Talking Sarpy

Hello friends,

I hope your week was enjoyable. I had a great week and got to visit with a lot of Sarpy County friends.. It’s always a pleasure to speak with District 3 students. I have to say that the littles from Peter Sarpy Elementary exhibited exceptional behavior and their knowledge of the Nebraska Legislature. I wish to thank them and their teachers for visiting. What a great group of future leaders.

Another group I met with on Tuesday was Leadership Sarpy. During this conversation I talked about property taxes and how the legislature continues to not address the main causes behind high property taxes. We as the people of this state continue to hear the same exact thing on the campaign trail, “we need to lower property taxes.” and the legislature continues to craft legislation that does provide property tax relief but not in a way that is sustainable. These types of bills continue to kick the can down the road.

“Why are property taxes so high?” is one heck of a question that can’t be answered by one piece of legislation but one thing that is definite about the increase on property taxes is that the blame is often placed in the hands of the wrong people. Political subdivisions are given mandates that they must fulfill without any financial help by the legislature. These can result in tens of millions of dollars in mandates passed down by the legislature that the political subdivisions are forced to comply with and figure out how they must pay for these mandates without state support.

My legislative resolution, LR1CA would end this cycle of unfunded mandates and ensure that these mandates are funded by the legislature. Sarpy County alone has over 15 million dollars in unfunded mandates. We need this constitutional amendment to be placed on the ballot. This would solve a long-term property tax issue. You, as a voter, will get to decide on the ballot if we should generate legislation without first showing you how we will pay for it. It’s a no-brainer that we can do better and unless it goes to a vote of the people, it will never change.

Another Meeting

Tuesday was busy! I also had the great opportunity to meet with Alpha Kappa Alpha, organized and established by strong Black, college-educated women who focus on community service and action. We had a great discussion about women in politics, women’s issues and property taxes once again. It was a great moment to be surrounded by such proud women. Thanks for the certificate!

DOD

Also on Tuesday, I had the pleasure of hosting fellow senators for a lunch meeting with Michelle Richart of the Military Community & Family Policy Office from the Department of Defense. She discussed the key issues identified by her office each year that can support military families within the State of Nebraska. She also explained the role of the Military Families Office as she is relatively new to the position and this was her first visit in her new capacity.  As you know, I’ve worked closely with this office over the last 7 years and had great legislative success. It’s important that we continue to hone this relationship and move needed legislation forward in a timely fashion. Senators were inquisitive about the programs available and what can be done to improve the lives of military families across the state. Thanks to all that joined the meeting and the conversation, and thanks to Michelle for her hard work and commitment to help military families and veterans.

Facebook

Check out the Facebook page! We have started a new daily post called Daily Holidays. It’s been really fun to see the interaction between constituents so feel free to join in on the fun!

If you have any questions or concerns about legislation, feel free to contact my office by calling 402-471-2627. You can also contact my staff directly.

Alex Maycher, Legislative Aide: amaycher@leg.ne.gov
Gabriel Hinrichs, Administrative Aide: ghinrichs@leg.ne.gov