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Broken Bow reviews $25.16 million proposed budget; property tax request held steady
Summary
At a Sept. 23 budget hearing, consultant RJ Meyer reviewed a proposed $25,164,819.17 2025–26 operating budget for Broken Bow, noting an 11% rise in property valuation, an unchanged $1,141,541.39 property tax request and a levy drop from 0.43 to 0.39; a 3% COLA and small reallocations for stormwater and pickleball were highlighted.
The Broken Bow City Council held a budget hearing on Sept. 23, 2025, in the Broken Bow Municipal Auditorium to review the proposed 2025–26 operating budget. Mayor Rod Sonnichsen presided; Councilmembers Russ Smith, Travis Kleeb, Joe Wamsley and Paul Holland were present.
Bob Meyer of RJ Meyer and Associates LLC led the presentation, walking the council through the state forms that must be submitted to the State of Nebraska by the Sept. 30, 2025 deadline and the key figures in the proposal. Meyer said the operating budget is set at $25,164,819.17, about a 9% increase from roughly $23.1 million the prior year. He noted the city’s property valuation rose about 11% year over year and that the property tax request will remain unchanged at $1,141,541.39. Meyer also highlighted a reduction in the levy request from 0.43 in 2024–25 to 0.39 for 2025–26. “The overall cash position of the City is pretty good,” Meyer said, and he commended staff for their work putting the numbers together.
City Administrator David Schmidt told the council the draft budget includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for all appointed and union employees. Schmidt said the COLA was reached through negotiation with the union and that any change to that 3% would need to be made by motion at the council meeting following the hearing. Schmidt also described two reallocated expenditures: $152,500 in funds for stormwater drainage projects and $20,000 to complete pickleball fencing. He said those additions will not raise total disbursements because depreciation funds were reallocated after consultation with the city’s accountant.
Meyer reported the city begins the fiscal year with about $5.3 million in bond debt. No public comments were recorded during the hearing. The minutes note that City Attorney Jason White arrived at 4:59 p.m.
The hearing record shows councilmembers voted unanimously to open the hearing at about 4:31 p.m. and later to close it at 5:13 p.m.; a separate motion to adjourn passed unanimously at 5:13 p.m. The staff presentation and figures will be included in the formal budget submission to the state; the council must take any final votes or budget adjustments in its subsequent public meeting.
The council did not take a formal adoption vote during the hearing; the meeting served as the public review and record for the proposed budget and related state filings.
