Public Safety Leaders Stand with Gov. Pillen; Endorse Property Tax Plan

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Public Safety Leaders Stand with Gov. Pillen; Endorse Property Tax Plan

LINCOLN, NE - Governor Jim Pillen and Lieutenant Governor Joe Kelly joined state senators from the Revenue Committee and leaders representing respective fire, law enforcement and criminal justice agencies in support of The Nebraska Plan to Cut Property Taxes. The plan creates an exception, so those agencies are not impacted by a hard cap on spending.

"There is no higher calling for state or local government than that of public safety," said Gov. Pillen. "The Nebraska Plan ensures that those investments -- in personnel, equipment, infrastructure and training -- are fully supported."

As a former prosecutor, Lt. Gov. Kelly reinforced the importance of preserving necessary investments for police, fire, emergency medical services, corrections, county attorneys and public defenders.

"I know from being in those positions you can't predict and budget for many of the things that impact public safety. Those entities need the flexibility to be able to respond immediately and when the necessity arises," said Lt. Gov. Kelly. "This move keeps the lid on spending from being too restrictive and gives them the ability to protect us."

Senator Lou Ann Linehan, who chairs the Revenue Committee, commended representatives for coming forward to express those needs, while also acknowledging that a solution was necessary for fixing the state's property tax crisis.

"They understand the property tax crisis as well as anyone, because they are property taxpayers, but we need to make sure we are not handcuffing those who operate within those fields," said Sen. Linehan.

Senator Mike McDonnell, member of the Revenue Committee and the former fire chief for Omaha echoed Sen. Linehan's comments, saying Gov. Pillen recognized the need for protecting public safety early on.

"The Governor set the tone before we left in April, by saying that we were going to be back to accomplish something on property tax relief, but we were not going to sacrifice public safety through that process," said Sen. McDonnell. "This announcement acknowledges that."

Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson shared several encounters he had recently while on patrol in the aftermath of recent storms. While people had specific storm-related issues, they also shared concerns about being evicted from their homes due to high property taxes.

"That is the message we have had from the Governor and Sen. Linehan from day one, which is 'we can do both.' We can reform our property taxes so people can live in dignity and afford to live in their homes in retirement and we can also make sure that we are funding our first responders, our county attorneys, and our public defenders appropriately," Sheriff Hanson added.

Sen. Linehan said informed discussions held since the introduction of LB388 during the regular legislative session and then again since the hearing on LB1 have helped the Revenue Committee better understand why a lid on public safety was not feasible within the scope of providing property tax reform.

"While there are many things within county budgets that are choices when it comes to funding, public safety is not one of them," said Sen. Linehan. "That is something they must do, and we must be supportive. We are blessed here in Nebraska, because we have very safe communities, but you cannot have growing and thriving communities, unless people feel safe."

Pointing again to the independent analysis provided by Dr. Ernie Goss, economics professor at Creighton University, Gov. Pillen said support for The Nebraska Plan was important for a multitude of reasons: "We need to have a plan that is transformative enough that young people can afford to have the dream about owning a home. It needs to be transformative enough that seniors who have raised and educated their kids here are able to continue living in their homes. And, we need to have transformative property tax reform to create workforce development and economic growth."

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