Sioux County commissioners adopt $2014–15 budget, set $850,000 property tax request

Sioux County commissioners adopted the fiscal 2014–15 budget on Sept. 2, approving a property tax request of $850,000 that yields a proposed tax rate of 0.172108. The board held a public hearing on the budget, heard no public comment and then approved the resolution and appropriations by unanimous roll call.

County Clerk Michelle Zimmerman, serving as the budget-making authority, transmitted the proposed budget to the board and summarized that the approved appropriations will be paid from unencumbered cash balances, non-tax revenues and the property tax request. The board also approved an additional one percent increase in the base limitation of restricted funds as part of the budget actions.

The budget adoption followed standard public-procedure requirements under Nebraska law; the board set the county budget hearing date and then adopted the final resolution of adoption and appropriations. The meeting record shows the board voted: Lotton, yes; Downer, yes; Skavdahl, yes.

Other fiscal items discussed during the meeting cycle included routine monthly claim approvals, transfers between funds and review of preliminary tax requests from political subdivisions (Village of Harrison, Harrison Rural Fire Protection District, Sioux County Fair and Sheep Creek & Farmers Rural Fire) under Neb. Rev. Stat. 77-3443. The board authorized the requested allocations and noted the county’s authority to allocate up to 15 cents of levy authority to subdivisions where applicable.

The adoption is the most recent procedural step recorded; the county will publish required budget and levy notices in the county’s official paper as required by state law.