Senator Carol Blood who represents District 3 in the Nebraska Legislature reached out to Governor Pillen’s Office today to encourage Governor Pillen to wait until the January session to push forward his property tax solutions as implementation needs to be delayed so any potential property tax legislation does not impact the 2025 budgets of Nebraska Municipalities.
“I understand the Governor made a promise to Nebraskans without any solid plan to lower property taxes by 40% and is now clearly backed into a corner, but the prudent thing would be to have a clear plan with all parties involved so it can sail through in the next session, explained Blood.”
Governor Pillen has been meeting with a small group of Senators and little official communication is being shared with the rest of the body. This is counter-productive to having sound policy that includes the ability to provide revenue replacement sources in addition to repealing the lid on restricted funds while reducing the number of sales tax exemptions so counties such as Sarpy County can continue to grow and prosper.
“The state has ultimately been responsible for everyone’s property taxes being so high. From refusing to stop Unfunded and Underfunded mandates so policy makers don’t pass costs down to our political subdivisions, to never fully funding our schools. These constant shell games, while ignoring the basics, are never going to create sustainable tax relief for Nebraskans,” shared Blood. Blood added that “although the Governor has stated he is now considering fully funding our public schools, he has yet to come up with a way to pay for that as well.”
For any of the Senators with a municipal background, such as Blood, it should not seem prudent to put forward such important legislation over the summer. Most, if not all municipalities started their budgeting process in the Spring of 2024. Once the budget is drafted, it requires three readings on three different days in front of the City Council. The process also involves public hearings. Budgets will need to be postmarked on or before September 20th each year.
“Our Governor comes from a business background where he can walk into a boardroom and demand something be done immediately. The Senators in the Nebraska Legislature are not his employees, we work for our constituents and Nebraska’s residents. Asking us to act in an irresponsible fashion when it comes to taxes to try and push forward property tax relief without understanding the negative consequences it creates is not good Government,” Blood explained. “It is time for a solid plan that is sustainable, where the ultimate burden does not continue to be placed on our middle class, our seniors and those of lower income. Everyone agrees that property taxes are too high and it’s because of bad decisions over the years by the state. This can still be corrected with sound policy in January if the true goal is to finally provide sustainable, responsible property tax relief.”