Candidates square off at Culbertson forum

Monday, October 13, 2014

CULBERTSON, Neb. -- The water issue facing the Republican Valley Basin is not just a rural issue and a strong voice is needed to convey that to urban senators, said both candidates vying for the 44th District legislative seat.

Dan Hughes and Steve Stroup, both candidates for the Dist. 44 state senator position, were part of the candidate forum Sunday hosted by the Culbertson Women's Club. They were joined by candidates running in local races, including: Hitchcock County commissioner, incumbent Paul Nichols and write-in challenger, Mike Loibl; Hitchcock County assessor, Marlene Bedore and Cindy McCorkle; Hitchcock County school board (three seats open), incumbent Mike Baker, challengers Casha O'Brien, Ted Rippen, Craig Scott and Jared Vrbas; and Chad Brenning and JoLyn Hare, members of the Hitchcock County Fair Board/Hitchcock County Agricultural Society.

Questions for the candidates were asked by members of the public, including those posed by State Sen. Mark Christensen, who is being term-limited out of office.

When asked by Christensen if surface water irrigators should be compensated, both Hughes and Stroup agreed that they should, but the mechanics of doing that could vary. More importantly, "We need to send a strong individual to Lincoln to build relationships with urban legislatures, to convince them that this is a state and not just a local issue," Hughes said.

Stroup agreed that communication was imperative. "The ability to persuade is key," he said on water issues facing this half of the state, as well as the role of a senator. Both also agreed that augmentation projects, specifically the recent Lincoln County project, were needed but were a short term fix and that expanding Medicaid was the not the solution for the uninsured in Nebraska.

Stroup called for more accountability in Medicaid, with Medicaid reimbursements from the federal government already falling behind. Hughes said his time spent as a school board member showed him that promised federal dollars for mandated programs eventually dwindled with time, but that something needed to be done as costs for uninsured patients come out of county and hospital budgets.

Stroup also addressed a question posed by a member of the public that asked why, until recently, he was delinquent on his property taxes for four years.

Stroup did not get into specifics but replied that in the late 1980s, an inheritance tax issue "basically broke us." The family sold sections of land while trying to hold on to something to pass down to future generations, he said, and that took time. Later in the meeting, Stroup said ethics and morality are vital to him, "and in the end...I still need God."

Starting off the forum were Chad Brenning and JoLyn Hare, members of the Hitchcock County Fair Board/Hitchcock County Agricultural Society, who explained a resolution that will be put before Hitchcock County voters in the November election.

The Hitchcock County Fair Board, also known as the Hitchcock County Agricultural Society, currently levies .0057 cents per $100 of property valuation. For the 2014-2015 year, the board would like to increase that, if needed, to .008 cents per $100 of property valuation, to garner an additional $22,000 for the fair board budget.

The extra funds are needed for the new ag building, Brenning and Hare said Sunday, not only for rising expenses and upkeep of the building, but to pay off the loan for the building.

The current USDA loan for the building is payable through 2042, with $211,000 left to pay, Hare said. She and Brenning also cited that the building payments and utilities for the year took a large share of its budget. With a $43,934 yearly budget, $33,125 of that is spent on utilities ($11,500), insurance ($7,600) and building payment ($13,400).

The resolution, as presented to the voters, reads that it will allow the The Hitchcock County Fair Board, also known as the Hitchcock County Agricultural Society, to increase its budgeted restricted funds authority not to exceed .012638 cents per $100 of taxable valuation in excess of the limited prescribed by law and to increase the restricted funds base by $22,000.00 or 74.34 percent over the allowable growth percentage for the general operations and building payments.

Hare said they would not levy the entire .012638 cents as stated in the resolution but .008 cents, as "We are taxpayers too and don't want to spend anymore money than we have to."

Other topics directed at candidates at Sunday's meeting included the Hitchcock County School board leasing land for a new track and the most equitable way county assessors tax property, especially property that has been designated for conservation programs.

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  • Ethics and morality are important, paying your taxes must not fall under those categories.

    -- Posted by dennis on Mon, Oct 13, 2014, at 6:22 PM
  • I apologize for the tone of my last comment. I do believe, however that failure to pay taxes for four years is serious for a person who wants to be making decisions on taxes that we all will be ask to pay. It is also difficult to understand how something that may have happened in the 1980's can be a reason for failure to pay taxes in 2010.

    -- Posted by dennis on Mon, Oct 13, 2014, at 8:22 PM
  • *

    I have to question the tax issue also. It goes to management more than anything. A good steward of assets would have prepared for the inheritance tax hit as everyone who has an estate knows it is coming. Stroup had to pay 14% on the delinquent taxes and a good steward of money could have borrowed at way less than 14% and paid off the taxes and then made moves to pay off the lower interest loan. I am voting for Hughes. He has more success in business and management and is more polished than Steve Stroup. He will be able to persuade Eastern Senators at a higher success rate than Steve and his big cowboy hat.

    -- Posted by divorcedugly on Wed, Oct 15, 2014, at 11:00 AM
  • Maybe the banks thought is was a bad risk to lend him money to pay off a debt that happened neary 30 years ago. Vote Hughes!

    -- Posted by dennis on Thu, Oct 16, 2014, at 9:56 PM
  • Either one is better than the other alternative we had to choose from. Your trash talking is nothing but pure garbage! Bottom line is he didn't cheat the taxpayers out of anything, unless you two are estate lawyers how do you know the circumstances of what happened? Frankly, it's not anybody's business unless it's not being paid. We don't need a yes man representing us, we need somebody who has struggled and survived through all the government theft that takes away what is ours. I do want to Thank You though because I know who I'm voting for. Vote Stroup!!!

    -- Posted by smz on Fri, Oct 17, 2014, at 10:04 AM
  • Smz, it is your right to vote for anyone, even one that over.a 30 year period could not get his finances in order enough to pay taxes in the past four years. Just saying if you can not manage your own money you most likely should not be given the keys to the treasury with other people's money....in fact in the primary the Stroup campaign turned out information on Hughes and Berry that was critical and misleading about how they handled public funds while in reality Stroup could not even handle is own accounts or pay his own taxes. I wish Steve well on a personal basis but do not want him in the legislature with really NO experience in government (we have that already with our President) and his history of struggling with making ends meet enough to pay his own taxes in a timely manner. Dan Hughes has a proven track record of successes and past experience in elected positions. Dan is the man!

    -- Posted by dennis on Fri, Oct 17, 2014, at 10:55 AM
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    Personally, I would consider it a privilege to vote for a man who took it on the chin and still did the right thing...even in the face of it taking that long.

    Goes a lot toward revealing character don't you think?

    Hmmm...come to think of it...the snarky comments posted on this page do a nice job of that as well.

    -- Posted by Mickel on Thu, Oct 23, 2014, at 3:43 PM
  • Dennis and Dandy Dan mud slingers you just don't get it when it comes to scum mud slinging idiots that looks like you are joining to call out Mr.Stroup.

    Land estate issues and land taxes were all paid & take years to settle so how do you know if atty and other family members protested the estate which led to delays of tax payment but you don't that do you? I wonder if Dan ask you to do this for him or you just like being a scum mud slinger?

    Personally I like having someone that understands and experienced the farming bad times and good and had that experience vs those with golden spoon who was given the farm vs paying for it or like your self Dennis who sucks a lifes salary from school taxpayers with no accountability of your job performance with never a attempt in you life to go into business seems a little hypocritical to me but that is why you lost back in May?

    Better stick to your back yard issues where someone who cares and will listen.....Good luck Mr. Stroup.

    -- Posted by Corn Whisperer on Tue, Nov 4, 2014, at 12:45 PM
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