§ 19-4034. Business improvement district; special assessment or business occupation tax; exceptions; maintenance, repair, or reconstruction; levy; procedure.

A city may levy a general business occupation tax, or a special assessment against the real estate located in a business improvement district to the extent of special benefit to such real estate, for the purpose of paying all or any part of the cost of maintenance, repair, and reconstruction, including utility costs of any improvement or facility in the business improvement district. Districts created for taxation or assessment of maintenance, repair, and reconstruction costs, including utility costs of improvements or facilities which are authorized by the Business Improvement District Act, but which were not acquired or constructed pursuant to the act, may be taxed or assessed as provided in the act. Any occupation tax levied under this section shall be limited to those improvements and facilities authorized by section 19-4030. After March 27, 2014, any occupation tax imposed pursuant to this section shall make a reasonable classification of businesses, users of space, or kinds of transactions for purposes of imposing such tax, except that no occupation tax shall be imposed on any transaction which is subject to tax under section 53-160, 66-489, 66-489.02, 66-4,140, 66-4,145, 66-4,146, 77-2602, or 77-4008 or which is exempt from tax under section 77-2704.24. The city council may levy such taxes or assessments under either of the following methods: (1) The city council, sitting as a board of equalization, may, not more frequently than annually, determine the costs of maintenance or repair, and reconstruction, of a facility. Such costs shall be either assessed to the real estate located in the business improvement district in accordance with the proposed method of assessment, or taxed against the businesses and users of space in the business improvement district, whichever may be applicable as determined by the ordinance creating the business improvement district. However, if the city council finds that the method of assessment proposed in the ordinance creating the business improvement district does not provide a fair and equitable method of apportioning such costs, then it may assess the costs under such method as the city council finds to be fair and equitable. At the hearing on such taxes or assessments, objections may be made to the total cost and the proposed allocation of such costs among the parcels of real estate or businesses in the business improvement district; or (2) After notice is given to the owners or businesses as provided in section 19-4030 the city council may establish and may change from time to time, the percentage of such costs for maintenance, repair, and reconstruction which each parcel of real estate or each business or user of space in any business improvement district shall pay. The city council shall annually determine the total amount of such costs for each period since costs were last taxed or assessed, and shall, after a hearing, tax or assess such costs to the real estate in the business improvement district in accordance with the percentages previously established at such hearing. Notice of such hearing shall be given as provided in section 19-4030 and shall state the total costs and percentage to be taxed or assessed to each parcel of real estate. Unless objections are filed with the city clerk at least five days before the hearing, all objections to the amount of total costs and the assessment percentages should be deemed to have been waived and the assessments shall be levied as stated in such notice except that the city council may reduce any assessment percentage. History: Laws 1979, LB 251, § 20; Laws 1983, LB 22, § 13; Laws 2014, LB474, § 10; Laws 2019, LB193, § 227.