Omaha property tax townhall: Sounding off, but little harmony

Most Nebraskans who attended a townhall meeting in Omaha Sunday agreed property taxes are a big problem. But, similar to state senators, they were far from united on what should be done in special legislative session expected to begin Thursday.

Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, accompanied by half a dozen other senators – two Republicans and four Democrats – invited a crowd of about 200 people to UNO’s Thompson alumni center Sunday for a townhall meeting on property taxes. The senators got an earful, but not everyone was singing in harmony.

First up was a woman from Bennington, who said property taxes are making a bad situation worse.

“What I'm tired of is seeing my friends and family lose their jobs because government never cuts anything," she said. "Cuts need to be made. Government jobs shouldn't be a guarantee. We need to start cutting budgets across the board."

Fred Robertson, a retired teacher from Ralston, said the situation is not dire for everyone. Robertson said his property taxes have increased significantly, but so has the value of his house.

“All things considered, I may very well be better off with a much higher valued house than what we bought it at, and paying some more taxes,” Robertson said.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has proposed ending sales tax exemptions and having the state take over operating costs from schools, to cut property taxes 50% on average. Sheri Shuler of Omaha questioned if a state takeover of funding could affect what’s taught.

“Can the governor say, ‘Oh, we don't want these books in anybody's libraries in the state,’ even though OPS might be okay with those books?” she asked.

And Jason Odom of Omaha said Pillen’s proposal would benefit older, well-established landowners at the expense younger, poorer Nebraskans. Odom urged senators to reject the proposal by Pillen, who headed a successful hog farming business before he became governor.

“You have the opportunity to prevent Pillen from pilfering the public purse," he said. "He cannot be trusted. Don't let a wolf in pigs clothing fool you."