Scotts Bluff County valuation jumps $120 million

Scotts Bluff County's property valuation jumped $120 million in 2012 to over 2.3 billion, one of the largest increases in a few years.

Assessor Amy Ramos says part of the reason the valuation number is up is it includes taxable property at the hospital that was not included previously. Ramos said last year the hospital and county were still determining what was tax exempt and what wasn't. Ramos said she did not have a figure on how much the hospital property added to the total valuation, but she admits it was significant.

Ramos says there was a $16 million hike in central assessment, which includes railroad property and utilities. Ag land jumped by $30 million in 2012 as well and there was a three million dollar increase in personal property valuation.