Here we go again….
More court rulings against our Cheyenne County Officials and Melody Keller. This case was decided June 2, 2021.
There is a HUGE difference between what our Cheyenne County Tax Assessor (Melody Keller) and County Officials valued the property at compared to what Cabelas claimed. In the end, the county lost all 3 cases by a huge margin. It wasn’t even close.
Here are some details…
3 Cases before TERC Commission in Lincoln. Year 2021.
1 cabela drive, 2 cabela drive and 638 Illinois Street.
1-Case No. 18C 0153
Cheyenne County valuation- $15,336,807
Cabelas valuation- $12,139,200
Nebraska Final Ruling- $10,198,158 $5 Million lower than Melody Keller’s assessment
2-Case No. 18C 0154
Cheyenne County valuation- $17,619,811
Cabelas valuation- $10,318,320
Nebraska Final Ruling- $8,750,000 Almost $9 Million lower than Melody Keller’s assessment. SHOCKING!!!!!
3-Case No. 18C 0159
Cheyenne County valuation- $3,505,576
Cabelas valuation- $1,798,425
Nebraska Final Ruling- $1,890,000 Almost $2 Million lower than Melody Keller’s assessment.
During the hearing, Melody Keller and Deputy Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub stated that the sale of Cabelas had no market value impact on the residents of Sidney.
Here are some direct quotes from the TERC Findings where the commission completely disagreed with Cheyenne County Officials……
Finding….
“The Cheyenne County Board’s assertion that the sale of Cabela’s does not affect the value of the Subject Property is implausible. An employer representing 42% of total employment in Sidney has shut down most of its operations, with most of its employees discharged or relocated to another state. Second, the departure of Cabela’s creates economic uncertainty and reduces the demand for commercial property in the market area.”
Further Findings…
“Furthermore, there is no evidence that the County Board used an income approach to value the Subject Property, and although its exhibits contain pages marked as comparable sales, the County Board offered no testimony on the details of its sales comparison approach, if one was performed. “
Final TERC Comission Conclusion….
I IV. CONCLUSION
The Commission finds that there is competent evidence to rebut the presumption that the County Board faithfully performed its duties and had sufficient competent evidence to make its determinations. The Commission also finds that there is clear and convincing evidence that the County Board’s decisions were arbitrary or unreasonable. For all the reasons set forth above, the decisions of the Cheyenne County Board should be vacated and reversed.
In other words, Cheyenne County’s valuation of the property was almost twice the market value. If it wasn’t for Cabela’s fighting for what is fair, all our taxes may have risen even more.
This case also shows in our opinion that our current tax assessor Melody Keller along with our County Commissioners and County Attorney are using flawed standards and practices that are penalizing the residents of Cheyenne County. Only when companies and individuals appeal to Nebraska state authorities do we get any relief.
AREN”T THEY SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING FOR US?????
Here is a link to the full report for those that love to read court documents as we do. Very interesting read..
Cheyenne Loses Again…