County property tax holds the line, but jail costs loom

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BY JEAN ORTIZ / Lincoln Journal Star

Lancaster County officials unveiled a proposed 2007-08 budget Monday projecting a property tax levy that’s virtually unchanged from last year.

But officials could revise that figure as they work out trying to cover costs associated with a new jail.

While final valuation numbers won’t be in until late August, the county’s property tax levy could shake out to about 26.55 cents per $100 of valuation, assuming the valuation increases 2.25 percent, said Dennis Meyer, the county’s budget and fiscal officer.

[+]Enlarge

County tax levy

County property tax levies per $100 of valuation over the past decade

1998-99: 27.83 cents

1999-2000: 25.84 cents

2000-01: 26.43 cents

2001-02: 25.83 cents

2002-03: 26.83 cents

2003-04: 26.83 cents

2004-05: 27.97 cents

2005-06: 28.41 cents

2006-07: 26.55 cents

2007-08 projected : 26.55 cents

Source: Lancaster County Budget and Fiscal Office

The county’s levy makes up about 13 percent of the total property tax bill. The city gets about 14 percent and the school district gets 65 percent.

Overall county spending is up, with officials looking at a nearly $171 million budget, an increase from last year’s budget that fell just shy of $162 million. Meyer chalked up some of the increase to the fact that the county is self-insured and needs the spending authority to deal with situations as they come up in the year. He doesn’t see that as affecting property taxes, he said.

Officials have pared down expenses in the proposed budget, trimming from it the number of new vehicles for the sheriff’s department, a residential mental health program, the county’s contribution to the Lincoln-Lancaster Women’s Commission and additional staff to deal with needs in the juvenile court system.

“We did some pretty significant cuts to have as lean a budget as possible, knowing we’re looking at a very expensive jail in coming years,” Commissioner Deb Schorr said.

Plans are moving along to build a new jail, with officials announcing earlier this month their plan to buy 37 acres at Southwest 40th and West O streets for the project. Consultants have estimated the entire project, including the land, could cost $94 million. The County Board has yet to decide how it intends to pay for it.

Commissioners are considering levying an additional one cent per $100 of valuation specifically for the jail, which would collect about $1.8 million, Meyer said.

That revenue could help pay engineering and architectural costs, but officials ultimately would have to come up with an additional source of funds to pay for construction, Commissioner Ray Stevens said.

The proposed 2007-08 budget includes $2.5 million to cover the land costs, Meyer said.

Among county departments, the Department of Corrections accounts for the largest portion of general fund expenses. The department has proposed a $12.9 million budget, of which $1.4 million would go toward housing as many as 70 inmates outside Lancaster County.

Officials are using jails in Platte and Butler counties to relieve overcrowding at the county’s jail at 10th and J streets.

High fuel costs also are being blamed for some of the additional expense, with the Sheriff’s Office and the County Engineer’s Office most affected, Meyer said.

County officials still have plenty of budget work ahead of them. A meeting is scheduled for Aug. 9 to review the budgets of the Lancaster County Agricultural Society and the rural fire departments.

A public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. in the County Board chambers, Room 112, of the County-City Building. The County Board is expected to adopt the budget at its Aug. 21 meeting.

The county’s proposed budget should be available on the county’s Web site Tuesday, Meyer said.

Reach Jean Ortiz at 473-7107 or jortiz@journalstar.com.