LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — Senator Tom Briese of Albion has been on a single mission since he got to the legislature in 2017. That would be restructuring the tax system.
This year his plan was to raise the sales tax and begin taxing non-taxable items and services to give farmers and urban home-owners relief on their property taxes.
That didn't happen, something his constituents in rural Nebraska won't like.
"They're going to be disappointed and I don't blame them one bit,” says Briese.
Briese says they had small wins on the property tax front. That includes adding $51 million to the property tax relief fund.
"That fund has nearly doubled since I've been working with the legislature for the last five years,” says Ricketts.
Governor Pete Ricketts says that fund is giving every home and landowner across the state a tax break. He fought hard to kill tax proposals Briese proposed, calling them tax hikes on Nebraskans.
But Senator Lou Ann Linehan thinks they have a shot at coming back next year.
"I think the problem was we didn't have enough time to communicate with enough senators, it was too much, people were too tired, it was too late,” says Linehan, who represents the Elkhorn area.
There's urgency from urban senators as well. Senator Justin Wayne of north Omaha says residential property taxes are crippling his district.
"I have a historic Florence area where many of my constituents are paying high property taxes and they're on a fixed income so it's still an issue in my community,” says Wayne.
The plan is to get together this summer and iron out a package that would lower property and income taxes, while also giving the business community a tax incentive package.
If they do that, there's optimism they can get the 33 votes to pass it all in 2020.
"I think we were very close,” says Linehan.
"We might have different ways to get there but this summer we'll hammer out how to get there and bring it next year and get it done,” says Wayne.
It wasn't all just formalities today. The legislature overrode a veto from Governor Ricketts on a bill that will likely expand the bus system in Omaha.
