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Property tax concerns expressed at Nebraska hearing

Farmers and ranchers appeared before the Nebraska legislature’s Education Committee Tuesday, pleading for relief from ever-increasing property taxes.

“I am here to tell you that we are bleeding in agriculture right now. We are bleeding to death and somebody has to help us,” said Dale Gronewold, who farms near Gothenburg.

The hearing involved Governor Pete Ricketts’ proposal to limit school district revenue growth as a means to lower property taxes.

Also testifying was Shane Greckel, a row crop farmer in Knox County.

“When my income goes down, I have to reflect accordingly. I have to back off. I can’t expand my operation,” Greckel said. “I just ask that government do the same thing.  There are times when we have to step back just a little bit. We have to consolidate and we have to make do with what we have. That’s what business has to do.  That’s what farming has to do.”

Public school officials, though, objected to the governor’s proposal to limit revenue growth to two-and-a-half percent annually.

“There’s nobody on our board or in our administration that says, ‘Let’s just go spend more money just because we can’,” said Virgil Harden with Grand Island Public Schools. “We spend the money to meet the needs of our children—and two-and-a-half percent does not cut it.”

York Public School Superintendent Mike Lucas said he sympathizes with the farmers’ complaints, but said school spending isn’t what’s driving up property taxes.

“I love farmers and it’s sad to me to hear the ‘us versus them’,” Lucas said.  But he added, “School spending is not the problem”.

The proposal is the second part of the governor’s two-part proposal to lower property taxes.

Two legislative committees are considering whether to forward the proposals on to the full Unicameral for debate.

Brent Martin with Nebraska Radio Network contributed to this story.