaries haven't gone up in six years. This year, they went up 3%."

Other budgeted costs include fuel for the sheriff's office and roads department. Those would go up $182,000. Other costs would increase $314,400. A breakdown of "other costs" was not available at the hearing, but Miller says the complete budget is available for anyone that wants it at the county clerk's office in the Cheyenne County Courthouse.

The tax levy hasn't increased since it was raised to 0.4938 in 2012.

"Along with lowering the mill levy the last seven years, and I read the assessed values have also gone down," Miller said. "From six years ago today, we're still $100 million less in assessed values. I know some people's assessed values have gone up, but there were a lot of people that weren't here where their assessed values went down." 

Sidney resident David Jansen is the owner of the Sidney Arts Center. He strongly opposed the tax increase in a 24-minute long speech.

"I think that you're seeing what the response is from the county here," Jansen said. "We don't want this. I think it's pretty clear. This is the people of the county saying, we're taxed out. We have enough.' And we're not seeing enough information."  

Jansen says his hope is to see more transparency between government officials and county residents.

Per LB 644, a joint public hearing is required when a political subdivision within a county seeks to increase its property tax request by more than the allowable growth percentage.