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Legislative session ends without property tax relief

Posted at 5:22 PM, Apr 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-19 11:44:42-04

The legislative session ended Wednesday after another tense, fillibuster-filled 60-days. 

Governor Pete Ricketts said a lot was accomplished but was disappointed a property tax bill never reached his desk.

"For a second year in a row now, the legislature has failed to deliver a property tax relief bill to my desk," said Ricketts. 

Senator Tom Brewer feels the same way saying the issue didn't come up until the final days of the session, "In the military we have long-range planning, in the unicameral we have no planning".

Therefore, Brewer is calling for a special session, "We need a special time set aside where we all come together and get all the parts and pieces to figure out what right looks like and we're not going to do that unless we get a special session."

However Ricketts said it's pointless to have one, "There's no point in having a special session as long as we have senators who are fixated on raising taxes."

Another Senator is trying a different route to lower your property taxes, through a ballot initiative to cut over 800-million dollars in property taxes, "It's very difficult for people to vote no when they can get a refund on their own money."

Erdman said the legislature wont pass a bill unless forced to, and blames Gov. Ricketts for not truly being in favor of lowering property taxes, "It''s a good thing to say when you're running for re-election you're for property tax relief but on the other side, you don't have any proof."

However Ricketts believes this petition forces a tax shift toward higher income or sales taxes, "You can't raise taxes on one Nebraskan to give another Nebraskan tax relief, that's not tax relief."

For a special session to be called, 33 or the 49 senators will have to be in favor of it. 

If you want to put your name on the property tax relief ballot initiative you can go to yestopropertytaxrelief.com.