The Hall County Board of Commissioners met July 23 with department and agency directors to plan for the 2024-2025 budget, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – Hall County Commissioners met Tuesday, July 23, for six hours for one of six budget review sessions before the budget is finalized in early August.
Hall County Chairman Ron Peterson said that the county’s valuation for 2024-2025 is $7,200,000,000, which is a 3.3 percent increase over last year.
He said the maximum tax payment per $100,000 of valuation will be $446.47.
To reach that number, a preliminary tax payment is $394.47 per $100,000 of valuation. On top of that, add $52 for the courthouse bond to reach $446.47 per $100,000 of valuation.
“We want to try to keep the levy down,” Peterson said.
Commissioners voted 7-0 to give Stuhr Museum $75,000 to be used toward construction of an earth lodge at the museum or another project of the museum’s choosing.
“The biggest challenge is to find areas where you can cut,” Peterson said.
For instance, a price several years ago for a road grader was $280,000. They now cost $350,000.
Peterson said the county is involved in negotiations with its unions. Just a 3 percent pay increase would cost the county $1 million, he said.
The cost to provide health care at the Hall County Jail through a private contractor had gone up significantly, Peterson said. The county is switching to providing its own health care, staffed by a nurse supervisor, LPNs, and medication aides.
The county’s next budget session is at 9 a.m. Thursday, July 25.
