Thursday, Jan. 23

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Ricketts lists top priorities in State of State

By Dalton Carper

Nebraska News Service

In his annual address last week, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts highlighted key areas of growth that occurred in the previous year as well as outlined his four main priorities for 2020.

On Jan. 15, Ricketts delivered his annual State of the State address in the George W. Norris Legislative Chamber at the Capitol in Lincoln.

First on his list of priorities, Ricketts said, is property tax relief.

The issue, which he said is his number one priority coming into the new year, has plagued the state of Nebraska as well as the Nebraska Legislature since the sales and income tax were enacted in 1967.

Ricketts said he is poised to tackle this issue in the new year, as well as how he has already begun attempting to fix it for his constituents this year.

“Last year, we successfully increased the Property Tax Credit Relief Fund from the state to the people of Nebraska by over 20 percent,” Ricketts said. “This was a step in the right direction, but more must be done.”

Outlining a multi-step process that would target relief for Nebraskans, Ricketts said, LB 974 would be a great start.

The bill, which state senators on the Revenue Committee said would take money away from the tax dollars given to schools, would be expected to see Nebraska schools receive $500 million in state aid. 

He said that along with LB 974, he hopes there to be no tax increases to Nebraskans and that he also encourages spending restraints from local governments, because, “over the last 10 years, local governments have raised local property taxes 54 percent while inflation only grew at 17 percent.”

Read about Ricketts' three other priorities in this week's SCI.

Cerveny joins SCC board

The Southeast Community College Board of Governors, during a special meeting Jan. 21 in York, unanimously appointed Tim Cerveny of Wilber to fill the vacant at-large seat on the Board. 

Board members Bob Feit and Ed Price were absent from the meeting.

Cerveny, who graduated from SCC in December 1991 with a degree in Electromechanical Technology, will be sworn in during the Board’s Feb. 18 meeting in Lincoln. His term ends in mid-January 2021. The Board’s at-large seat was vacated last November upon the death of Steven Ottmann.

“I saw this as a new opportunity to give back,” Cerveny told the Board during his open-meeting interview. “This looks like something I’d like to do.”

Cerveny was one of four candidates selected for interviews from a pool of 31 applicants. Other finalists interviewed were Jeanne Stec of Crete, Chad Aldrich of Wahoo and Keith Muller of Wilber. Each of the four finalists was asked the same seven questions by Board Chairperson Nancy Seim. After interviews were completed the Board deliberated before voting 8-0 in favor of Cerveny.

Cerveny, manager of resources and transmission at NMPP Energy in Lincoln, grew up on a farm outside of Clatonia and worked as a welder in high school. He secured a job with Nebraska Public Power District before graduating from SCC. During his 13 years at NPPD, Cerveny held a management position, was involved in the building of a Beatrice power station, and then took a non-management position with the company. He began working at NMPP Energy in June 2016.

Cerveny earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Bellevue University in 2013.

“I’m not an accountant, but I have worked with large budgets and understand how to fund projects,” Cerveny said. “I am familiar with SCC’s campuses and some of Milford’s instructional staff.”

Cerveny will take the oath of office on Feb. 18.