Property taxes and development incentives are moving back to the center as the post-election Legislature takes shape. Pillen set a 2028 ballot backstop, the speaker race widened, and lawmakers and Omaha officials took up tax-increment financing.
Pillen says he will go to the 2028 ballot if lawmakers stall on property taxes
The governor renews his plan to cap, cover and cut, and calls again for a broader sales tax base
At a Friday news conference, Gov. Jim Pillen renewed his push to cap local spending and valuations, have the state cover more K-12 costs and cut property tax collections, and said that if lawmakers do not act in 2027, his team will work to take it to the 2028 ballot. He could not say whether that would mean petitions, a legislative constitutional amendment or involvement in legislative races.
Why it matters: Pillen begins his second term facing a more divided Legislature without a filibuster-proof Republican bloc, and he has not set a deadline for when he would turn to voters instead.
Read the full story: Nebraska Examiner
Update: Von Gillern concedes, and a third senator weighs a run for speaker
Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner joins Sens. Kathleen Kauth and Mike Jacobson as a possible contender
Sen. Brad von Gillern conceded Friday after Douglas County results widened Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek's lead to 9,099 votes to 8,729 in District 4. All four second-place finishers in the closest legislative races have now conceded. Ibach said colleagues have encouraged her to seek the speakership but she has not decided, and Jacobson has said he would run if von Gillern lost.
Why it matters: The speaker sets the daily debate schedule and is elected by secret ballot as senators' first vote each session, and lawmakers say other names are also being discussed.
Read the full story: Nebraska Examiner
Lawmakers weigh changes to tax-increment financing at an interim hearing
Sen. Danielle Conrad's LR415 study focuses on blight designations and notice to neighborhoods
The Urban Affairs Committee heard more than two hours of testimony Friday on whether Nebraska's TIF laws need changes. Conrad cited the state auditor's finding that more than half a billion dollars in property taxes was redirected to redevelopment over five years, while Sens. Stan Clouse and Mike Jacobson said they dislike the "blighted and substandard" label but support the tool.
Why it matters: Witnesses said TIF increasingly funds housing, including rural owner-occupied homes, so changes to blight rules or notice requirements could affect cities, developers and local taxing bodies statewide.
Read the full story: Nebraska Examiner
$323 million plan for Omaha's old Civic Auditorium site moves forward
The Omaha Planning Board backs $34 million in TIF after the city withdrew its default notice
The Omaha Planning Board voted 6-0 Wednesday to recommend $34 million in tax-increment financing for Civic Corner LLC's six-phase Civic Square project, sending the request to the City Council. Plans call for about 380 apartments, 30 condos, 120 hotel rooms, offices and 150,000 square feet of retail, including a grocery store, though litigation over damages between the city and the developer continues.
Why it matters: The site has sat largely empty for a decade. The project would add housing and a downtown grocery store, and the City Council now has final say on the public financing.
Read the full story: Nebraska Examiner
Auditor presses retirement board to cancel payout to former director
Foley says NPERS is paying nearly $28,000 for weeks after the director stopped working
State Auditor Mike Foley sent the Public Employees Retirement Board a new 10-page letter objecting to $27,878 in pay and benefits for former Executive Director Thomas Pfeifle, who left the agency Sept. 21 after less than four months. Foley said two payments of $7,884 have already been issued and that the board did not follow its own policies on workplace conduct allegations.
Why it matters: Foley called the payout an "egregious and inexcusable waste of money," and his letter raises governance questions for the retirement board ahead of its final scheduled payment.
Read the full story: Nebraska Public Media
UNL to lead cybersecurity for a national AI research network
The Holland Computing Center will secure the NSF-funded Fabric for AI-driven Science
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will lead cybersecurity for FabAID, a project run by the Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to connect AI, data and computing services for U.S. universities. The National Science Foundation is funding the effort with $24.5 million over five years, and UNL's Holland Computing Center will provide cyberinfrastructure and design its security practices.
Why it matters: The project gives UNL's Holland Computing Center a central security role in an NSF-funded national research network and connects UNL researchers to shared data, AI and computing services.
Read the full story: Nebraska Public Media
Around Nebraska
- The State Board of Education voted 7-1 to accept the statewide assessment plan and technical report, with last year's student test data embargoed until Nov. 25.
- Bryan Health moved William Jennings Bryan's Fairview home about 1,200 feet in Lincoln so it can expand its East Campus emergency department, which now treats 54,000 patients a year.
- The Board of State Canvassers will finalize Nebraska's election results in early December.
Watch Next
- Nov. 9: Applications close for the first cohort of the Nebraska Rural Health Technology Catalyst Fund.
- Nov. 10: The Omaha City Council votes on the plumbing code changes, holds a hearing on an extremely blighted area study for midtown, and gets a first reading on a $12.4 million land deal for the new police and fire headquarters.
- Nov. 10: NPERS plans to issue its final payment to former Executive Director Thomas Pfeifle.
- Nov. 12-13: The NPPD Board of Directors meets in Columbus, including a customer committee session on the 2026 wholesale power contract.
- Nov. 18: Gov. Pillen's executive order easing fuel-hauling rules expires.
- Nov. 25: The Nebraska Department of Education's embargo on last school year's statewide test data lifts.
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