Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
He Discusses Taxes, Kids, Ag & Infrastructure Funding For Kimball
Gov. Jim Pillen addresses a large crowd during his town hall meeting Monday at KCTS headquarters in Kimball. He also toured Clean Harbors and made stops in Scottsbluff during his Panhandle visit.
Gov. Jim Pillen addressed a group of Kimball County residents on Monday afternoon during a town hall meeting at KCTS headquarters.
Pillen said he wants to be the governor of everyone in Nebraska, all Nebraskans. He stressed that Nebraskans all have to live within their means, and a high priority for the state is to be more financially responsible.
Pillen explained that four things are what he has focused on throughout his life and continues to focus on as governor: kids, taxes, agriculture and values.
Pillen said that kids are the future and people "can't give up on one kid." He further stated that the best place for kids is in Nebraska.
About taxes, Pillen said that property taxes are out of whack and that since the January inauguration, his administration has been working hard to cut spending and change tax policies. The general goal for the state budget was 0% growth, which was unattainable, and the increase was limited to 2%. According to Pillen, the increase had never been that small.
Pillen also explained that state aid to education was made more equitable across the state, thus reducing property taxes.
Agriculture is critical to Nebraska, and Pillen wants to encourage the growth of agriculture and defend agriculture. The Pillen administration recently traveled to Vietnam, Korea, and Japan for trade missions. Nebraska has an excellent opportunity to feed the world and save the planet, referring to the ethanol plants and renewable fuels policy.
Values such as faith, family and rights are core to Pillen. He said Nebraskans need to appreciate what they have.
After his remarks, the governor took questions from the crowd. Questions ranged from LB 712 (the infrastructure money that doesn't include Kimball) and the lack of casinos in the western part of the state.
Some city officials fought for Kimball to receive the infrastructure money to help with growth that they anticipate due to the missile project, but Pillen differs from the position and opposed the idea of the state giving Kimball that money.
Pillen also toured Clean Harbors during his Kimball visit. This was closed to the media. Earlier in the day, he and First Lady Suzanne Pillen made a number of stops in Scottsbluff.