Water bill funding sources questioned

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Should property owners bear the brunt of paying for Sen. Mark Christensen's proposed water plan?

Or should the funding come from both property taxes and irrigators?

Or, as Angus Garey proposed, should the state be responsible, in the same way that Omaha senators are requesting state funding to pay for the Qwest convention center in Omaha?

Those issues and others were addressed at the Legislature Chamber conference call with Christensen this morning.

Sen. Christensen said he hopes many will come testify when his proposed water bill comes up for hearing Feb. 28.

"I will be extremely disappointed if the room is not overflowing," he told those at the McCook Chamber of Commerce.

As he did last week, Christensen addressed his bill, LB 701, and took questions and comments about proposed bills, including those that concerned the restructuring of community colleges, revision of the motorcycle helmet law and the Snowbird Trail.

Larry Eisenmenger commented that the costs of Christensen's water plan, which called for additional property taxes, could be better funded if the costs were split between irrigators and and property taxes.

Christensen said he has had received numerous e-mails from his district about LB 701 but insisted that water was huge issue for the state and he could not "sit here and do nothing,"

"Its a scary situation," he admitted, citing how populations in rural towns could be negatively impacted if a judge decides to cut off irrigator water. "But I'm open to suggestions."

Finding funding is tough, he said. The governor has told him that he will veto funding from sales or water taxes, which leaves local income or property taxes, neither of which people like.

"There are not a lot of options," he said. He agreed it was a state issue but that his bill is a starting point to get discussion going among senators.

However, if too many provisions in his plan are removed, he said he would pull it from the floor.

Christensen said also mentioned LB 238, which would would repeal the property tax levying authority of community colleges and have community colleges governed by a statewide system.

He said it would address property tax relief but be another step toward loss of local control. If community colleges were governed by the state, he said the flexibility of classroom instruction would be harmed and maintenance would deteriorate.

Jerda Garey noted that one third of the role of community colleges was community involvement. Under this bill, the college would lose its substance and identity, she said.

Christensen said he was "wavering" about the proposed motorcycle helmet law, which would allow drivers 21 years old or older to drive motorcycle without a helmet.

"I've had a hard time on this issue," he said, linking the issue to a proposed bill to ban smoking state-wide. "How many freedoms to we want to give up for potential health savings?"

Funding for the Snowbird Trail is also a questionable situation, he said. An interstate highway that would come through southwest Nebraska, the SnowBird Trail would be good economically for the area but finding funding to construct it would be the problem. Road taxes can't be raised and a road toll would drive truckers out of the state, he said.

Linda Taylor said support is needed for a feasibility study and that bills 41, 42, 305, and 62 and 63 would focus on the funding. Nebraska and Delaware are the only two states that do not have two interstates, she said and the fairest way to fund this would be a one cent gasoline tax.

Other issues that Christensen and those attending mentioned include:

* Christensen said he looked into LB 538, that would allow dental hygenists to practice without the direction of dentists in public health facilities. There is also an opposing bill, LB 427, that addresses the possibility that dental hygenists could be going outside of their scope with LB 538. Christensen said he hasn't signed on to either one yet.

* LB30, introduced by Sen.?Hudkins and LB658, By Sen. Raikes, both address the Class 1 schools. LB 30 would provides for the immediate creation of school boards for the closed Class I and Class VI schools and then calls for a special election to be held within two months of the reorganization of the school boards. Raikes plan calls for any individual or group of individuals residing in a Class II, III, or IV school district may propose a plan to create a new Class I school district.

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