Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed a series of property tax relief bills this afternoon, celebrating sine die of the a special legislative session aimed at slashing state property taxes in half.
“Today’s an important day for Nebraskans,” Pillen began his remarks, surrounded by 25 or “invited” lawmakers who played ball during the session and served as the base of support for the three bills proposals that ultimately crossed the finish line.
State Senator Lou Ann Linehan said, “It’s been a hard, tough road. It always is. Every time we have tried to address property taxes, it has been a battle,” at the beginning of her remarks. As Chair of the Legislatures Revenue Committee, Linehan spearheaded negotiations among senators amid the session, and delivered LB34, LB2, and LB3 to Pillen for his signature.
“What we got done this week, maybe it’s disappointing? Yes,” Linehan said, admitting this group of bills represent a far more “scaled-back” version of the proposal. However, Linehan remains hopeful that these tax changes will “provide a lot more tax relief than people realize.”
“In terms of how much do we celebrate, I’m not sure we should be patting ourselves on the back too much,” concurred Pillen. “The people in Nebraska will be the judges. The people that have lost the hope to build their home, we’ll see how this affects things for them… time will tell on how Nebraskans judge.”
Work on property tax relief is not done, however, according to Pillen.
“We’re just getting started. We have a lot of work to do, a lot of work to do for the future. I think that it’s really simple. We all understand that to grow Nebraska, we have to have property tax income way down,” said Pillen.
State Treasurer Tom Briese cosigned the package of proposals, calling today a “good day for Nebraska property taxpayers,” and saying under Pillen’s leadership, “I know we’re going to get a lot more done going forward.”
If lawmakers did not effectuate at least a 40% reduction in property taxes bills statewide, Pillen indicated earlier this year he would keep lawmakers in a special session “through Christmas.” Today, he said he will not be doing so.
“I understand the math and I understand the power of who’s drawn the lines in the sand. That’s crystal clear. So I think that to call another session on property tax right now before the end of the year, would be a mistake. I don’t plan on doing that,” Pillen said, definitively.
“Thank you, everybody. Have a great rest of the summer,” Pillen laughed.