Platte Institute Invites Western Nebraskans to Virtual Town Hall on Property Tax Reform

A Nebraska nonprofit is holding a virtual town hall next week, hoping to start a discussion with the state's voters on property tax reform. 

The Platte Institute will host a series of the online meetings. The first one is the Western Nebraska Virtual Property Tax Town Hall. It will be held on Monday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time. 

In a news release, the Platte Institute says the town halls will focus on the constituents. 

"Rather than hosting elected officials, the agenda at the Virtual Property Tax Town Hall will be driven by members of the public. Voters and taxpayers from communities across the region are invited to participate to share their stories, ideas for property tax reform, and questions about Nebraska tax issues," the statement reads.

Registration for the event is required. You can sign up at https://platteinstitute.org/events/.

Registrants will receive a confirmation email with a link to a participant survey, where they can request time to ask questions and share ideas for discussion topics and participant polls on camera or by audio through Zoom, according to the release. All town hall participants can also submit questions in writing through Zoom’s Q&A or chat features and vote in live polls throughout the program.  

“My goal is that our Virtual Property Tax Town Halls help to create a broader grassroots consensus on property tax reform that reaches every part of our state and includes Nebraskans from every point of view,” Platte Institute Chief Executive Officer Jim Vokal said, “With so many Nebraskans facing rising property taxes as one of a growing list of financial worries in this recession, we need to start talking to each other about a vision for the future of our state, and what changes Nebraskans might be willing to make if senators are not.”

The Platte Institute’s Virtual Town Halls may be recorded for broadcast and will be made available for download with final poll results in a release following the program.

The Nebraska Legislature is scheduled to return to session on July 20, after being suspended due to COVID-19. The debate on property tax legislation is expected to be one of the most-watched issues of the session.