July 27 , 2007
Dear Fellow Nebraskans:
This is a good era for state government. I have made it a priority of my administration to find new ways that state agencies can operate more efficiently and more effectively. We had two major bills pass during this year’s Legislative session that will help us accomplish this goal.
The first was the restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services to make it more accessible, more effective in the services it provides and ultimately more efficient. This week, we announced similar steps at the Department of Revenue.
Earlier this year I proposed merging the Department of Property Assessment and Taxation with the Department of Revenue. I was very pleased to be able to sign LB 334 into law in May and I am pleased to share with you the first results of that effort.
Currently, the Department of Revenue consists of 13 divisions. With the new merger and streamlining efforts, the Department of Revenue will now consist of six divisions. Within the Department of Revenue there will be three major areas of service: Policy, Enforcement, and Operations. Additionally, there will be three distinct systems for Property Assessment, Motor Fuels, and Lottery and Charitable Gaming.
The citizens of Nebraska have said that they want government run more like a business and this streamlining is certainly an improvement that will help accomplish that goal. By merging these divisions, we are increasing the efficiency and responsiveness of the daily operations that benefit businesses and Nebraskans alike.
When looking for a State Tax Commissioner, I wanted someone who had excelled in the private sector - someone who could look at a state agency and find a way to simplify and flatten the agency management structure, removing unnecessary positions and leveraging technology.
I am pleased to have State Tax Commissioner Doug Ewald in this position, doing exactly that. When I first appointed the State Tax Commissioner in November 2006, I outlined a number of goals for the Department of Revenue:
• To be a key part of our leadership team expressing the need for sustained tax relief and supporting tax relief for middle class Nebraskans;
• To streamline the incentive applications process and ensure that approvals or denials are issued more quickly and decisively, effectively and efficiently;
• To restructure the agency with a business focus, beginning with moving the Nebraska Department of Property Assessment and Taxation back into the Department of Revenue; and
• To instill a culture of customer service and constituent responsiveness.
The Department of Revenue has already done a great job on starting on these goals and now with the reorganization, I know more progress is to come.
This agency is on its way to becoming a model of how government should work by putting a priority on becoming more customer-focused and customer responsive. I look forward to providing updates as we prepare to begin a new chapter in Nebraska’s revenue and taxation arena.
