BROKEN BOW – A small group gathered in the Supervisors room on the top level of the Custer County Courthouse for a joint public hearing for the City of Sargent. The hearing is required by law as a result of Sargent’s 2024-2025 actual total property tax request exceeding the allowable 2% increase over the property tax request from last year.
Sargent’s property tax request last year was $99,990.00. With a 2% allowed growth percentage increase ($1,999.80), the total base property tax request authority is $101,989.80. The actual request totals $108,070.00, a difference of +$6,080.20.
Gwenda Horky, the Clerk/Treasurer for Sargent, said the exceeding of the allowed tax request was purely a mistake. After a conversation with the City Administrator where it was suggested she get closer to the previous year’s ask, Horky added to the budget.
“He came and took a look at it and he told me I needed to be closer to what last year’s tax asking was. So then I added to it and totally forgot about page 12, and so it wasn’t until Connie (Custer County Clerk) contacted me and I looked at page 12, and it’s like ‘Oh, Gwenda. You went over about $7,000’,” explained Horky.
She went on to say that in further conversation, the two saw the extra money as an opportunity to put away for possibly a swimming pool payment or unforeseen disasters or equipment breakdowns.
Horky explained that she didn’t attend finance conference due to personal reasons that led to her missing work, “It was by accident, I didn’t mean to do it. I just totally forgot. I didn’t go to finance conference, they didn’t remind me. I didn’t remind myself, and so we ended up being about $7,000 over the allotted growth value which the state implemented three years ago.”
The first question from the audience and the main theme of ensuing discussion was, ‘So why can’t we lower the budget back down to where it was?’.
County Assessor Elise Taylor explained that budget items have to be into her office by September 4, and even if there was a mistake on the submitter’s end, pink notice postcards are submitted with the information she had as was the case in this instance. Connie Gracey added that Sargent can amend their budget, re-publish the changes, and submit to the state by September 30.
Gracey also added that in addition to the 2% increase allowed each year, Sargent would have also been allowed additional growth based on added valuations in the city, of which Sargent did not have since last assessment. Taylor said there was more allowable growth last year rather than this year because her office was not in the Sargent area this year.
Horky addressed the September 30 deadline, “I would have to talk to the mayor. Council approved this budget. They knew I had made a mistake, and that I had asked for more than the state allowed at that particular time. I told them I had to appear at another hearing, that’s today, and the budget was approved as it was published last Tuesday.”
Gracey closed the meeting shortly after, explaining that the meeting had been held as required and that discussions could continue if needed by Sargent decision makers.
