- The Omaha City Council approved the city's 2027 budget Tuesday after debating a property tax cut amendment
- The budget funds new hires at the parks department, library system, Omaha Fire Department, and Omaha Police Department
- Omaha voters will decide on two bond measures in November for a youth sports complex and a new joint police and fire headquarters
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – The Omaha City Council finalized the city's 2027 budget Tuesday, following debate over multiple amendments, including one that would have lowered the property tax rate.
One amendment, supported by three councilmembers, would have decreased property tax rates using revenue from the sales tax. Mayor John Ewing spoke in opposition to the plan.
"I'm proposing adding nine firefighters. Do I cut that?" Ewing said.
Northwest Omaha resident Alan Seybert told 3 News Now's Jeremy Fredricks that he wanted lower property taxes.
"I asked the city council, a couple of weeks ago, and I asked for them today, again, to entertain lowering our tax value for the city of Omaha," Seybert said.
He said lower property tax rates would benefit residents across the city.
"It'd help everybody. It is not a lot, but there's a lot of people in Omaha that can't afford even a small increase in taxes," Seybert said.
The approved budget allows multiple city agencies to hire additional staff, including the Parks Department and the Library System. The budget also includes funding to hire at the Omaha Fire Department and bring the Omaha Police Department to its full capacity of 906 officers.
The budget takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
Omaha residents will also have two bond measures to vote on in the November election — one to build a youth sports complex at Tranquility Park in West Omaha, and another to build a new headquarters for the police and fire departments at Crossroads in Central Omaha.
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