Aaron Sanderford
LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announced his next two town hall meetings to rally public support for proposals to offset up to 40% of property taxes by eliminating some sales tax exemptions and/or increasing sales tax rates.
Pillen is hosting a town hall at 2 p.m. Friday in Fremont, at Midland University’s Dining Hall, Ninth and Pebble Streets.
He also is hosting a meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday in Scottsbluff, in the Platte Valley Bank, 1106 Platte Valley Drive.
The governor has pledged to call a special session this year to address property tax relief, with some speculating that call could come as early as late July or early August. Others have said it might wait until after the November election.
He has held similar property tax town halls in Bellevue, Grand Island, Plattsmouth, Seward, York and Beatrice. He has also been meeting in Lincoln with a bipartisan group of lawmakers and others about potential changes.
His initial proposals to increase sales taxes and use that money to offset up to $2 billion in property taxes faced some opposition in the Legislature. But the pace of property valuation increases has ramped up some interest.
“Nebraskans … expect state leaders to solve the property tax crisis,” Pillen said in a press release. “While we are counting on the Legislature to develop the right solution, all Nebraskans must be part of this conversation.”