Rural Nebraska is running into a problem when it attempts to attract businesses:  a lack of workforce housing.

State Senator Matt Williams of Gothenburg says there simply isn’t enough mid-range housing available in the smaller communities in rural Nebraska; for a number of reasons. . .

Williams promoted two ideas to solve the problem during the legislative session. His proposal to use one-to-one matching grants to finance the construction of mid-range housing and rental units passed. His proposal to extend Tax Increment Financing to include rural workforce housing couldn’t overcome a filibuster.

Williams plans to return with a similar measure next year. He says TIF has been used successfully in rural Nebraska and provisions can be added to head off abuse.