8/14/2019 White Letter to Suttle

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bra5 ka sf aft ~qbl~afmnnnSENATOR TOM WHITE

District 82517 N orth 55th StreetOmaha, Nebraska 68104Legislative Address:State CapitolPO Box 94604Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-4604(402) 471 2722 (office)(402) 479-0908 (fax)twhite@leg.ne.gov

COMMITTEESBusiness and LaborRevenuellrban AffairsExecutive BoardCommittee on Comm itteesReference

January 21,2010Mayor Jim SuttleCity of Omaha1819 Farnam Street, Suite 300Omaha, NE 681 83-0300Dear Mayor Suttle,Thank you for the letter expressing your opposition to LB 952. I have no intention ofabandoning the bipartisan effort to help metro-area ratepayers affected by the sales tax leviedby the state and the city on an unfunded federal mandate.If not repealed, the sales tax on the sewer separation and infrastructure replacement fees w dhave a damaging effect on the metro-area economy. It will levy hundreds of d o n s ofdollars in new taxes on families and businesses already l i t hard by these tough economictimes and siphon money out of the local economy to the state coffers. This w d stifleeconomic recovery and make it even more difficult for businesses to create jobs and f a d e sto balance their checkbooks. Addtionally, if the city must raise revenue, this is the amongthe worst methods it could employ because the great majority of the money taken from thecitizetls of Omaha would go to state treasury in Lmcoln.Plugging gaps in the state and city budget by using a windfall that results from taxing anunfunded federal mandate is not responsible nor is it fair to f a d e s and businesses alreadyburdened by high taxes. Contrary to your assertion, nothing in LB 952 would require aproperty tax increase unless you have already planned to use the sales tax windfall to pay forincreased city government spetldng.Now, more than ever, state and local governments must learn to do more with less. At thestate level, we have dealt with our economic challenges by freezing management pap, f indngresponsible cuts, and prioritized planning, innovation, and transparency. Tax increases havebeen and remain off of the table.

8/14/2019 White Letter to Suttle

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January 21,2010Mayor Jim SuttlePage TwoFinding ways to help the metro area deal with the immense costs of the sewer separationproject has been a priority of mine for my entire term in the Legislature. Your c hef of staffand the City of Omaha's lobbyist were both aware that several senators were interested inworlung with me on this effort. At no point were we under the impression that you oranyone in your administration supported these efforts. At no time dld I or any member ofmy staff indcate that t h s bill was supported by your administration.Thank you again for stating your opposition to rep ea hg the sales tax on this unfundedfederal mandate. As always, your courtesy is appreciated.

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