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Nebraska Farm Bureau opposes community college bond issue

Nebraska Farm Bureau has announced its opposition to Southeast Community College’s (SCC) 369 million dollar bond proposal, saying it would result in “a massive property tax increase” on farmers, businesses and homeowners across the 15 county SCC district.

“The numbers we’ve been given so far estimate that over the 25 year repayment period, this 369 million dollar proposal could be more than a 500 thousand dollars proposal—and year-over-year, people could see their tax bills increase by 50 percent,” says Ansley Mick, Farm Bureau’s director of state government relations. “So it’s pretty significant.”

Mick says with skyrocketing property taxes being the number one concern of Farm Bureau members, now is not a good time to raise taxes.

AUDIO: Ansley Mick

 

The president of Southeast Community College, Dr. Paul Illich, says the bonds are needed to modernize and expand SCC’s facilities. Illich says the bond issue addresses two barriers to economic expansion in southeast Nebraska.

“A lack of qualified workers in the career and technical areas, and to create an affordable option to higher education,” Illich says.

Illich says the bonds would be issued in a series so that the levy would initially be less than 39 dollars a year per 100-thousand dollars of property.

AUDIO: Paul Illich

 

Farm Bureau president Steve Nelson calls the SCC proposal “too big, too expensive, and too risky”. Nelson says raising property taxes by nearly 370 million dollars without definitive plans about how and when the money will be spent is “simply irresponsible”.

Illich says the process has been transparent, noting that details of the proposal are available on the SCC website.