Lancaster County assessor defends rising property valuations

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Property valuations were released at the beginning of June, and if you saw a rise in your valuation, you’re not alone.

In fact, 112,000 of the 123,000 property owners in Lancaster County saw an increase this year.

For homeowners, they saw an increase of 8.6% on average.

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Property values have been changing year to year, and Lancaster County Assessor Dan Nolte said there’s a reason for that.

“We want to get away with having these steep increases every two or three years,” he said. “It doesn’t do anybody any good.”

Instead, since Nolte was elected as assessor in 2023, he has aimed to change valuations every year but by smaller amounts.

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And he said his office uses market data.

“It’s actually based on sales,” Nolte said. We track that. We’re using sales from last year, so we’re a lagging indicator.”

Factors such as location, school district, age, size and condition of the property are considered in valations.

If you’re not happy with your property valuation, you can file a protest with the county clerk, but it has to be done by June 30.

If a protest is filed, a third-party referee will get involved to decide whether to keep your valuation where it is or change it.