Saunders County residents of the Fremont Public School District began receiving their Notice Of Tax Increase postcards over the last several days. However, the tax request for 2021 is not correct.
The corresponding increase reflected on the postcard is also not correct. The postcard reflects property taxes for the general fund and special building fund leaving out the bond funds. The 2022 estimated taxes on the postcard correctly utilized all funds – inflating the estimated increase column.
LB644 (2022) requires all taxing subdivisions which are proposing to exceed 2% plus allowable growth (based on real property valuation growth certified by the county) to participate in a joint public hearing with other taxing entities in the county. Public notice is to precede the hearing with a postcard outlining the proposed property tax increase. Postcards require specific information per LB644.
FPS has been notified that postcards in Douglas County and Dodge County are also incorrect. The postcards were done by a third-party company and not FPS nor the Dodge County Assessor’s Office.
“FPS has prided itself on being open with the public and presenting information in an understandable way,” FPS Superintendent Mark Shepard said. “The intention of LB644 was to add a layer of transparency to the budget / levy setting process – unfortunately it has added to the confusion. We will continue to work with our
county officials to see what options there are for getting corrected postcards out to the public.”
For more information please visit fremonttigers.org.
