‘I just can’t do it anymore’: Property tax increase is latest blow to struggling Lincoln mom

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Lincoln mother is about to lose her home as property tax increases and medical bills pile up.

Connie Vogt is a single mom who is helping her two sons through college. She also looks after her own mother, who has dementia.

But about a year and a half ago, Vogt had to focus on her own health.

Her mammogram results were irregular, so she had a mastectomy.

“If I didn’t have the surgery, the potential for me to get breast cancer – significant, invasive breast cancer – was more than 30% in the next two years, and then it goes up every year after that,” Vogt said.

SEE ALSO: ‘Don’t kill our industry’: Lincoln distillery pushes back on proposed 287% tax hike

After her surgery last November, Vogt suffered complications in January.

She had to go to the Nebraska Medical Center for emergency surgery.

She said her insurance wouldn’t cover the expense, so she was left with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.

Vogt also had to take weeks off of work, and her family depends on her paycheck.

As someone who has always taken care of others, she said this feels like a failure.

“I’m not used to being in this position, and I feel like I’ve let everybody I care about down,” Vogt said.

SEE ALSO: 20 bills introduced as Nebraska senators start special session

Vogt had to defer on her mortgage payment.

But it was yet another blow when she found out her that her property taxes will be going up significantly.

“They sent me a letter that said my mortgage was going to be almost $700 more a month than it was before,” she said. “They said it has to do with property taxes and increased evaluations and all of that.”

Vogt and her sons moved into their home about six years ago.

Since then, she said the valuation has nearly doubled. And the new mortgage payment would take up 50% of her income.

SEE ALSO: ‘No plan and no real direction’: Nebraskans slam Pillen’s property tax plan at forum

Vogt only has until Aug. 14 to come up with the money.

“It just seems like every time you try to get on top of it, there’s another blow,” she said. “I was trying to be the best mom I could be, trying to be the best for my mom. And I just can’t do it anymore.”

Her son, Franklyn Vogt, said it’s hard to see his mother put in a difficult position.

“It’s been rough. She tried to protect us from the reality of it for a while,” he said. “We kind of have to hope there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for us at this point.”

SEE ALSO: Pillen proposes removing 100-plus exemptions, raising ‘sin taxes’ to cut property taxes

Vogt hopes Nebraska lawmakers, who started a special legislative session last week, will do something about property taxes soon.

“There has to be some relief because people just are scraping to get by at this point,” she said.

Her sons are putting some of their own paychecks toward the mortgage and they set up a GoFundMe to try to save their home.