Douglas County, the City of Omaha and area school districts presented their proposed 2026 budgets and property tax requests during a joint public hearing Sept. 16. Officials highlighted changes in assessed valuations, spending and state funding. Douglas County’s proposed property tax request is $227.3 million, while the City of Omaha proposed $256.2 million and Omaha Public Schools proposed $461.6 million.
Bennington Public Schools reported a 1.3-cent reduction in its overall levy despite continued enrollment growth, while Elkhorn capped expenditure growth at 4.32%; OPS is proposing an 8.2-cent levy increase to help address a $50.6 million reduction in state aid and plans to use about $26.9 million in reserves to balance its budget.
Public comment focused largely on rising property tax bills and concerns that higher valuations are not reflected in local services. Homeowners and residents raised concerns about affordability, limited notice for the hearing, the lack of two-way discussion during the hearing and what they described as disparities between tax burdens and services such as roads, drainage and public safety. Multiple speakers also called for greater financial accountability and more opportunities for public engagement. One speaker criticized the Nebraska Department of Education’s accounting error that contributed to OPS’s state aid reduction. The hearing ended at 7:46 p.m. Political subdivisions required to adopt their budgets by Sept. 30…