Major computer glitch resulted with 230,000 Douglas County to receive mistaken tax cards

OMAHA, Nebraska – A significant error was made due to a technical problem with the computer, and it will be visible to all 230,000 households in Douglas County.

The Douglas County Commissioner’s Office received a significant number of phone calls regarding the postcard mix-up. They had an answer ready for the question even before the callers had a chance to ask it. It was a waste of time, but the office workers still got a good workout out of it.

According to the chief administrator, Patrick Bloomingdale, “the information that was printed on the front of the card was sent to somebody’s address, let’s say my address; however, the information that was printed on the back of the card, which included the actual levy or evaluation information on what my tax rate could be the estimated tax rate, could be for somebody who lives several blocks away.”

At this very moment, the Douglas County clerk is working to correct an error that was made by the printer.

“By the end of the day, have a site on their website where you can go on there and look up the information that you would have been able to see on the postcard, and in addition to that, we’re having the printing firm make an effort to reproduce all of them,” she said. In the best case scenario, individuals would receive their updated cards along with their new cards in the mail on Wednesday. According to Bloomingdale, the hearing will take place on Wednesday evening.

It is currently the day of the hearing, and there is not enough time left to make any adjustments to the schedule.

“If we delay the hearing a week, that bumps up against the September 30th statutory deadline for levies to be set, so if a jurisdiction has not set its levy or is waiting to after the public hearing, that would only give them two days to get that done,” said Bloomingdale. “If we delay the hearing a week, that bumps up against the September 30th statutory deadline for levies to be set.”

These greeting cards have never before been distributed to the general public in any capacity. Following the passage of a bill in the Nebraska legislature that mandates the holding of a public hearing in the event that a political subdivision proposes an increase that is greater than the percentage of growth that is permitted, it is no longer possible to avoid doing so.

Even though the information on the card regarding the meeting time and location is accurate, people are still calling the county office to complain about the error. This is despite the fact that the information in question is public knowledge.

According to the officials, the costs of the reprint will be covered by the printer.

Visit the website maintained by the Douglas County Clerks if you require additional information or have inquiries regarding the postcard that was sent to you in the mail.