Hall County officials hear dozens of property valuation protests as residents contest large assessment hikes

The Hall County Board of Equalization met for a daylong series of hearings on property valuations, during which dozens of residents protested sharp increases in assessed values, raised data errors in appraisal cards and pushed for additional comparable-sales checks and equalization reviews.

Chair Ron Peterson opened the meeting and the board accepted assessor materials and a set of protest files before moving into individual hearings. "This is a public meeting subject to the open meeting laws of the state of Nebraska," the chair said as the hearing began.

At several hearings property owners described items on appraisal cards that they said were incorrect. "They said I had a detached garage. I did not," said Lehi ("Lenny") Sorham, who told the board referees had reduced his value but that his parcel still showed a detached garage and an extra bathroom. Assessor staff responded that referees had removed the detached garage from Sorham's record and that square footage and fixture counts had been corrected. "The detached garage was…