Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen was at the Wayne Country Club in Wayne on Monday to share information on his legislative priorities.
More than 50 people from throughout the area were in attendance to listen to the governor discuss governmental issues important to him and to the state.
He began is address by encouraging all to appreciate the people in Nebraska.
"I try to keep life simple by focusing on today, being 100% positive and working hard," Governor Pillen said.
He focused on three things during his nearly two hours in Wayne — youth, taxes and the value of agriculture.
Pillen said that Nebraska was one of only handful of states that tax Social Security benefits and that would be coming to an end in the near future. He also said that a plan is in place to reduce state income tax to 3.99% by 2027, down from the current rate of 7.8%.
He also discussed the negative impact of property taxes on Nebraskans and said "Nebraska has the seventh highest rate of property taxes in the country. This is one of reasons young people can't own a house."
The governor said that in his opinion, "this is not a valuation problem, but instead is a spending problem. The state collected more than $5.3 billion in property taxes in 2023. We need to get that number back to where is was in 2013."
He said property taxes impact everyone, not just property owners and that he and a group of 40 people have been working to find a solution "so our kids can come back and own a home and Grandma and Grandpa don't have to sell their home."
Pillen said that among the solutions for doing so would be to get rid of the sales tax exemption for services and non-discretionary items. He said raising the state sales tax 1% would add a half billion dollars to the state's revenue.
The governor said several times during his presentation about what he called "Operation Clean the Closet" regarding getting rid of unfunded mandates and improving services to Nebraska residents.
Pillen said that in regard to foreign countries wanting to do business in Nebraska, "they need to be givers, not takers."
Another portion of morning was focused on the benefits of a bio-economy on the state. He said "clean energy is the market and there is no place better than Nebraska. We have the lowest carbon score of anywhere in the country."
Pillen encouraged all those in attendance to visit with state representatives in the legislature and let them know their thoughts and ideas in regard to solving government issues.
Pillen also spoke to Nebraskans in West Point and Fremont on Monday as part of a Town Hall tour.
