County Board hires floodplain help, hears tax collection update, and starts budget planning

McCOOK, Neb. — Aug. 11, 2025 – The Red Willow County Board of Commissioners covered a wide range of business Monday morning, from hiring outside help for floodplain issues to starting work on next year’s county budget.

Hospital gets tax exemption for replacement vehicle

Acting as the Board of Equalization, commissioners approved Community Hospital’s request for a motor vehicle tax exemption on a new 2025 Ford that replaces an older vehicle.

Tax roll correction approved

A business that sold in March had its property taxes accelerated. The board approved adding $5,630.22 in 2025 taxes under the 2024 levy.

Treasurer reports on distress warrants

Treasurer Crystal Dack told the board she issued 59 distress warrants last November, seeking to collect more than $146,000 in unpaid taxes.

• 43 have been collected.

• 16 remain unpaid, totaling about $128,500 — and one account makes up roughly $105,000 of that.

  
  

  Many of the unpaid accounts involve mobile homes on leased land. Dack said she may ask the board to remove older, uncollectible cases from future warrant lists. Some cases involve bankruptcies or out-of-county owners, which can make collection more difficult.

  
  

New floodplain administrator hired

The county has hired Miller & Associates to serve as its floodplain administrator at $100 per hour, as needed.

This role reviews building projects in mapped floodplains to make sure they meet federal and local regulations. Commissioners said having a qualified administrator in place helps the county avoid compliance problems.

Early look at next year’s budget

CPA Dan Miller gave the board a first look at budget numbers for the 2025–26 fiscal year. Early estimates show the county’s property tax request would be about $620,000 higher than last year.

State law sets limits on how much the county can increase its tax request without sending “pink postcards” to property owners and holding a special joint meeting. The draft budget is currently over both those limits.

To bring it back down, commissioners discussed:

• Using inheritance tax funds (as they’ve done in past years) to lower the tax request.

• Cutting some capital outlay items — roughly $195,000 was identified across departments.

• Publishing a 2.5% wage increase now, then reviewing wage structures later.

  
  

  About $205,000 of the budget increase comes from Sheriff and Jail costs.

  
  

  The next budget work session is set for Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 8:30 a.m.

Other actions

• Approved minutes and claims.

• Appointed MIPS to send out required Joint Public Hearing postcards.

• Authorized the chairman to sign a cybersecurity services quote from Applied Connective.

• Received notice from FEMA about federal disaster relief for drought conditions and from the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy & Environment about a permit transfer to Hauxwell Land & Cattle.

• Reviewed monthly revenue reports: Clerk – $8,187.75, District Court Clerk – $1,676.29, plus the Sheriff’s report.

Meeting adjourned at 11:05 a.m.

Agendas are kept current at the County Clerk’s office and may be modified at meetings.