11 NE lawmakers to host Lincoln, Omaha listening sessions on property taxes

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LINCOLN — Eleven lawmakers will host two listening sessions on property taxes in the state’s two most populous cities after Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen opted out of doing so.

Pillen, in his quest to reform property taxes, crisscrossed the state, visiting 26 cities in May and June for town halls to pitch his evolving reform plans. He asked Nebraskans to offer feedback and to pressure state senators to support his ideas, although senators later said they received little feedback. 

The lawmaker-led public forums will give residents in Omaha and Lincoln an opportunity to share their thoughts on property taxes before an expected special session begins July 25.

The schedule is as follows:

• Sunday, July 21, 1-3 p.m. at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Thompson Alumni Center in Omaha.

• Monday, July 22, 5-7 p.m. at the Wick Alumni Center in Lincoln.

“We are committed to accommodating everyone who wishes to speak, but we are limited to two hours,” a news release said.

The lawmakers are also collecting online feedback here: https://forms.gle/GnZtzYo4A5sXZi4LA.

The bipartisan event hosts are State Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh, Jane Raybould, Carol Blood, George Dungan, John Cavanaugh, Christy Armendariz, Megan Hunt, Merv Riepe, Wendy DeBoer, Mike McDonnell and Terrell McKinney.

Eight lawmakers are from the Omaha area, two are from Lincoln and one is from Bellevue. Pillen hosted his first town hall in Bellevue, and his ideas have significantly evolved since then.

Pillen will be invited to both forums.

Pillen’s town halls usually lasted around 1.5 hours to 2 hours, based on events the Nebraska Examiner attended, and split the time evenly between the governor and the public.

The governor visited 38% of the state’s population during his tour, based on the latest census report. About 46% of Nebraskans live in Lancaster and Douglas Counties.

“I think I spend 65 [percent] to 70 percent of my time in Lincoln and Omaha,” Pillen told reporters last week. “I’m with business leaders in Omaha and Lincoln nonstop.”

Pillen has been working on a proposal over the summer with 17 lawmakers ahead of the special session. Riepe, Dungan, DeBoer and McDonnell are part of that group.

At least 33 of the state’s 49 lawmakers would need to support Pillen’s property tax reform goals in the special session.

An Examiner review of a July 8 draft version indicated the Pillen-led plan would collect new sales taxes on more than 120 goods and services and have the state take over most local K-12 school funding over a three-year period.

Riepe criticized the draft plan as benefiting large net-worth property owners at the expense of middle- and lower-income renters who haven’t seen the finalized list of suggested sales taxes.

“If the Governor is so sure he’s right, why hasn’t he held one town hall in Lincoln or Omaha?” Riepe asked over the weekend.

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