Your share of property taxes to support the Lincoln Airport will be going up.
The Lincoln Airport Authority on Thursday approved a budget of more than $25 million for its 2025 fiscal year that includes special funding to finance the airport's new terminal (1.67 cents), its share of a $96 million federal runway project (0.33 cents), and a handful of deferred maintenance projects (1.1 cents).
The airport authority board voted 4-1 — Nicki Behmer-Popp was the only board member to vote in opposition — to approve the budget and to certify to the Lincoln City Council the amount of tax to be levied.
The vote came minutes after a public hearing that featured a half-dozen speakers, all of whom opposed raising the airport's property tax levy from 1.67 cents per $100 of valuation to 3.1 cents to fund the projects.
"Where's the pride in not using real estate tax dollars for the airport authority?" asked Peter Katt, a local developer and attorney who ran for a seat on the Lincoln City Council in 2023.
Before 2021, when it levied a 1.75-cent property tax to finance the expansion and renovation of the airport terminal, the airport authority had not utilized its tax levy since 1986.
This budget's 3.1-cent levy comes on the heels of a tumultuous year that started strong with the opening of the $56 million terminal in June.
Two weeks later, optimism still ruled the day when startup airline Red Way flew its first flight out of the Lincoln Airport.Â
However, the leisure carrier was out of business by the end of August after blowing through $3 million — $1.5 million each from the city of Lincoln and Lancaster County — in American Rescue Plan Act funds.Â
The Red Way fiasco, Katt said, put the airport on his radar.
"Whatever business decision (Red Way) was tells me the public damn well better pay attention to what's going on out here," he said. "That's my perspective. ... What I'd say is no levy increase. Leave it alone, until you (can) justify and have the ability for the public to weigh in on these capital improvements that you're asking for."
Amy Green, the former executive director of the Heartland Cancer Foundation, said she came to Thursday's hearing to represent her parents — Jim and LaVonna Evans, lifelong Lincoln residents who are now retired and living on a fixed income.
"This levy is being put into place and they just don't have an abundance of discretionary income," she said. "They can't afford to travel anymore. And so they're being asked to pay for something that they don't even get to utilize."
There were a handful of speakers on Thursday who worried that their household budgets — especially in a tough economy — make the added expense of this property tax levy tough to bear.
Don Brunk, 83, spoke of his house — in need of a new driveway, garage door and plenty of other projects — being in a state of disrepair.
"I'm flying by the seat of my pants," he said. "I understand your problem. Everyone's got problems. I guess you guys are doing the best you can do, but for me to fork out another $100 is going to be hard."
Those statements, Behmer-Popp said, ultimately swayed her to vote no on the issue. The local real estate agent said property valuations, which soared by 20% last year and are projected to go up between 5% and 7% this year, are making it hard on property owners.
"I just can't do it," she said. "I'm really glad that folks today showed up because that's a lot of what I'm hearing."
Ultimately, Airport Authority Board Chairman John Olsson said the deferred maintenance projects had been neglected for way too long.
"Sooner or later you've got to deal with it," he said, careful not to cast blame on past airport boards. "... How much longer do we let that go on? How much longer do we wait until something terribly bad happens? I worry about that. And I worry about it a lot. I believe in strong infrastructure and I want our airport to be strong in that way."
Among the projects that have been neglected for too long, he said, are paving projects on airport-owned public-access roads, the bridge on West Cuming Street that requires repairs and the demolition of long-ago-condemned building that was left over from Lincoln Air Force Base.
In addition to Olsson, the other airport authority members who voted for the budget and tax rate increase were Vanessa Emlich, Chris Hove and Chris Stokes.
Passengers check in at the newly renovated airline counter on the main floor of the Lincoln Airport in May. The Airport Authority on Thursday approved a 2025 budget that raises its property tax rate from 1.67 cents to 3.1 cents.