Budget 

3001

3001 Budget 

3001

Budget and Property Tax Request


The board of education shall adopt a budget each year to support the school district’s programs and services for the ensuing fiscal year.  The superintendent of schools shall be responsible for developing the budget subject to the direction and decisions of the board.  The budget document shall be under continuous development, based upon the requirements of the adopted educational program. 


Budget Procedures


Proposed Budget.  The superintendent shall prepare the proposed budget in accordance with board policies and goals, state statutes, and regulations.  As the district’s spending plan, the budget will be based on up-to-date revenue estimates, and will reflect the assessed needs and programs approved by the board.


Budget Hearing Notice.  Notice of place and time of the hearing, together with a summary of the proposed budget statement, must be published at least four calendar days prior to the date set for hearing in a newspaper of general

circulation within the school district.  The four calendar days shall include the day of publication but not the day of hearing.  The notice shall include the following statement:


For more information on statewide receipts and expenditures, and to compare cost per pupil and performance to other school districts, go to: https://nep.education.ne.gov/


In addition, the district must electronically publish this statement on the school district web site. Such electronic publication must be prominently displayed with an active link to the Internet address for the web site established by the Nebraska Budget Act to allow the public access to the information.


Budget Hearing.  The board must conduct a hearing prior to adopting the budget.  The hearing must be held separately from any regularly scheduled meeting and may not be limited by time.  The board must make a presentation outlining key provisions of the proposed budget statement, including, but not limited to, a comparison with the prior year's budget.  Any member of the public desiring to speak on the proposed budget statement shall be allowed to address the board at the hearing and must be given a reasonable amount of time to do so.  Five minutes shall generally be considered a reasonable amount of time.  


Budget Hearing Documents.  The board must make at least three copies of the proposed budget statement and at least one copy of all other reproducible written material to be discussed at the hearing available to the public at the hearing.  


Budget Adoption.  After the budget hearing, the proposed budget statement shall be adopted or amended and adopted as amended.  If the adopted budget statement reflects a change from that shown in the published proposed budget statement, a summary of the changes (including the items changed and the

reasons for such changes) must be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the school district within twenty calendar days after its adoption without further hearing.  


Certification and Filing.  The amount to be received from personal and real property taxation shall be certified to the appropriate levying board as provided by law.  The budget shall also be filed with the state auditor.


Purchase Authorization.  Except for bids required under the section "Bid Letting and Contracts,” the board’s adoption of the budget shall authorize the purchases without further board action.


Monthly Report.  At each monthly board meeting, the superintendent will provide a report on the current status of the major sections of the budget.


Property Tax Request Procedures – Property Tax Request is Equal To or Lower Than the Allowable Growth Percentage


Property Tax Request Hearing.  The board must hold a special public hearing called for the purpose of passing a property tax request resolution.


Property Tax Request Hearing Notice.   The district must publish a hearing notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the school district at least four calendar days prior to the hearing.  The four calendar days shall include the day of publication but not the day of hearing.  The hearing notice must contain the following information: The certified taxable valuation under section 13-509 for the prior year, the certified taxable valuation under section 13-509 for the current year, and the percentage increase or decrease in such valuations from the prior year to the current year; the dollar amount of the prior year’s tax request and the property tax rate that was necessary to fund that tax request; the property tax rate that would be necessary to fund last year's tax request if applied to the current year's valuation; the proposed dollar amount of the tax request for the current year and the property tax rate that will be necessary to fund that tax request; the percentage increase or decrease in the property tax rate from the prior year to the current year; and the percentage increase or decrease in the total operating budget from the prior year to the current year.


Increase in Total Property Taxes Levied.  If the annual assessment of property would result in an increase in the total property taxes levied as determined using the previous year’s rate of levy, the district’s property tax request for the current year shall be no more than its property tax request in the prior year, and the district’s rate of levy for the current year shall be decreased accordingly when such rate is set by the county board of equalization.  


Decrease or No Change in Total Property Taxes Levied.  If the annual assessment of property would result in no change or a decrease in the total property taxes levied as determined using the previous year’s rate of levy, the district’s property tax request for the current year shall be no more than its property tax request in the prior year, and the district’s rate of levy for the current year shall be adjusted accordingly when such rate is set by the county board of equalization. 


Resolution.  The board shall pass a resolution to set the amount of its property tax request only after holding the public hearing.  The resolution setting the district’s property tax request at an amount that exceeds the prior year’s property tax request shall include, but not be limited to, the information required by section 77-1632(4).


Certification.  The resolution setting the property tax request shall be certified and forwarded to the county clerk on or before October 15th of the year for which the tax request is to apply.


Property Tax Request Procedures – Property Tax Request is Greater Than the Allowable Growth Percentage


Property Tax Request Hearing.  The board must hold a public hearing called for the purpose of passing a property tax request resolution.  If another political subdivision within the county also seeks to exceed the allowable growth percentage, the hearing will be a joint hearing.  In the event of a joint hearing, each political subdivision must designate one representative to attend the joint public hearing on behalf of the political subdivision.  If a political subdivision includes area in more than one county, the political subdivision shall be deemed to be within the county in which the political subdivision's principal headquarters are located.  The hearing agenda will only include discussion on each political subdivision’s intent to increase its property tax request by more than the allowable growth percentage to the extent allowed by law.


The hearing must be held after 6 p.m. on or after September 17th and before September 28th and before the district files its adopted budget statement.  Any member of the public must be allowed a reasonable amount of time to speak at the hearing.


At the joint public hearing, the representative of each political subdivision must give a brief presentation on the political subdivision’s intent to increase its property tax request by more than the allowable growth percentage to the extent allowed by law and the effect of such request on the political subdivision's budget.  The presentation must include, at a minimum, all information and statements required by law.  


Property Tax Request Hearing Notice.   Notice of the joint public hearing must be provided by:



Provide Information to County Clerk.  Each political subdivision that participates in the joint public hearing shall provide the following information to the county clerk by September 5th:  the date, time, and location for the joint public hearing; a listing of and telephone number for each political subdivision that will be participating in the joint public hearing; and the amount of each participating political subdivision's property tax request.


Resolution.  The board shall pass a resolution to set the amount of its property tax request only after holding the public hearing.  The resolution setting the district’s property tax request at an amount that exceeds the prior year’s property tax request, including any increase in excess of the allowable growth percentage shall include, but not be limited to, the information required by law.


Certification.  The resolution setting the property tax request shall be certified and forwarded to the county clerk on or before October 15th of the year for which the tax request is to apply.


Adopted on: June 2023

Revised on: _________________________

Reviewed on: ________________________