NRD solution not perfect, but welcome, overdue

Most of us won't notice the difference, but our tax bill will be lowered this year by the Natural Resources District levy, if we're in the Middle or Upper NRD, that is.

That's because the boards were left with no other options after the Nebraska legislature failed to offer another avenue for giving back to property owners money that never should have been taken from them in the first place.

The district-wide levies, authorized in 2007, were designed to generate money to buy water to send down the Republican River to Kansas to stay in compliance with the Republican River Compact.

It turned out, however, that the law was unconstitutional because it was intended for a state and not local purpose, and the $2.6 million should never have been collected.

An accompanying per-acre occupation tax on irrigated land was upheld, but that ruling has been appealed and a decision is pending.

Several ideas were floated in the Legislature for returning the money, but none of them gained traction.

While the Upper and Middle Republican NRDs announced they wouldn't collect property taxes this year, no word has come yet from the Lower Republican NRD, the last in line before the water flows into Kansas.

"This essentially costs the counties nothing," Middle Republican NRD manager Dan Smith told The Associated Press.

We all certainly appreciate removal of any type of tax, but the final solution still isn't fair to everyone. Those who paid the tax, for instance, and then sold their property before this year will see no benefit.

Still, it is good to see a solution to the problem of illegally collected taxes. Now if only the Republican River Compact conflict can be put to rest.