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Lincoln County urges wildfire‑damaged property owners to apply for assessment relief; commissioners review emergency response
Summary
Lincoln County Assessor and commissioners briefed residents on how to apply for assessment relief after recent wildfires, clarified what counts toward the 20% damage threshold, and updated the board on mutual aid, emergency declarations and efforts to pursue federal/state reimbursement.
Lincoln County officials urged property owners affected by recent wildfires to contact the county Assessor’s Office about potential assessment relief and described ongoing emergency response and reimbursement efforts.
Assessor Julie Stanger told the board that Nebraska law permits property owners to file an application for assessment adjustment when damage from a natural disaster exceeds 20% of a property’s value. Stanger emphasized the application is parcel‑specific and encouraged residents who lost structures to visit the assessor’s office or the Nebraska Department of Revenue website for application forms and guidance. She also clarified that crop loss and fence loss typically do not change assessed value under current statute.
During a Board of Equalization session, Stanger answered commissioners’ questions: the 20% threshold can be difficult to apply to land value, and the parcel‑by‑parcel review may require inspections. She said structures and permanent improvements are most likely to be considered; replacement of temporary or crop losses is generally not eligible. Stanger recommended that owners with multiple parcels file an application for each parcel.
Separately, commissioners reviewed county wildfire response activity. The board disclosed that Lincoln County provided road‑department equipment and crew assistance to neighboring Keith County for fire mitigation and that the governor’s statewide disaster declaration helps open additional federal funding streams. Officials said they have sought emergency declarations to trigger state and federal reimbursement, and they noted that coordination with a Rocky Mountain Type One incident management team is underway for longer‑term incident command. County leaders emphasized sustained risk due to fuel and winds and said they will pursue as much cost recovery as possible.
Commissioners and staff also discussed public‑information gaps identified during the fires. They asked staff to review local notification procedures (Rave alerts and MyGov) and the county’s Local Emergency Operations Plan (LEOP) to clarify who issues evacuation and re‑entry notices, how to cascade messages to the public and how to incorporate external incident management communications into county messaging. The board recommended an after‑action review to capture lessons learned and to improve coordination, resource staging and public notifications for future incidents.
What’s next: Assessor’s Office will continue to accept and review parcel‑level applications for damage adjustments; affected owners should contact the assessor’s office for forms and inspections. County emergency management and communications staff will conduct follow‑up work to strengthen notification procedures and coordinate with regional incident management teams and state reimbursement processes.
