The North Platte school tax decision landed after board members tested lower and higher options and settled on Option C.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – The North Platte public school board on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, approved a 13.64% increase in the district’s total property-tax request after a three-hour hearing that forced three separate votes before a majority stuck, according to the North Platte Bulletin. The board locked Option C, a $35,749,439 property-tax request, after motions for a lower increase and then a higher increase both failed.
Taxpayers warned that a double-digit jump would strain households, renters, farms, and local businesses. Administrators warned that anything leaner than Option D would force faster staffing and program cuts. The board landed in the middle, then confirmed the matching tax request on a follow-up vote.
North Platte school tax
Associate Superintendent Damon McDonald had previously laid out six options. When it came time to vote, President Emily Garrick moved Option B. That motion failed 2-3, with Garrick and Angela Blaesi voting yes and JoAnn Lundgreen, Cindy O’Connor, and Mitch Wagner opposed. Wagner sat still before casting the deciding no, the Bulletin reported.
Option D then failed 2-3, with Lundgreen and O’Connor in favor and Garrick, Blaesi, and Wagner opposed. Garrick said openly before that vote that she would oppose the larger increase, warning it could undermine public trust.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – The North Platte public school board on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, approved a 13.64% increase in the district’s total property-tax request after a three-hour hearing that forced three separate votes before a majority stuck, according to the North Platte Bulletin. The board locked Option C, a $35,749,439 property-tax request, after motions for a lower increase and then a higher increase both failed.
Taxpayers warned that a double-digit jump would strain households, renters, farms, and local businesses. Administrators warned that anything leaner than Option D would force faster staffing and program cuts. The board landed in the middle, then confirmed the matching tax request on a follow-up vote.
Three votes, one compromise option
Associate Superintendent Damon McDonald had previously laid out six options. When it came time to vote, President Emily Garrick moved Option B. That motion failed 2-3, with Garrick and Angela Blaesi voting yes and JoAnn Lundgreen, Cindy O’Connor, and Mitch Wagner opposed. Wagner sat still before casting the deciding no, the Bulletin reported.
Option D then failed 2-3, with Lundgreen and O’Connor in favor and Garrick, Blaesi, and Wagner opposed. Garrick said openly before that vote that she would oppose the larger increase, warning it could undermine public trust.
Option C then passed 3-2, with Wagner joining Lundgreen and O’Connor. Garrick and Blaesi voted no. After a brief recess, the board approved the corresponding $35,749,439 property-tax request 4-1, with Blaesi joining the majority and Garrick remaining opposed.
Cash shortfall, state-aid cut, and classroom stakes
Interim Superintendent Virginia Moon said the district has been borrowing from other funds to meet payroll and has already consolidated administrators, reduced staffing, closed buildings, and deferred maintenance. With schools facing a $1.6 million reduction in state aid this year, McDonald put the cash-reserve shortfall at around $6 million.
Moon said Options A or B would require immediate measures such as eliminating overtime, freezing hiring, and restructuring the high school schedule for second semester, while Options C and D allow more planning time. Administrators said Option C provides about $1 million toward rebuilding cash reserves, depending on how HVAC systems, roofs, and aging buses hold up.
Business owners and residents showed multi-year tax notices and urged more cuts from the top. Teachers urged Option D to protect classroom support, dual-credit courses, extracurriculars, and special-needs services. Readers tracking Never Late News school-finance coverage of the Amherst schools busing levy, the Indianapolis IPS school referendum, LAUSD enrollment-driven closure pressure, and Minneapolis public schools closures will recognize the same tug-of-war between taxpayer capacity and classroom continuity.
Why this matters
A 13.64% school tax request is not a routine mill-levy tweak. It is a household bill change decided after public testimony from both sides and after the board rejected both a softer and a harder path. Option C’s $35.75 million request and the later 4-1 confirmation give North Platte residents a clear number to measure against rent, farm costs, and payroll.
For Discover readers outside western Nebraska, the mechanics travel: districts facing state-aid cuts and thin cash reserves are forcing board members into sequential, public votes that leave a paper trail of who chose which pain.
How Never Late News reported this
Never Late News based this report on North Platte Bulletin coverage by Kristi Smith (Sept. 24, 2026), including the three-hour hearing, Option B and D failures, Option C’s 3-2 passage and 13.64% increase, the $35,749,439 tax request approved 4-1, Moon and McDonald’s shortfall and state-aid figures, and named board votes. Primary source: North Platte Bulletin on the 13.6% property tax hike. We did not invent quotes or independently audit the district spreadsheet for this draft.
Corrections and reader feedback
If you spot an error in vote tallies, option labels, dollar amounts, percentage figures, names, or state-aid details, email editor@neverlatenews.com with the correction and a source link. Never Late News corrects factual mistakes promptly and notes substantive updates when the district revises budget numbers after adoption.
About Never Late News: Never Late News is a US local and civic news site covering budgets, taxes, schools, housing, and public services with people-first reporting. Articles carry the byline Mike Joe. We prioritize timely, sourced civic coverage over clickbait.
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