County and NRD Hold the Line on Taxes

While Mayor Beutler spent months trying to pass a property tax increase, other taxing entities worked to find ways to hold the line on their tax levy. For that, I would like to say thank you!

I appreciate the hard work done by the Lancaster County Board, County Administrators, and county department heads and elected officials to hold the line on property taxes in their budget. The increased commitment to the Railroad Transportation Safety District (RTSD) by this Board meant that maintaining the overall tax levy would require a small reduction in the county’s general fund levy. Their willingness to make the efforts necessary to do that and protect the interests of taxpayers is deserving of applause.

I appreciate and recognize their plan to begin building up savings to pay for the East Beltway project by placing a half million dollars in a fund this year. LIBA appeared before the County Board and explained our belief that the East Beltway is absolutely vital to our transportation infrastructure in Lancaster County and to the future growth and development of our capital city. Thank you for your investment in this important project.

And while the East Beltway is an important piece of our future infrastructure planning, LIBA would also like to reiterate our call for continued investment in our roads and bridges. Month in and month out, we continue to see our county road and bridge work fall behind as natural elements take their toll on decades-old infrastructure. With each storm, our bridges take a hit. County Engineer Pam Dingman has worked hard to put together a plan that would address our aging bridges, deteriorating asphalt and concrete, and our need to pave county roads that see increasing numbers of cars using them daily. We are glad to see a commit of an additional $1 million to these projects compared to last year’s budget.

LIBA is asking that any additional County revenue be directed to the County Engineer. This year there is an unexpected $120,000, which may not seem like much, but even the slightest amount will help us continue to meet our infrastructure needs.

I also want to recognize the Natural Resources District or NRD. It is our understanding that the proposed budget requests the same amount of tax dollars collected as the amount collected last year. Because assessed values have increased, this means that the NRD tax levy will likely decrease. LIBA applauds their commitment to keeping the interests of taxpayers in mind as they set this budget while also funding the important work of the NRD.

LIBA studies and promotes these types of issues that are important to businesses and our community.  If you have an interest in joining LIBA, please call me at (402) 466-3419.  LIBA membership is not restricted to just businesses.  We also have “individual” memberships for those who want to help influence our local government decisions.

For more information on LIBA, visit Liba.org.