Western Nebraska Taxpayers Association

By Tom Shaw
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

 The tax man is coming.

And most homeowners in Douglas and Sarpy Counties will see higher property tax bills than the last time he came knocking.

Schools and local governments raised tax rates this fall to make up for lost revenue from the economic slump or to pay for growing expenses.

The rate hikes, in combination with flat property valuations, led to higher bills.
 
PROPERTY TAX DEADLINES
Douglas and Sarpy property owners who don't make tax payments through their escrow accounts must make payments by:
>> March 31 for the first half.
>> July 31 for the second half.

The deadlines are a month later for smaller counties. Counties such as Douglas and Sarpy also allow payments to be made online using a credit card or an electronic check. The electronic check fees are lower than the credit card fees.

Coming Thursday on Omaha.com
>> Ask questions about your new tax bills during a live online chat with reporters Tom Shaw and Paul Goodsell at noon Thursday. Or submit questions in advance to tom.shaw@owh.com.

The vast majority of homes in Douglas County had no change in valuation. Sarpy County dropped valuations for practically all homes, but only by about 1 percent — not enough in many cases to offset rising tax rates.

Douglas County will start mailing tax bills today. Owners in Sarpy County will receive their bills by Dec. 15, said Sarpy Treasurer Rich James.

The bills being sent this month are for taxes due next year. Some residents pay those taxes directly, while others have them paid from escrow accounts.

The tax hikes will be felt across the Omaha area. For example, almost 90 percent of Omaha homeowners in the Omaha Public Schools district will receive higher tax bills. The typical increase is about $80. Bills went up even with the state's property tax credit factored in.

For Omahans, the main factor in the higher bills is the city government's 10 percent tax rate jump. That increase alone amounts to $42 extra on a house valued at $100,000 for tax purposes.

Omaha raised property taxes because of declining sales tax revenue and to help pay down debt for city projects such as the Qwest Center Omaha.

The City of Omaha's taxes represent about a fifth of a resident's total tax bill; school taxes account for more than half.

OPS raised its tax rate to pay for construction bonds to build two new schools.

OPS Finance Director Dennis Poole said the district made the move because it could get low interest rates through a provision of the federal stimulus package.

“Over the 25 years of that bond, we're going to save a lot of money,” Poole said.

The Papillion-La Vista school district also raised its property tax rate, citing the need to make up for tax money lost under the new learning community formula. The other metro school districts held rates steady or dropped them.

Every owner in the two-county area is paying nearly $23 in extra taxes on a $100,000 house because of a learning community tax and a sharp tax rate increase for Metro Community College.

Not all homeowners face higher bills: Ralston and Valley residents generally will see lower bills.

World-Herald staff writer Paul Goodsell contributed to this report.