Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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The speaker of the Legislature has announced that senators will complete their work a few days early, adjourning sine die on May 27 rather than June 10. This is partially due to the many late nights that were worked in order to complete our business and knowing we will be meeting again in a couple months. Every 10 years, the Legislature must complete the redistricting process to reflect population changes after the U.S. Census is complete. Due to the pandemic, states didn’t get the census d...
A potential resolution denouncing President Biden's Executive Order 14008, dubbed the 30 x 30 land grab, will have to wait, after Holt County Supervisors tabled the item during Monday's meeting in O'Neill. The executive order, titled "Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad," directed the secretary of the interior, secretary of agriculture and other senior officials to devise and submit a plan, by April 27, to conserve 30% of lands and waterways in the United States by 2030. According to...
Two major pieces of legislation that would have provided property tax relief were defeated this past week. Generally, I am supportive of proposals that attempt to lower property taxes. LR 11, introduced by Bayard Senator Steve Erdman, is a constitutional amendment proposing to replace all taxation with a consumption tax on the purchase of services and new goods. Nebraska residents would no longer pay property taxes, income taxes, sales and use taxes, inheritance taxes, or estate taxes. LR 11...
The Legislature passed the budget bills this past week. Governor Ricketts has five days (not counting Sunday) to decide whether to sign the legislation. The governor has the authority to line-item veto specific items on budget bills, without vetoing the entire bill. Once the budget bills have been passed, other legislation that appropriates General Funds or results in the reduction of revenue to the General Fund, and all other tax expenditure bills, can be read on final reading. LB 2,...
Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a two-year state budget promoting tax relief and controlling state spending, into law, Monday. Budget growth was limited to 1.7% and set at $9.7 billion for the two-year period ending June 30, 2023. The newly-signed budget leaves $206 million available, although that total could change after April 29, when revenue forecasts will be updated. Ricketts said, "The budget I have signed controls state spending and significantly increases direct property tax relief for the peo...
Last week, we began debate on the budget, after receiving a briefing from the Appropriations Committee chairman, Senator Stinner. The budget for the next year calls for an increase in the general fund expenditures of roughly $9.7 billion, growing by around 1.7% per year from previous budgets. Key provisions of the budget include substantial increases to several funds. The most important of these increases are the two funds relating to property tax relief. The proposed budget increases the Proper...
The Appropriations Committee advanced their finalized recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2021-22 and 2022-23 biennial budget to the full Legislature. First-round debate took place this past week and all bills were advanced unanimously except LB383, dealing with capital construction. Under the $9.7 billion biennial budget proposal, the two-year average estimated revenue growth is 3.0%, whereas the two-year average growth in spending is just 1.6%. The committee was able to control the growth of spending due to a higher federal match for...
Signs noting a seven-ton weight limit were posted along Antelope County oil roads, following discussion by county commissioners at the board's March 9 meeting, in Neligh. Discussion on the potential dominated nearly one hour after county road superintendent Aaron Boggs referenced restrictions in neighboring counties. Knox and Holt counties have restrictions currently in place. According to Boggs, Holt County implements a speed limit restriction, with trucks allowed to go up to 40 miles per hour...
The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met last week and revised the current forecast upwards. The board projected an increase of $204 million for fiscal year 2020-21, $165 million for fiscal year 2021-22 and $93 million for fiscal year 2022-23, for a total increase of $462 million. The three-year average growth rate increased from 2.9% to 3.4%. Under LB 1107, the property tax relief bill passed last year, property taxpayers are eligible for a refundable income tax credit based on the...
On Feb. 26, the Revenue Committee voted to advance LB 408, as amended by AM 371, on a 7-1 vote. The amended version of the bill would limit the annual increase in property tax askings to no more than 3%, with some exceptions. The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, commented on its advancement. “Property tax relief requires a multi-pronged approach. One approach must be to place reasonable restrictions on property taxes. And that’s what this bill does.” Briese continued, “This...
The Legislature passed the one-third mark this week in the 90-day legislative session. The Appropriations Committee also presented its preliminary recommendations for the biennial budget. This provides a starting point for discussion of the various budget actions suggested so far. After the Appropriations Committee finishes its committee work, it will develop formal recommendations to be presented to the Legislature by mid to late March, at which time floor debate will take place. Although we...
Governor Pete Ricketts delivered his State of the State address to the Legislature this past week. He highlighted 2021-23 state budget recommendations for senators. This will be his last biennial budget proposal, as his eight years in office will be completed at the end of next year. Ricketts recounted the devastating flood in 2019 and coronavirus pandemic that followed in 2020. He commended Nebraskans for responding in the Nebraska Way - by working together to overcome challenges. The...
Senator Tom Briese, a long-time proponent of property tax relief in the Nebraska Legislature, introduced LR21 CA last week. LR21 CA would require the state to fund all K-12 classroom expenses. In introducing it, Briese said, “For far too long, the State of Nebraska has shirked its obligation to provide for the free education of its students. Instead, the state has continually chosen to pass on the bulk of the cost of public education to its property taxpayers. In fact, Nebraska is nearly last in the country in the percentage of K-12 education f...
The legislative session will begin Wednesday, Jan 6. On that day, newly-elected members will be sworn in and the speaker, chair and vice chair of the Executive Committee and committee chairs will be elected. What happens after that may depend on the status of the pandemic. Under normal circumstances, we would then introduce bills for 10 days, do some preliminary work including adoption of rules and committee assignments, with committee hearings beginning around the second week But this year,...
Holt County Supervisors tackled a light agenda when they met in regular session, Sept. 16. Holt County Treasurer Connie Krotter presented a list of personal property taxes and asked the governing board for approval to strike three parcels from the county’x tax rolls. Parcels #0010003395, 0450000275 and 10000027, totaling $642.96, were removed due to no property to levy in Holt County, perusant to Nebraska state statute. Steve Boshart made the motion, with a second by Don Hahlbeck. The motion car...
Despite a 4% increase in valuation and property tax request, Clearwater village’s tax rate will remain at 50 cents. Board of Trustees members approved the budget and final tax request during a hearing held Monday at the fire hall. The village will request $61,691.59 in property taxes. The village’s operating budget totals $6.955 million. Valuation increased from just over $11,875,227 to $12,338,322. While presenting budget information, accountant Regina Krebs said, “I’m still working on the sew...
The Northeast Community College Board of Governors has given unanimous approval to the institution’s 2020-21 budgets, which include no change in the property tax levy. The action took place Thursday following public hearings during the board’s monthly meeting in Norfolk. The board approved a general operating budget of $49,731,153, a building improvement budget of $17,839,751, and an ADA/Hazardous Material budget of $74,492 with the three tax supported budgets totaling $67,645,396. The general operating budget is funded from property tax...
The current legislative session officially concluded on day 60, which was Thursday, Aug. 13. We concluded the session by hearing remarks from the six term limited and outgoing senators and passing several bills through final reading. One bill we passed was LB 1107, a comprehensive package of property tax relief and business incentives. The focus on property tax reform this past session began as the Revenue Committee’s LB 974. It was a combination of foundation aid for all school districts in N...
Emotions ran high again this week, as legislators tried to complete their priorities during the last few days of this legislative session. As I had hoped, the Revenue Committee advanced a package that joined property tax relief, business tax incentives and a major project at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. This proposal was contained in a compromise amendment to LB 1107, a placeholder bill introduced by the Speaker of the Legislature, Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk. The current Property T...
Twenty-nine-forty – an accounting code that identifies an Antelope County Law Enforcement Center fund – has become a familiar term during Antelope County commissioner dialog, as well as a point of contention between county officials. The “special revenue” account was formed after the Law Enforcement Center went into operation in 2015. In the ensuing years, the balance in the account has grown to more than $400,000 from fees charged for housing prisoners from other counties and law enforcement services provided to several Antelope County...
KATIE ANDERSON Nebraska News Service With the summer session less than three weeks away, Nebraska Legislature's leaders say there are important tax and revenue topics to be debated and hope to keep everyone safe inside the Capitol. When the 17-day session reconvenes July 20, changes most notable to the public will be how the George W. Norris Legislative Chamber is set up and how it will function. Due to COVID-19, the Legislature is taking safety precautions for senators' return. "The speaker...
KATIE ANDERSON Nebraska News Service Property tax relief is on the agenda for the 17-day legislative session later this month, but opponents argue that the proposed property tax relief plan will hinder school district spending and taxing authority. State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, chairwoman of the revenue committee, is leading the charge to get a property tax relief package passed when the Legislature resumes on July 20. “We have a property tax crisis more severe now in agriculture but moving toward suburbia,” Linehan said. “If you b...
The Legislature was called back into session March 23 to pass emergency funding relating to the spread of coronavirus. An amendment was added to LB 1198, a bill that originally sought to appropriate funding for the restoration of doors to the legislative chamber. LB 1198 had already received first-round approval. An amendment offered by the chair of the Appropriations Committee, Sen. John Stinner, struck the original content of the bill and replaced it with an appropriation of $83.6 million from...
For the first time since 2014, agricultural land values in Nebraska have increased. According to preliminary results from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Farm Real estate Market Survey, ag land values increased 3% over last year's statewide average of $2,650 per acre. The increase is the first year-to-year jump in price since land values peaked at $3,315 per acre in 2014. Limited supply of land for sale, strong demand for purchases and disaster assistance payments from the last year drove...
The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met Feb. 28, to review their forecast for the current and next fiscal years. The board increased the previous forecast by $115 million for fiscal year 2019-20 and by $25 million for fiscal year 2020-21, for a total increase of $140 million over the two-year period. Most of the increase can be attributed to year-to-date actual receipts, as revenues from November through February were $111 million above the October forecast. The $115 million...
