Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thrilled to welcome Amy Milton back to the program. Omaha
City Council Woman District seven.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Amy, Good morning, Good morning Gary.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
So four to three the vote yesterday and the City
Council to adopt the City of Omaha's and the Mayor's
proposed poverty Elimination Action Plan, which the state requires us
to have one and present it to him in less
than two weeks. The usual suspects. I suspect we're going
to see this a lot over the years. Four to
(00:31):
three votes. Districts one, two, three, and four reps voted
four Districts five, six, and seven against. You represent District seven.
So what do you like or mostly dislike about what
was proposed that you voted against it.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Well, first, everybody wants to eliminate poverty. I mean, everybody's
sitting in your studio. No one's going to not raise
their hands and say we like poverty. But the problem
is we were told to do a plan. The person
that didn't include in the plan was an economist, maybe
somebody that could talk about the cost of each of
the recommendations they have.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
They didn't a tax payer in there, huh, or.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Tax payer That's that's correct, And some of the problems
I have. You know, there's a lot of good in
this plan, you know, the micro transit pilot program, front
porch investments for housing. If you really want to eliminate poverty,
get people into a house, the house that they own
so they can build equity, you know, using TIFF for
affordable housing, so we can increase the housing stock, supporting
(01:37):
small businesses. Those are all really really good recommendations, and
there are things that we're actually doing now, working with
MCC and getting job training starting in high school, but
also focusing on early childhood development. Those are all great things,
not something necessarily the city gets involved with. When it
comes to education, because they also mentioned Omaha Public schools
(01:58):
in there. We don't have anything to do with Omaha
Public schools, and people get confused by that. The things
that really really concerned me Gary was they call for
a twenty one dollars an hour minimum wage, twenty one dollars.
They call for direct cash payments to low income people.
They talk about having a city fund for paid time
(02:19):
off for low income people that need to take extra
time off to because they're sick or family member sick,
and we're not talking about city employees. City employees already
have that, so I just don't know that right now.
In the most concerning is they said a local earned
income tax credit. Again, how do we have a local
(02:40):
earned income tax credit when we don't collect income taxes?
The only thing the city collect is property tax? What
are what are we going to do there? And and Gary,
I'm telling you I want to help eliminate poverty, but
when you have a plan that literally says the current
American system of of having lower taxes and individual responsibility
(03:04):
is not working. We need to implement the Nordic method
where we use higher taxes to pay for things and
eliminate poverty. I mean it literally says that in this plan.
As a responsible elected official for people who pay taxes
in my district, I couldn't support the plan is written now.
(03:24):
Maybe if they are presented as planned to me six
months ago, and I could have said, Okay, let's take
a lot of this good stuff, let's get an economists,
let's figure out which things work, how we can fund it,
who we can work with, and then put that into
the plan and maybe make it clearer of these are
just talking points and these are things we're actually really
(03:45):
going to focus on, and that's not what we did.
In fact, the council obsessorson said, hey, if we're passing this,
I want to make sure we're implementing each one. And
the plan calls for executing each recommendation and having I
don't know, quarterly meetings to make sure we're doing that.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Well, it's hard to know, it's hard to know where.
But there are no mandates. In other words, uh, this
would take further votes of the city council to say yes,
we're going to do this, and and mayor you ing
sign it, right, and then you have to figure out
how the hell to do.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
That well, and I and I agree it would take
it would take further votes to do each and every recommendation.
But when you pass a plan like this and you're
putting it out there to the people, really what you're
doing is you're making promises that you don't intend to
keep right, And I guess I don't feel that I
should be doing that. If I'm going to make a
promise that I want to get something done and I'm
(04:46):
going to do it, I'm going to follow through with it.
But I'm not going to put a plan out just
to placate people pat them on the head and say, oh,
we said we're going to eliminate poverty, but don't worry,
we're not actually going to do those.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Well, you got to form a mayor's advisory board, now,
Amen chatting with Councilwoman Amy Meltin. Who appoints that board?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
That would be a mayor. The mayor would appoint that board.
I would assume it comes for city council approval like
all the oral appointments do. But and that'll be four
to three.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
On every one of them. Okay, Scott worries your new
district too. Representative Lavignya Goodwin said that we need to
do this because government has been responsible for keeping citizens
in poverty. That has been the design of government. You've
been in city government for a long time, council member.
Why have you designed a plan here to keep people
(05:35):
in poverty?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Well, you know, I'm not going to go into historically.
You know, if you go back decades, I do think
that there were policies in place that were set by
government officials that did increase and cause extended poverty. But
I would say, you know, that's what we've been struggling
to do over the last twenty thirty forty years is
implement policies that change that. And that's where it comes
(05:58):
down to, you know, a focus on affordable housing. I'm
all for using taxing current financing for affordable housing. You
know front porchs investments, is making investments and helping people
obtain loans and mortgages to get homes. I support that.
I've supported you know Heartland Workforce Solutions, who helps people
(06:19):
who need jobs get jobs, and they help them get
the training, put them in contact with MCC and other
job training places. That's the city is already doing a
lot of that, and we have put a focus on that,
and I truly support it and believe it. There's a
lot of things the city can do that don't necessarily
result in higher taxes, and I guess that's where my
focus is.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Well, I particularly love the one that the endcun tax
credits for a government entity that doesn't have an end
come back.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Okay, well yeah, yeah, I don't really know how that works.
So but it actually was in our addendum that was
presented where they said these are actually the things that
we're focusing on. You can ignore the other one hundred
and ten page, and it does talk about education and
job training and a lot of things that I support.
But even on that short addendum, it notes that they
(07:09):
really want to implement the local earned income tax program.
And I can tell you there's other cities that are
giving one thousand dollars a month to people who are
living in you know, low income people who are receiving
those those SNAP benefits. There's another in California that's giving
them five hundred dollars a month. There's no way we
(07:29):
can afford that without increasing people's property.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Well, let me ask you seriously. Now you look around
that city council meeting table, and this proposal comes before
the council to give one thousand dollars to whatever income
level or whatever population that's decided needs it. Is that
going to be a four to three vote to do it.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
I would like to think that my other council members
would be more fiscally irresponsible. I think, you know, if
may Or Ewing is going to propose that and support it,
I mean he's going to have to show us where
it's coming out of the budget. And unlike the national government,
we have to balance our budget. So I do think
it'll probably be problematic to find that funding, because what
are we going to cut spending on roads? You know,
(08:14):
that's where the majority of our money goes. It's to police,
fire and street improvement, and so, you know, unless we're
planning to cut the police in order to pay for
some of these things, and I don't think the community
would support that.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Amy, thanks for the time this morning. I'll stay in touch.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
On this all right. Thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Always good to chat. That's Amy melt in Omaha City Council,
District seventh
Thrilled to welcome Amy Milton back to the program. Omaha
City Council Woman District seven.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Amy, Good morning, Good morning Gary.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
So four to three the vote yesterday and the City
Council to adopt the City of Omaha's and the Mayor's
proposed poverty Elimination Action Plan, which the state requires us
to have one and present it to him in less
than two weeks. The usual suspects. I suspect we're going
to see this a lot over the years. Four to
(00:31):
three votes. Districts one, two, three, and four reps voted
four Districts five, six, and seven against. You represent District seven.
So what do you like or mostly dislike about what
was proposed that you voted against it.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Well, first, everybody wants to eliminate poverty. I mean, everybody's
sitting in your studio. No one's going to not raise
their hands and say we like poverty. But the problem
is we were told to do a plan. The person
that didn't include in the plan was an economist, maybe
somebody that could talk about the cost of each of
the recommendations they have.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
They didn't a tax payer in there, huh, or.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Tax payer That's that's correct, And some of the problems
I have. You know, there's a lot of good in
this plan, you know, the micro transit pilot program, front
porch investments for housing. If you really want to eliminate poverty,
get people into a house, the house that they own
so they can build equity, you know, using TIFF for
affordable housing, so we can increase the housing stock, supporting
(01:37):
small businesses. Those are all really really good recommendations, and
there are things that we're actually doing now, working with
MCC and getting job training starting in high school, but
also focusing on early childhood development. Those are all great things,
not something necessarily the city gets involved with. When it
comes to education, because they also mentioned Omaha Public schools
(01:58):
in there. We don't have anything to do with Omaha
Public schools, and people get confused by that. The things
that really really concerned me Gary was they call for
a twenty one dollars an hour minimum wage, twenty one dollars.
They call for direct cash payments to low income people.
They talk about having a city fund for paid time
(02:19):
off for low income people that need to take extra
time off to because they're sick or family member sick,
and we're not talking about city employees. City employees already
have that, so I just don't know that right now.
In the most concerning is they said a local earned
income tax credit. Again, how do we have a local
(02:40):
earned income tax credit when we don't collect income taxes?
The only thing the city collect is property tax? What
are what are we going to do there? And and Gary,
I'm telling you I want to help eliminate poverty, but
when you have a plan that literally says the current
American system of of having lower taxes and individual responsibility
(03:04):
is not working. We need to implement the Nordic method
where we use higher taxes to pay for things and
eliminate poverty. I mean it literally says that in this plan.
As a responsible elected official for people who pay taxes
in my district, I couldn't support the plan is written now.
(03:24):
Maybe if they are presented as planned to me six
months ago, and I could have said, Okay, let's take
a lot of this good stuff, let's get an economists,
let's figure out which things work, how we can fund it,
who we can work with, and then put that into
the plan and maybe make it clearer of these are
just talking points and these are things we're actually really
(03:45):
going to focus on, and that's not what we did.
In fact, the council obsessorson said, hey, if we're passing this,
I want to make sure we're implementing each one. And
the plan calls for executing each recommendation and having I
don't know, quarterly meetings to make sure we're doing that.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Well, it's hard to know, it's hard to know where.
But there are no mandates. In other words, uh, this
would take further votes of the city council to say yes,
we're going to do this, and and mayor you ing
sign it, right, and then you have to figure out
how the hell to do.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
That well, and I and I agree it would take
it would take further votes to do each and every recommendation.
But when you pass a plan like this and you're
putting it out there to the people, really what you're
doing is you're making promises that you don't intend to
keep right, And I guess I don't feel that I
should be doing that. If I'm going to make a
promise that I want to get something done and I'm
(04:46):
going to do it, I'm going to follow through with it.
But I'm not going to put a plan out just
to placate people pat them on the head and say, oh,
we said we're going to eliminate poverty, but don't worry,
we're not actually going to do those.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Well, you got to form a mayor's advisory board, now,
Amen chatting with Councilwoman Amy Meltin. Who appoints that board?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
That would be a mayor. The mayor would appoint that board.
I would assume it comes for city council approval like
all the oral appointments do. But and that'll be four
to three.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
On every one of them. Okay, Scott worries your new
district too. Representative Lavignya Goodwin said that we need to
do this because government has been responsible for keeping citizens
in poverty. That has been the design of government. You've
been in city government for a long time, council member.
Why have you designed a plan here to keep people
(05:35):
in poverty?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Well, you know, I'm not going to go into historically.
You know, if you go back decades, I do think
that there were policies in place that were set by
government officials that did increase and cause extended poverty. But
I would say, you know, that's what we've been struggling
to do over the last twenty thirty forty years is
implement policies that change that. And that's where it comes
(05:58):
down to, you know, a focus on affordable housing. I'm
all for using taxing current financing for affordable housing. You
know front porchs investments, is making investments and helping people
obtain loans and mortgages to get homes. I support that.
I've supported you know Heartland Workforce Solutions, who helps people
(06:19):
who need jobs get jobs, and they help them get
the training, put them in contact with MCC and other
job training places. That's the city is already doing a
lot of that, and we have put a focus on that,
and I truly support it and believe it. There's a
lot of things the city can do that don't necessarily
result in higher taxes, and I guess that's where my
focus is.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Well, I particularly love the one that the endcun tax
credits for a government entity that doesn't have an end
come back.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Okay, well yeah, yeah, I don't really know how that works.
So but it actually was in our addendum that was
presented where they said these are actually the things that
we're focusing on. You can ignore the other one hundred
and ten page, and it does talk about education and
job training and a lot of things that I support.
But even on that short addendum, it notes that they
(07:09):
really want to implement the local earned income tax program.
And I can tell you there's other cities that are
giving one thousand dollars a month to people who are
living in you know, low income people who are receiving
those those SNAP benefits. There's another in California that's giving
them five hundred dollars a month. There's no way we
(07:29):
can afford that without increasing people's property.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Well, let me ask you seriously. Now you look around
that city council meeting table, and this proposal comes before
the council to give one thousand dollars to whatever income
level or whatever population that's decided needs it. Is that
going to be a four to three vote to do it.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
I would like to think that my other council members
would be more fiscally irresponsible. I think, you know, if
may Or Ewing is going to propose that and support it,
I mean he's going to have to show us where
it's coming out of the budget. And unlike the national government,
we have to balance our budget. So I do think
it'll probably be problematic to find that funding, because what
are we going to cut spending on roads? You know,
(08:14):
that's where the majority of our money goes. It's to police,
fire and street improvement, and so, you know, unless we're
planning to cut the police in order to pay for
some of these things, and I don't think the community
would support that.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Amy, thanks for the time this morning. I'll stay in touch.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
On this all right. Thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Always good to chat. That's Amy melt in Omaha City Council,
District seventh
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