City Hall declares war on tall grass

Elgin residents who do not mow their yards on a regular basis could soon be fined.
Mayor Mike Schmitt and the Elgin City Council, frustrated with what seems to be a problem every summer with a few residents who let their grass grow for weeks before mowing and/or allow the clippings to pile up in the street, were the topic of discussion Monday night, June 3.
Frustrated by the situation, the council asked City Clerk Vicki Miller to get information about an ordinance on the books in the City of Albion which addresses the problems with fines. Miller is expected to report back with the information at the July meeting.
The problems are several:
• Grass which becomes excessively tall
• Clippings which accumulate in the storm sewer causing problems
“Good ol’ common sense doesn’t go very far,” Schmitt said about the problem.
Grass clippings were just one problem the council looked at. Another was the condition of property at 311 Cedar Street. Schmitt said a letter was sent to the last known address of the owner to clean up the property, but the city has received no response. Having been told by the city attorney that enough time has passed, the City can go in and clean up the property short of tearing anything down.
City personnel have already mowed the grass where they could up to a tree which has fallen down. The council agreed that it was time to take action, telling City Superintendent Donnie Poulsen, Jr., to have city personnel take the necessary steps (to the legal limits) to clean up the problem, remove as much of the fallen tree as possible. Costs incurred for cleanup efforts will be assessed to the property owner as a lien will be placed on the property.
In other action:
Pool report — Pool manager Sue Vanis said so far 50 season passes have been sold.
The council raised the price of summer water aerobics to $50; and pool party rental to $30 plus paying for lifeguard/manager to be present.

Tabled — A proposed ordinance to “prohibit facilities to be used as holding pens” inside the city limits, prepared by City Attorney Luke Henderson, was reviewed then tabled by the council. Councilman Mike Dvorak said it seemed restrictive, “that’s not exactly what we want.”
Schmidt said, “It’s kinds of a sticky situation …I believe we will get there.”
Split the bill — The council offered to pay half the costs of a sewer back up near the Gale Mahnke property. The City was not notified, Poulsen said, prior to the property owner contacting a business to come and address the problem which they were not made aware of until after work was initiated to fix the problem. Councilman Don Mackel said the public needs to be made aware that they should contact City Hall first before contacting others. In this case, City personnel could have fixed the problem.
Lifeguards — The council approved the hiring of lifeguards Theanna Dunn (full-time), Grace Henn and Lexi Bode (part-time).
Street work — When work begins on the Beech Street project later this summer, Maple Street will be blocked from Myrtle to First Street at the request of Central Valley Ag.
Deputy clerk — Miller said four persons have submitted applications for the deputy clerk position. Interviews will be conducted later this month.
Building permits — Permits were approved for the Elgin United Methodist Church, Martin Thorberg and Chad Martinsen.
Sheriff’s report — During the month of April, the Antelope County Sheriff’s Department provided nearly 93 hours of patrol in the community and responded to five ‘911’ calls.
Patch work — Poulsen said, weather permitting, work will begin this week patching holes in the streets.
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By Tom Briese
District #41 State Senator
Speaker Scheer and Appropriations Chair Stinner told us this week that the budget, as proposed by the Appropriations Committee, should be on the floor of the Legislature early next week.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing that proposal, and considering how it differs from the budget proposed by Governor Ricketts, how it compares to various proposals by state agencies and advocacy groups, and how well it keeps state spending in check while providing necessary services. The appropriations committee has been working very hard since January at putting the proposal together, and I imagine that it will take at least a couple of weeks for the whole Legislature to digest, discuss, and adjust it. Another committee which has been hard at work lately is the Revenue Committee, of which I am a member. We’ve spent the last several weeks discussing and adjusting an ambitious proposal to offer property tax relief, greater and more reliable state funding for K-12 schools, and perhaps other forms of tax reform.
With eight members representing different constituencies and different priorities, it has understandably been difficult at times. However, I am still hopeful that the committee is going to be able to assemble a proposal which the full Legislature is going to be able to support. That’s a pretty tall order, but as long as we continue to work together, and don’t let opponents of property tax relief divide us, I believe that we are up to the challenge.
Speaking of the opponents of property tax relief, I wrote recently of the inconsistencies in the arguments made by those who don’t want to see the brakes taken off of our state economy.
Some other big debates occurred last week on several issues. Sen. Chambers again brought his proposal to repeal the death penalty in Nebraska, even though Nebraskans voted overwhelmingly to keep it. I voted against his bill overruling that vote of the people.
A bill introduced by Sen. Howard which I cosponsored, dealing with the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, included a measure to allow computer programs which some local hospitals and doctors’ offices use to “talk” to the state system, and passed as well.
At the same time, the acrimony in debate on the floor continued to rise from the calm and respectful discussions we enjoyed earlier in the year. I do my best not to engage in the more petty back-and-forths which happen on the floor of the Legislature, and make it a point of only speaking on a bill when I feel that I genuinely have something to add.
As always, you can reach me at tbriese@leg.ne.gov, or by calling my office at (402)471-2631.

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Since mid-February, the revenue committee has now held hearings on four more bills I introduced to that committee as part of a comprehensive look at ways we can begin to address the property tax crisis. I’ll briefly cover each proposal, and also give you an overview of what I expect to see coming out of the committee in terms of tax relief.
LB314 probably got the most attention of any of my bills so far this year, and understandably so: if passed as introduced, it would represent a significant change to the reliability of K-12 education funding, a comprehensive alteration to our state tax structure, and would nearly tripled the amount of money every homeowner, farmer, and non-ag business owner receives from the property tax credit fund. The bill had its share of opponents, as any change to tax structure is bound to, but I was also glad to see that representatives of education groups, ag groups, and everyday property taxpayers all came out to support it.
LB507 and LB508 are very similar bills which serve the same purpose: close loopholes in our sales tax law and direct any new money as a result to the Property Tax Credit Fund. Every fiscal policy group I’ve come across, from the OpenSky Policy Institute to the Platte Institute to the Tax Policy Center, agrees that the best sales tax must be applied broadly to almost all consumer purchases. Various groups, of course, take different approaches to whether necessities like medical expenses and food should be included. Most agree that business inputs should be excluded.
Both of these bills would close dozens of loopholes in our sales tax code, carved out over decades by special interests and lobbyists. When one purchase is arbitrarily not subject to sales tax while others are, the state collects less money. The more this happens, the less money the state has to spend on things like K-12 education and state services.
The best policy is to close all of the loopholes at once, so that no one group or industry is singled out. This, of course, is easier said than done: the common refrain from almost every special interest at these hearings is “good tax policy dictates a broad base, and almost all transactions should be subject to tax. Now, here’s why my carve-out is special….” I appreciate the hard work that many of the lobbyists for these special interests do to protect special treatment for their clients, but at the end of the day, when property taxes are starting to have a crushing impact on our state’s economy, we simply cannot maintain that special treatment.
Lastly, LB506 is a comprehensive tax asking cap on K-12 property tax requests which would ensure that any new money directed to K-12 education would result in a corresponding drop in property taxes for all Nebraska taxpayers.
Now, there are a lot of competing property tax relief proposals out there. I expect to see the aspects of my bills, and the aspects of others’ bills, which are most likely to have traction in the body be put together into a comprehensive package. When everyone has contributed a piece to the whole, and when everyone has several things to like -and maybe a couple of things to dislike- about a proposal, it has a better chance of passage than one single concept from one person.
I’m glad this year to be serving with great colleagues on the revenue committee, and very grateful that the body elected someone like Sen. Linehan to chair the committee. Working together, and keeping the best interests of all Nebraskans at heart, I am confident that this year will be the year that a meaningful step forward for property tax relief has a fighting chance in Lincoln.

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I want to start this column by thanking all of the local papers who publish this column during the legislative session, and help to keep the folks I represent apprised of what all is going on in Lincoln. I also want to thank you for reading this, and working to keep yourself up to speed on your elected officials.
In the last two weeks, a lot has happened in Lincoln, and in some ways, not a lot has happened.
I’ll start with the bad news first. Things were moving along swiftly and many good bills were getting their discussion time and moving forward.
However, because of disagreement on a vote taken on a bill which a majority of the legislature did not support, extended debate on completely unrelated bills held things up for the better part of a week.
Now the good news: a property tax relief bill which I introduced to the Revenue committee was advanced to the whole legislature, and two more bills I introduced received very positive hearings.
I worked on LB 590 with First Five Nebraska, a group which advocates the importance of early childhood education across the state.
LB 590 is a bill which will not increase the cost of government for taxpayers, while streamlining processes in government and actually making more efficient use of your dollars.
It authorizes the department of Health and Human Services to use a provider accreditation computer system currently maintained by the Department of Education in order to reduce redundant visits to childcare providers, and allow those providers to not have to keep up onerous paperwork requirements which can easily be done by computer.
LB 16 is a very important bill to how Nebraska supports national security. It brings provisions protecting critical energy infrastructure assets in federal law into nebraska statutes, and adds protections of the identities of folks who work in critical security jobs in the power industry.
It’s important for us to remember that we live in a world of people who are mostly good – but that there are bad actors out there.
As home to Offutt Air Force Base, and even as a place with hospitals and government services which people rely on, a person with bad intentions could do a lot of things that it can be hard to think about.
This bill would ensure that information about leaders in public power, and salary information for our public servants, will still be available to the people they work for, while allowing a small protection for folks who work to keep power flowing to our Air Force base, our hospitals, our schools, and our homes.
I’m encouraged by the support this bill has from senators on both sides of the aisle, and I hope to be able to see it made into law later this year.
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A lot has happened since my last column. The first two weeks were dedicated to bill introduction, committee organization, commencement of committee hearings, and rules adoption. I introduced an amendment to the rules to require the support of at least five members of the body before any debatable motion could be heard on the floor. The intent of my proposal was to prevent any one person from being able to hijack and control the body. I argued for it on the floor, and after some back and forth, including fierce opposition from Senator Chambers and a few others, it became apparent that we could spend weeks discussing the idea. So although I believe I had the votes to pass my amendment, I decided to table it in the interest of saving time.
Among the bills I introduced, many of which I hope to discuss in future columns, several relate to property tax relief.
My most comprehensive property tax relief proposal is LB 314, which seeks to raise revenue from income, sales, and excise tax sources to replace property taxes.
And obviously, as we try to put together a package to do what Nebraskans are demanding, it’s easy to upset various groups. I do want to address the only substantial complaint I’ve received relative to LB 314, which is the claim by craft brewers that they are unfairly being singled out.
We have a property tax crisis in our state—Nebraskans are desperate for property tax relief. And developing a proposal to provide that relief is not an easy task.
The alcohol excise tax component of the bill is roughly 12% of the revenue generated by the bill. The bill also targets high income earners, the cigarette excise tax, a variety of sales tax exemptions, and an increase in the sales tax rate, among other items.
In other words, I’m attempting to gain revenue from a wide variety of sources.
As for the alcohol tax, my original intent was to utilize the existing excise tax system, and raise it by an amount that equals roughly 10 cents per drink. My thought was that 10 cents per drink would be manageable for all involved, and would be a cost that could be passed on. And note that this provision does NOT single out any one aspect of our alcohol industry. This excise tax applies to all manufacturers and distributors whose product is sold in the state of Nebraska.
I do feel that an increase in the alcohol excise of roughly 10 cents a drink is a fair, reasonable and responsible way of helping to alleviate the property tax burden on hardworking Nebraskans. But in accessing revenue sources, I do not want to create substantial negative consequences for any one segment of our business community.
Because of the concerns expressed to me by the craft beer industry, I will strive for a result here that will protect our small, homegrown businesses. But at the same time, rest assured that I will continue to push for new revenue to offset the property tax burden on all Nebraskans.

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There are some very happy families for whom Thanksgiving 2018 will be fondly remembered.
The annual Elgin Community Club Turkey Give-A-Way Drawing was held Monday, Nov. 19.
Beginning shortly after lunch, names were drawn of the winners.
Winning turkeys at Monday’s drawing were:
• Antelope County Vet Clinic — Jeremy Hoefer
• Arbor View Farm — Bill Camp
• Bank of Elgin — Lois Schrunk
• Elgin Bargain Box —  Pat Williams
• Boone & Antelope Mutual Insur-ance Co — Joe Seier
• CVA Agronomy — Kenny Reestman
• CVA Grain & Feed —  Craig Sprout
• Coffeehouse Café — Doug Jacobs
• Dean’s Market — Pam Becklun
• Dollar $tore & More — Rick Zegers
• Draper Insurance — Joe Monk
• Elgin Community Center — Shirley Meis
• Elgin Insurance Services — Beverly Bennett
• Elgin One Stop/Sleepin Inn — Rose Bode
• Elgin Pharmacy & Gifts — Teresa Heying
• Elgin Review — Becky Kerkman
• Hometown Station — Joe Bode
• Insurance Mart — Ellen Schmitt
• Jerry’s Feed Service — Kenny Meis
• Lordemann Insurance — Kimberly Young
• Park Center Daycare — Abby Lodge
• Precision Repair — Dave Eischeid
• Sapp Brothers Petroleum — Gary Beckman
• Town & Country Veterinary Clinic — Barb Bode
• St Boniface/PJCC (Kyle & Deb Warren) — Joan Stuhr
• Sandhills Hide-A-Way — Linda Moser
• Total Image Salon & Spa — Renee Schindler
Winners have until Friday, Nov. 30, to pick up their turkeys at Dean’s Market in Elgin.
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The Albion Area Arts Council will begin its 39th season with a four session study of Nebraska history led by retired Boone Central history teacher Arnie Johnson. Sessions will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Oct. 15 through Nov. 5, in the Harmony Homes Recreation Room in Albion.
The first concert of the season will be held at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28, in the Boone Central Performance Gym and will feature the acclaimed new female country quartet Farewell Angelina. Featuring heart-stopping harmonies over blazing double violins, Farewell Angelina was recently named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “10 new Country Artists You Need To Know” and voted Taste of Country’s 2017 “Hot Seat Rising Artist.”
On Saturday, Dec. 1, as part of the Big Give, the Arts Council will partner with the Boone County Fitness Center to present another fun concert by the popular children’s band The String Beans at 2 p.m. at the Fitness Center. Admission to this event is free and made possible by 2017 Boone County Big Give donations.
On Sunday, Dec. 9, Nebraska Brass will present a holiday concert at 3 p.m. in the Boone Central Performance Gym.
On Sunday, Jan. 27, the popular female barbershop quartet, Fever!, will return to Albion for a 3 p.m. concert in the Boone Central Performance Gym.
In March and April Randall Henning will lead five sessions exploring Thomas Hardy’s classic story of love, honor and betrayal, Far from the Madding Crowd. Sessions will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, March 12 through April 9 in the Harmony Homes Recreation Room in Albion.
On March 24 the Arts Council will present pop-folk singer/songwriter Danielle Anderson at 3 p.m. in the UCC/Congregational church in Albion. Performing under the stage name Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Danielle has toured nationally since 2009, opened for Mumford and Sons, Suzanne Vega, toured with Pomplamoose and wrote the soundtrack for the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson.
The Missoula Children’s Theatre will return to Albion the week of June 24 – 29. The MCT provides area children who have completed grades K-12 an opportunity to audition, rehearse and present a fun and entertaining musical play. Auditions will be held Monday, June 24 at noon with performances at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 29.
In July and August the Arts Council will sponsor its fifth-annual Art Camp hosted by retired Boone Central Art Teacher Jerene Kruse at her studio east of Albion. Information will be sent home with eligible students in May.
The Albion Area Arts Council would like to thank all of its members for their on-going support. The AAAC is proud to serve the communities of Albion, Belgrade, Cedar Rapids, Elgin, Fullerton, Lindsay, Newman Grove, Petersburg, Primrose, St. Edward and Spalding.
Tickets to this season’s events are available from AAAC board members, at the Good Life Pharmacy in Albion, by contacting co-directors Paul and Lori Hosford at (402)395-6727 or arts2008@frontiernet.net, or at the door before events.

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The District #18 Board of Education took action on a number of items of public interest when they met Wednesday night.
Perhaps the biggest vote taken was one to provide better safety and security for students. The board approved a fencing estimate of just under $9,000 to enclose the area around the high school, elementary and lower elementary buildings. The amount includes gates and mechanical locks. On a separate motion, the board approved spending just over $5,600 to purchase gym building locks and a new ag room door as part of another safety/security action. Later, the board approved high school building main door locks with keypad and audio/video equipment at a cost of $3,210. Also, on a separate motion, the board approved classroom security measures.
Superintendent Dan Polk explained the board’s decision to The Elgin Review.
“Elgin Public Schools has a unique issue when it comes to the campus and safety.  Most small schools are in a self-contained building or maybe two at the most.  So automated locking doors and some basic safety things are quite easy to do.  In EPS’s situation four buildings on two separate blocks, WITH students maybe attending three of, if not four of the buildings on a daily basis for class is a real issue.  As the concern for student safety grows in the country we have continually brainstormed for ideas to try and make the EPS campus safer and at the same time not disrupt learning, utilization of buildings, environment of the school and the freedoms we enjoy as small town rural Nebraskans.
“Action has been approved and will be taken this year, as it is felt something really does need to be done.  Those measures include closing in what fencing we have already up to make access to the three buildings on the one block more limited, while at the same time not deterring or causing problems regarding movement between buildings.  We will have better control of who enters the campus and has access to the buildings while at the same time not changing much of the campus appearance or function.  We will also have the gym building locked during the day to limit “outside” access, since it will not be included in any fenced perimeter.  Teachers will also have voluntary access to defensive measures that they can have in their classrooms should they so choose. Administrators will also have access to those measures.  These steps, along with an audio/video buzz in on the main office door of the high school, will give us considerably more security safety and security for students and staff while at the same time not destroying our mobility or daily procedures/schedules.  The safety of EPS students is always of paramount concern and while any change is difficult, change to make them and the campus safer should be seen as positive change even if some inconveniences develop.”
More information and details of how to utilize and navigate these measures will be relayed to students, parents and the public prior to the 2018-2019 school year.
In other action, an asphalt practice track will be placed around Elgin Field in precisely the same location where a track once was years ago. Dirt work is expected to cost $4,000.
The board approved the hiring of Andrew Childers to fill the vacant science teacher position.
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For the first time in recent months, the District #18 Board of Education will have a lengthy list of “action” items to address when they meet Wednesday night, March 14 (tonight).
A tentative agenda for that night’s meeting shows nine action items for the board’s consideration.
Discussed for several months now, action may be taken on approving development of a three/four lane practice track as part of a larger plan to build a walking path which would stretch for more than a mile around school property. Also, the board would clarify community use of the track.
At the February meeting, the school board instructed Superintendent Dan Polk to get some hard numbers for the board to review about the proposed track. Were the board to approve a practice track, it would be made of asphalt and encircle the practice football field west of Elgin Field.
One option floated last month was to consider applying for an 80/20 federal grant to assist with costs. However, no decision was made on whether or not to pursue a grant. The grant was suggested by the City of Elgin which has been contacted by school officials to determine if the school and the city could work together on such a path which would not only benefit school students, but provide a place for the public to walk as well when school was not in session.
Another benefit touted in favor of a practice track would be that track athletes would have a place to train as opposed to running on city streets.
New ‘nest’?
Another action item for the board to consider will be whether or not to approve construction of a new “crows nest” to be located on the west side of Elgin Field. School officials have been told if they would provide the necessary materials, the nest could be constructed with free labor.
Among the other action items are:
• Offering teacher contracts for the 2018/19 school year
• Approve building and grounds projects as recommended. A meeting of the board’s building and grounds committee will commence 30 minutes prior to the start of the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m.
• Approve a tentative school calendar for 2018/19
• Technology purchases
• Establish a “surplus” list of items
• Approve on first reading School Policy 503.07 which deals with pregnant students
Just one major discussion item on the agenda. The board will take up discussion of a dedicated water line to the boiler system to address problems which arose in January.
prior to the start of the second semester in January.
The meeting, to be held in the distance learning room, is open to the public.