HASTINGS, Neb. – A majority of the Hastings City Council wants to see further cuts made to the upcoming fiscal year budget after rejecting the first proposed budget Monday night. 

Approving the city's 2025-26 fiscal year budget and and property tax levy rate were a big part of several topics discussed for over an hour by council members and city staff. 

According to city council documents, the proposed City of Hastings budget is $203,749,010, which is about a 5% decrease in expenditures from the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The general fund expenditure would increase about 11.4% to $36,881,569, but Director of Finance Roger Nash told NCN that $5,400,000 included in the budget are allotted for a capital improvement project to the airport, which would be reimbursed by the FAA, plus the city hall building improvement project. 

Excluding those projects, which are funded just the one time, the general fund budget would decrease about 3%. 

Council member Mike Anderson was the most vocal in calling for more spending cuts to the budget. 

After discussion, the council rejected Ordinance 4809 to adopt the city budget 5-3. 

Anderson, along with council members Brad Consbruck, Larry Consbruck, Steve Huntley, and Marc Rowan dissented the budget. 

Maggie Esch, Brian Hoffman, and Matt Fong were in favor. 

Next, the council voted on and shot down a resolution to adopt the property tax request at a different amount for fiscal year 2025-26 by a vote of 3-5. 

The yes and no voters were the same as the first vote. 

The original proposal wanted to keep the city's property tax levy at .394809 (per $100 of property valuation,) but increase the tax asking from $8,445,000 to $9,055,597, which is about a 7.21% increase to match an increase of 7.21% on property valuations by the Adams County Assessor. 

Brad Consbruck made a motion to change the tax asking and percentage down to 2% or $8,695,076, and decrease the tax levy to .379091.

That vote passed 6-2, with council members Hoffman and Esch opposed. 

The reduction in the levy decreases the city portion of property tax on an average home in Hastings by $31.40 per year or $2.62 per month.

That percentage is significant as it will not require municipalities and taxing authorities in Hastings to attend the "pink postcard meetings" as cities increasing property tax requests by less than 2%, plus growth, (.95% for Hastings) are not mandated to attend.

LB 644, the legislative bill passed in 2021, mandates a joint public hearing for participating local political subdivisions to discuss property tax request increases exceeding an allowable growth percentage.

With the tax levy passing, and the budget failing, the city still has to approve three readings of the upcoming fiscal year budget before the Sept. 30 submission deadline to the state.