Omaha World-Herald. March 21, 2017
It’s time to tackle Nebraska’s rural housing shortage
It’s a lament found in rural communities across Nebraska: We’ve got the jobs to be filled - but not enough housing to meet workers’ needs.
Courtney Dentlinger, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, calls the housing shortage “a critical economic development issue in rural areas of our state.”
She wrote to a state legislative committee that “a lack of workforce housing impedes the ability of employers to attract talent to the state to fill thousands of open positions. In turn, employers are unable to fill necessary jobs.” Note the volume she cited: “thousands of open positions” unfilled across the state due to this problem.
The Legislature’s Business and Labor Committee has heard testimony about a proposal, Legislative Bill 518, to help address the problem. A range of Nebraskans testified about how a lack of adequate housing is hamstringing the ability of rural communities to attract and retain workers.
“Because of low-quality housing and less variety, it is very difficult to recruit professionals to North Platte,” Mel McNea, CEO of Great Plains Health, the local hospital, told the committee.
Richard Baier, with the Nebraska Bankers Association, said a recent workforce study in Hastings found the local economy had 501 active job openings, but only 30 houses were on the market.
Other testimony focused on people who earn too much for affordable housing assistance but still face difficulty in finding housing.
A young married couple with teaching jobs in Gothenburg, for example, couldn’t qualify for an adequate home loan because they carry too much student debt. In Schuyler, the rental housing market is so tight, lawmakers were told, that three couples who work different factory shifts take turns sleeping in the same bedroom.
A Nebraska Bankers Association task force lists various factors behind the shortage, including too few contractors and tradespeople; limited lot availability; escalating costs of new construction; and down payment shortfalls.
The proposal by Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg, as amended, would make a one-time transfer of $10.3 million from the Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund, administered by the state’s Department of Economic Development.
The state would award competitive housing-related grants to nonprofit development corporations in eligible communities. A one-to-one match in local funds would be required. Counties with a population below 100,000 would be eligible (all but Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy Counties).
Grant awards would be decided competitively based on whether a proposed project meets one or more factors, including an ongoing housing need as shown through a significant study, a low unemployment rate, difficulty filling vacancies or potential projects that could be ready for occupancy within two years. No organization could receive more than $2.5 million over a two-year period, with a limit of $5 million through fiscal year 2020.
The Department of Economic Development has indicated that transferring $10.3 million from the trust fund wouldn’t harm any future projects for the fund, which was created in 1996 to encourage housing construction for low-income residents. It is funded by a portion of the transfer tax assessed on Nebraska real estate transactions.
LB 518 is intended to take a one-time withdrawal of unused funds to encourage housing for Nebraskans whose income is above the level considered for affordable housing assistance but who still run into roadblocks in trying to find housing.
Williams has put forward a worthy proposal that seeks to address a major economic development need in Nebraska. The Legislature can serve the public interest by passing it.
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Lincoln Journal Star. March 24, 2017
Another chance to act on Whiteclay
Last week, the Nebraska Attorney General’s office cited the four beer stores in Whiteclay with 22 violations of state liquor laws, including selling to bootleggers who transport the beer a few miles north into South Dakota to sell on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned.
On April 6-7, the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission will be holding a hearing at the Capitol to determine whether law enforcement in Whiteclay is adequate to determine whether it will renew the licences of the beer stores in the unincorporated town of about a dozen people, where millions of cans of beer and malt liquor are sold each year, most of it consumed by people on the reservation.
The citations against the stores will not be considered by the commission until May or June, long after the license renewal decision has been made.
But the simple fact that the charges were filed, stemming from an audit of the stores begun in 2015, and came from the attorney general is, in itself, evidence that law enforcement in Whiteclay by Sheridan County has been far from adequate.
That should be and can easily be considered by the commission in April and, perhaps, serve as the linchpin of a decision to deny the renewal of the licenses and, at last, shut down the stores.
The charges, which also include keeping inadequate records and selling alcohol after hours, are in the words of Attorney General Doug Peterson “serious violations” - and should have been uncovered by the county sheriff.
Bootlegging, for example, has been far from a secret - to the point where a bootlegger was one of the main characters in “Songs My Brother Taught Me,” a 2016 movie about life on Pine Ridge. But until last week’s charges were filed, the stores had not been held accountable for supplying the bootleggers. We believe Peterson when he says evidence to support the charges is forthcoming.
As any Lincoln bar or liquor store owner will attest, it’s easy enough to see if alcohol is being sold after hours. But law enforcement needs to actually be in Whiteclay to make those observations, and it has long been clear that there is rarely a sheriff’s deputy in the town.
Lawyers for the stores are scrambling to try to get the licenses renewed, arguing in legal filings that a quick renewal is a constitutionally protected right. It is no such thing. The commission needs to take into account the Whiteclay evidence, including the filing of the charges. That should be sufficient to deny the renewal and shut down the stores.
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McCook Daily Gazette. March 22, 2017
Balanced state budget depends on federal deficit
Skepticism is always in order when political leaders talk budgets, and that includes every level of government.
It’s common for officials to brag about not raising a tax levy, for instance, without noting that increasing assessed values are bringing in additional tax money.
Nebraska officials are quick to note that they achieve a balanced state budget, as required by law, without noting that it’s balanced with the help of federal funding that is available only because of deficit spending that adds to the national debt.
In Nebraska, federal funding amounts to 30 percent of the state budget.
Legislative Bill 611 seeks to shed light on that situation, by requiring agencies to inventory the strings attached to receiving federal funds.
They’re already required to have information on hand about the funds they receive, but they’re not required to aggregate the information in a report easily accessible to legislators and the public.
“Federal funding incentives often cause the state to engage in programs or projects it might otherwise choose to avoid,” said Sarah Curry, policy director for the fiscally conservative Platte Institute.
“LB611 would require agencies to create contingency plans in the event these funds were cut. At nearly $20 trillion in national debt, federal spending priorities can change at any time and will change inevitably, without Nebraska’s best interests in mind. State lawmakers need to be prepared for this reality,” she said.
LB611 is a small part of a legislative session dealing with large issues such as a $900 million budget shortfall and Gov. Ricketts’ proposal to change the way agricultural land is taxed.
But it is the type of bill that can change for the better the way we look at the total picture of taxation and government spending.
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The Grand Island Independent. March 24, 2017
Hall County population stats impressive
The latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau were good news for Hall County.
The figures show that Hall County’s population grew 4.9 percent from 2010 to 2016. The estimated population for July 1, 2016, was 61,705. The county gained 283 people since 2015.
All of that may not sound like tremendous growth, but it is a gain. In fact, it’s what a county should want, which is good, steady, incremental growth.
Growth that’s too fast can put a burden on housing, schools and law enforcement. Steady growth, on the other hand, builds the tax base while not stressing infrastructure.
All communities aspire to growth. No one wants to see their community shrinking. Hall County has been fortunate in that regard. Consider these numbers:
n Hall County’s population grew 15 percent from 2000 to 2016, going from 53,569 to 61,705.
n During that time, Hall County has had more births than deaths.
n Also during those 16 years, more people moved into Hall County than moved out.
The figures also had good news for most rural areas as 44 counties gained population from 2015 to 2016, compared to only 31 from 2011 to 2012. That number is surprising, considering the downturn in the ag economy in recent years.
Speculation is that the rural population decline has flattened out, more 30-somethings are seeking to live in rural areas, and immigration has had a larger impact on rural areas than expected.
Growth means more vibrancy for a city’s economy. It also can improve quality of life.
Grand Island’s growth has helped bring such accomplishments as a revitalization of the downtown area. Now branded Railside, downtown is seeing increased traffic through more entertainment options and more living areas, such as loft apartments, being constructed.
That revitalization is the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people. Downtown development, coupled with business growth along the Highway 281 area, shows the benefit of having a growing population as Hall County is seeing.
Overall, the Census estimates peg Nebraska’s population on July 1, 2016, at 1.91 million, a 4.2 percent increase since 2010.
The growth is still concentrated in the eastern population centers. The state’s three largest counties, which are Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy, saw an increase of 82,000 people since 2010. The other 90 counties as a whole lost 1,500 people.
Hall County can be happy with its population figures and continue to look for steady growth.
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