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Nebraska Farm Bureau urges lawmakers to curb property tax growth

Following years of legislative efforts, Nebraska Farm Bureau is renewing its push for meaningful property tax relief. 

President Mark McHargue says statewide collections jumped by nearly $286 million in 2025, an increase of more than 5 percent. “We’re just saying, in general, across the board, we don’t want to increase the tax levy more than 2 percent to get a better handle on this runaway train of property taxes increases every year significantly.”

McHargue says lawmakers previously made progress by removing community college funding from property tax rolls — a change totaling about $290 million. But, he says, an increase in tax asking offset that. “It completely took out the one significant thing that cause our 2024 tax bills to flatline and now we’ve moved past that.”

McHargue tells Brownfield the rise in land valuations hasn’t helped either. “We just need to disconnect how we tax relative to value. That’s been the question I have asked many times. The value of our land and property going up is not a bad thing. That is our long-term investment for farmers.”

McHargue says several bills have been introduced this session that could slow the growth of property taxes. He’s optimistic lawmakers can reach a compromise Nebraska Farm Bureau would support.