Table of Contents
The Saunders County Assessor’s Office is the tax Assessor for Saunders County, Nebraska. The Saunders County Assessor is responsible for assessing the value of real property located within Saunders County, Nebraska, for the purposes of taxing that property. The Saunders County Assessor does not set tax rates, but simply assesses property values. The current Saunders County Assessor is Cathy Gusman.
Saunders County is a county in the eastern part of Nebraska. At the 2010 Census, the population of Saunders County was 20,780. The County seat of Saunders County is Wahoo. Saunders County is in the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Saunders County contains the cities, villages, communities, or towns of: Ashland, Wahoo, Yutan, Cedar Bluffs, Ceresco, Colon, Ithaca, Leshara, Malmo, Mead, Memphis, Morse Bluff, Prague, Valparaiso, Weston, Wann, Bohemia, Center, Chapman, Chester, Clear Creek, Douglas, Elk, Green, Marble, Marietta, Mariposa, Newman, North Cedar, Oak Creek, Pohocco, Richland, Rock Creek, South Cedar, Stocking, and Union. If you have questions about whether your property is located in Saunders County and do not see the name of your city, town, or township on this list, you can contact the Assessor for more information.
In Saunders County, the County Assessor is responsible for valuing all real and personal property in Saunders County as a basis for the Saunders County Board of Equalization to levy the necessary taxes. The assessment manager/ tax assessor must be certified by the Nebraska Department of Property Assessment & Taxation in order to hold the position and must maintain continuing education hours
The primary role of the Saunders County Assessor is to assess all real property within Saunders County for tax purposes. This involves responsible for identifying, locating, and fairly valuing all property, both real and personal, within the county for tax purposes. The County Assessor does not collect taxes or set tax rates.
In addition to assessing fair market value, the Property Assessor examines the real-life conditions of the property, which means that the assessor is responsible for making note of things like changes in property ownership; maintaining parcel boundaries maps; keeping descriptions of property and improvements like buildings up to date; and accepting and approving applications from individuals eligible for exemptions and other forms of property tax relief.
In Nebraska, property taxes are based on the value of the property. That means that they are proportional, with more expensive properties having higher taxes, but the same tax rate as other property in the same taxing area. However, not all property is valued at 100% of its fair market value.
Nebraska state statute provides that a uniform method of valuing property is required. State statute requires all property to be valued at market or actual value as of 12:01 A.M. January 1 of every tax year. Residential, commercial and industrial property must be valued at 100% of fair market value. Agricultural and or horticultural land must be valued at 75% of fair market value.
In order to assess value, the tax assessor has to look at something known as fair market value. A property’s fair market value is the price for which property would be sold in an arm’s-length transaction between a buyer and a seller.
In some states, agricultural land is assessed using the agricultural use value. However, in Nebraska, agricultural land is still assessed using fair market value as the basis for the value; the assessment simply only takes a portion of that value.
The tax assessor does not establish any tax rates; those are established by the elected officials of each county as well as cities, special districts, and school districts.
Nebraska maintains a website devoted to explaining its property tax rules and regulations, including a detailed section on exemptions. You can visit this section to find out more about various property tax exemptions, determine whether you qualify for those exemptions, and how to file for those exemptions.
All property in Nebraska is subject to taxation unless it is specifically exempted from taxation by the Nebraska Constitution and enabling legislation or by federal law. When exemptions exist, they are to be strictly construed, and the burden is on the taxpayer to demonstrate why property should be eligible for exemption. In other words, exemptions are not automatic.
In Saunders County, Nebraska, the County Assessor is an elected position. The current Saunders County Assessor is Cathy Gusman. According to Chapter 77 of Nebraska Statutes, Rules, and Regulations, the County Assessor is responsible for: administering and assessing Nebraska statutes; establishing and maintaining fair and equitable value on all real and personal property within the county; attending all meetings of the County Board of Equalization; reviewing all applications for tax exemptions; maintaining parcel maps for all property in the county; preparing and certifying taxes levied for the State Property Tax Administrator; and preparing the annual tax roll for the County Treasurer.
Cathy Gusman is the current elected Tax Assessor for Saunders County
You can reach the Saunders County Assessor during business hours, which are Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm:
Saunders County Tax Assessor
433 N Chestnut St
Suite 200
Wahoo, NE 68066
Phone: 402-443-5700
Fax: 402-443-5708
Cathy Gusman is the current Saunders County, Nebraska Tax Assessor. She is an elected official. The Saunders County Assessor uses comparable market values to assess the value of most real property in Saunders County for the purposes of taxation. The Saunders County Tax Assessor does not collect property taxes; the Saunders County Treasurer is responsible for collecting payment of taxes in Saunders County.