NAPE Executive Committee Members Attend Senate Property Tax Town Hall

As State Senators prepare to return to Lincoln in late July for a special legislative session called by Governor Jim Pillen to address changes to property taxes, a group of twelve legislators held a town hall meeting in Lincoln to hear from citizens regarding their thoughts on the Governor’s tax proposal.

While exact details of the tax plan have not been released by the Governor, he has released a “playbook” that proposes cutting property taxes by 50%. Pillen proposes replacing lost property tax revenue by eliminating sales tax exemptions on over 120 goods and services, as well as cutting state jobs and services and reappropriating those funds towards property tax relief.  

NAPE/AFSCME Executive Committee members  Brandon Brown (Revenue Lincoln) and Justin Hubly (Executive Director) attended the town hall to ensure our members’ voices were heard.

Hubly spoke and cautioned the Senators in attendance about the effects of reappropriating money and closing vacant state jobs.

“In May 2024 when the Governor issued an Executive Order closing nearly 1,000 vacant state jobs, nearly 1 in 5 positions were vacant. Now that the governor has eliminated around 400 positions, the vacancy rate is still in the double digits,” Hubly said. “Frontline state workers simply cannot provide quality services when we are short-staffed. Please do not reappropriate funds for frontline state employees. If you do, it will affect every single person in this room and every single Nebraskans. Our most vulnerable neighbors will be especially hard hit.”

Many in attendance at the town hall meeting agreed that property taxes were too high, however, many speakers recognized the importance of having quality public schools and quality public services. Many offered suggestions from raising income taxes on the highest earners, to providing additional homestead exemptions and other ways to ensure affordable housing and fair valuations.

Senators in attendance at the town hall were Christy Armendariz (LD 18, Omaha), Beau Ballard (LD 21, Lincoln), Carolyn Bosn (LD 25, Lincoln), John Cavanaugh (LD 9, Omaha), Machaela Cavanaugh (LD 6, Omaha), Danielle Conrad (LD 46, Lincoln), George Dungan (LD 26, Lincoln) Terrell McKinney (LD 11, Omaha), Mike Moser (LD 22, Columbus), Jane Raybould (LD 28, Lincoln), Lynne Walz (LD 15, Fremont), Anna Wishart (LD27, Lincoln)