Sen. Brandt Gives Legislative Update

By Gordon HopkinsNebraska Senator Tom Brandt appeared at a meeting of the Jefferson County Commissioners Tuesday morning, November 4, to provide an update for the upcoming legislative session. Brandt pointed out, “We’re in a short session. It’s 60 days. It’s an election year, so that that’s going to dictate a lot of what happens. And big ideas are not going to happen this session. I’ve just seen it time and time again in a short session.”Next year will be Brandt’s last year in the legislature due to term limits. BudgetUnsurprisingly, budgets and budget cuts were the primary topic of discussion. Senator said, “Probably the biggest thing will be to fund the budget.”Economic forecasts indicate Nebraska is facing a budget shortfall, although the exact amount of that shortfall is up for debate.“I would say the number is $300 million, but it’s evolving. It could go up or down. So, you know, if Nebraska has a very good month in November and December, and we get more sales tax come in, and next year we see an increase in our income tax that will make a big difference. Those are the only two revenue streams for the state: sales and income tax. All property tax goes to local subdivisions.”Commissioner Mark Schoenrock asked the senator, “Do you see the budget shortfall being difficult to overcome, or do you think that’s going to be workable?”“Well, the legislature has to approve the budget,” said Brandt. “It’s going to take 33 votes. At the end of the day, we’ll have 33 votes. So, it’s whose ox is going to get gored here. What programs may have to take a haircut.”However, Brandt pointed out there is an impact in federal funding when budgets are cut, “What a lot of people don’t realize is every dollar the state puts in, it’s anywhere from $2 to $9 that the federal government puts in. So, if we cut our dollar, we could lose two to nine times that amount on the federal side. So, it doesn’t make any sense to cut.”Brandt added, “Roads are a good example. A lot of our highways and stuff have a lot of federal funding.” Bridge MatchJefferson County has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) County Bridge Match Program (CBMP) enabling the repair or replacement of 11 bridges. Unfortunately, that program may be coming to an end.Under the program, which began in 2016, counties receive 55 percent of the construction costs, up to $500,000 per project, for approved bridge projects. Approval is determined by a working group consisting of two county officials. Such as highway superintendents, surveyors or engineers, and three NDOT representatives.This infrastructure program is seen by county officials as essential for improving public safety and ensuring reliable transportation for goods and services, especially in Southeast Nebraska, where a great of the state’s bridges are located.CBMP is scheduled to expire in 2029, unless lawmakers appropriate additional state funds in 2026.Brandt said, “We’re going to meet with NACO (Nebraska Association of County Officials) on the County Bridge Match to see if we can keep some funding there. Jefferson County’s got way too many bridges that need to be replaced.”Jefferson County has 405 bridges. Inheritance TaxBrandt said inheritance tax will likely be on the chopping block once again. The elimination of inheritance tax has been a goal of a great many Nebraska legislators for many years. The sticking point has always been how much counties, particularly rural counties, depend on that revenue to operate. Jefferson County Commissioners have indicated they would support elimination of the unpopular tax as long as replacement revenue is addressed.Brandt said, “Senator (Robert) Clements is going to make another run at inheritance tax. He’s going to get something, you know, I don’t think he’ll get it all, but so the question is, how much can you live with? If we cut that in half, is that acceptable or not?”“But he is not finding replacement income,” said Brandt. “There’s a contingent in the legislature that are opposed to raising taxes on anything, which I think is extremely short sighted.”“I do recognize inheritance taxes, one revenue stream that the counties have to take care of emergencies when a bridge washes out or we lose a cruiser or dump truck, you don’t have to wait for the next budget cycle to replace that stuff,” said Brandt.Commissioner Michael Dux concurred, “This inheritance tax revenue, from a personal standpoint, you want it to go away, but from a commissioner, you want to keep it. But I really feel that it probably affects our county maybe more than any other county in the state because of the ambulance.” Emergency Services“We have a huge problem in Nebraska. We have a lot of deserts out there,” said Brandt. “We need to get more people to volunteer for our volunteer fire departments and to become certified for EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) so we can run our squads.”“On HR1 (The U.S federal budget bill), there was an element in that bill that sent $50 billion to the states,” said Brandt. “Each state gets a billion dollars, and half of ours is going is getting divided between hospitals and other things. And EMS statewide is shooting for $20 million. Out of that, that would be used for our rural squads, EMTs, training, recruitment, things like that.” Economic DevelopmentBrandt made clear his support of local economic development, despite some obstacles, “We talk a lot about economic development. I think on the county level, people try. I mean, there’s all forms of economic development out there, and a lot of it’s controversial, and I’ve heard from people on chicken houses, hog houses, windmills, solar panels, and now the big thing is battery storage.”Brandt pointed to the “Livestock Friendly” certification handing on the meeting room wall and said he felt livestock development was likely most likely to be successful in Jefferson County, “Feed lots, dairies, any form of livestock would be a very good fit for this county. They would bring a lot of people, and it would increase property tax through the formation of new structures. So, anything I think that the state can do to make any of those things happen easier, I’m going to support.”

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