Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Monday’s meeting of the Cheyenne County Commissioners was dominated by the board meeting as the Board of Equalization.As the Board of Equalization, the commissioners held Property Valuation Protest Hearings Monday and Tuesday.
Not all protests were represented by the landowner. Several were reviewed by the Board of Equalization and a decision made. Of the landowners who appeared in defense of their protest, most of the issues regarded procedures and the range of discretion given to county assessors. For example, Cheyenne County Assessor Sybil Prosser said when she reviews a tract of farm land she has only four choices, regardless of how it is used.
Doug Schmale is one of the protesters in the hearing Monday. His concern regarded the definition of grass land compared to waste.
“If I could lower grass, sir, I would do it. I have no reason to keep ag land high,” Prosser said.
She and the commissioners noted how tightly regulated the definitions of land use are. She said waste land is defined as land that cannot be used for production; too rocky or hilly for for animals or crops.
“At some point, there has to be a more liberal definition of waste land,” Schmale said.
The commissioners recessed from the Board of Equalization and returned as the Board of Commissioners for a short time.
The commissioners met with Randy Mathewson shortly regarding the vacation of a road in part of the Northwest Quarter of Section 23, Township 14, Rand 51 West of the 6th Principal Meridian.
Gerald Frerichs spoke on behalf of the highway department. Frerichs said Sidney Regional Medical Center has requested a road closure for its triathlon scheduled for Aug. 4 Dash for the Splash Supersprint Triathlon.
County Treasurer Diane Scott also reviewed her annual/semi-annual report with the commissioners. She noted that as of Jan 1, 2018, the county’s General Fund was at 3,080,854,78, and increased to 3,532,411.52 as of June 30. There were $20,095,280.55 in collections and $22,015,943.19 in disbursements.
Reader Comments(0)