Potential Research:

Nebraska Property Taxes:

    The Nebraska Legislature in recent years has reduced property taxes by providing state aid to local government subdivisions.  Sales and income taxes are used to provide the additional aid.  There is a growing sense of frustration on the part of Omaha and Lincoln that while most of the sales and income tax dollars are collected in the state’s most populous cities, most of the state aid flow is to the state’s rural areas.  Research is needed to explore whether and to what extent this is true and the extent to which the reverse is also true –that rural Nebraskans pay for services provided in urban areas.

Groundwater and Surface Water Laws:

    Conflicts between surface and groundwater users in Nebraska continue to escalate.  Nebraska needs a comprehensive study of its groundwater and surface water law, and whether existing conjunctive use law is adequate to resolve the conflicts between surface and groundwater users.

Qualified Labor in Rural Areas:

    The scarcity of qualified labor in rural areas may be limiting the economic growth potential of many rural Nebraska communities and of agriculture as well.  A study is needed to discern the role the availability of labor plays in rural economic development and how this scarcity issue can be addressed through public policy.