OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The mayor of Omaha is recommending giving small increases to the police and fire departments. Police is now fully staffed with over 900 officers with the mayor now wanting to buy 30 SUV’s for the department.
The city is planning on purchasing backup gear for Omaha firefighters and improved heart rate monitors. Stothert says they'll keep the same number of fire-fighters as well but have cut open civilian positions in both the police and fire departments.
"Like police, we no longer need these open positions, we are not making cuts to public safety,” says Stothert.
Since the Yale Park incident last September, the city has added three housing inspectors and look to add another next year, going to ten total. Stothert says that number will keep going up.
"Additional inspectors will also be budgeted in 2021 and 2022, when out proactive inspections required in our new rental registration and inspection ordinance begins.,” says Stothert.
One budget item Stothert hears about a lot, the roads.
She plans on adding $300 hundred to resurface streets next year but just wrapped up a series of town-halls where she argued the city needs to add $34 million annually into road maintenance if they want to get the streets to where the should be.
"How we proceed must have the support of the taxpayers and we will aggressively work towards recommendations in the coming months,” says Stothert.
Also beginning next year, the city will begin to pay into the riverfront revitalization, they'll pay the $50 million through bonds over three years.
The city council will have a public hearing on the entire budget in two weeks.
