This bill amends sections 77-1633 and 77-3442 of the Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, to update the Property Tax Request Act and property tax levy limits in Nebraska. A significant change is the requirement for political subdivisions that wish to increase their property tax requests beyond the allowable growth percentage to conduct a joint public hearing between July 14 and July 24, instead of the previously designated September timeframe. Additionally, each political subdivision must provide specific information to the county assessor by July 4, and the county clerk is tasked with notifying all relevant parties about the hearing details. The bill also introduces new language that limits property tax levies for local government support as outlined in subsection (12) of section 77-3442, while clarifying maximum levy amounts for school districts, learning communities, and community colleges, with certain exceptions for federal aid school districts and natural resources districts.

Moreover, the bill revises tax levy regulations for various political subdivisions, particularly allowing natural resources districts in fully appropriated or overappropriated river basins to levy a tax for groundwater management activities, capped at three cents per one hundred dollars of taxable valuation for specific fiscal years. It also permits political subdivisions to levy taxes to match the previous year's property tax amount if their total taxable valuation increases, with the option to exceed this limit through a two-thirds vote of the governing body. The bill includes deletions and redefinitions of existing provisions related to tax levies, clarifying exceptions for certain levies, and emphasizes that limitations on tax levies apply to all general or special levies, with specific exceptions noted. The act is set to take effect immediately upon passage and approval due to an emergency clause.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 77-1633, 77-3442