City property tax request hiked 3%

McCOOK Neb. — The property tax request for the City of McCook’s 2022-23 budget will increase by 3% and the operating budget by 6%.

But unlike last year, when the city’s property tax levy was increased, this year the budget includes a lowered property tax levy from 0.359044 to 0.332146.

After the required public hearing, Tuesday night the McCook City Council approved on second reading the budget for 2022-23. There was also a public hearing to set the final property tax request for a different amount than the prior year, from $1.64 million in 2021 to $1.68 million in 2022, an increase of 3%.

The budget hearing included the city’s operating budget for 2022-23 that’s been increased by 6%, from $41.88 million in 2021 to $44.56 in 2022. Valuations have also increased by 8%, from $4.56 million in 2021 to $4.93 million in 2022.

Only one citizen spoke at the public hearing for the City of McCook’s 2022-23 budget, but it wasn’t about the budget per se.

Jim Olson of McCook addressed the council and city staff and asked them to re-consider the ballot question on Nov. 8 that would ask voters to increase the city sales to 2% from 1.5%, with the extra .5% used toward the construction of infrastructure projects, including a swimming pool and ball park facilities. Olson asked that the ballot question be separated into two projects, one for the pool and one for the ballpark.

City staff and the council have said in the past that splitting the .5% city sales tax revenue toward two projects would be too complicated on the ballot and that it would pit projects against each other.