The Omaha City Council met on September 30, 2025, at approximately 2:00 PM CST. The meeting began with a roll call (all seven members present), the Pledge of Allegiance, and opening remarks by Councilmember Don Rowe, who reflected on service and leadership. Two proclamations were presented: declaring October 2025 as Omaha Black Maternal Health Month and September 30, 2025, as Tom Riley Day (honoring 50 years of service as Douglas County Public Defender). Mayor John Ewing presented Tom Riley with the key to the city. The council then considered multiple agenda items, including liquor licenses, zoning amendments, a major parks and recreation master plan, a tax increment financing (TIF) project, a controversial ordinance on unauthorized encampments, and a parking garage purchase agreement. Nearly all items passed unanimously (7-0) except the encampment ordinance, which passed 4-3.
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There we go. Row call. Festerson. Oh did he just about? Festerson. Here. Good one. Harding. Hug. Melton. Here. Rowe. Mr. President. Here. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for opening remarks by Councilmember Don Rowe. Liberty and Justice Raw. Maybe seated. Most of you know that in addition to my work here at the city, I work at Millard Lumber out in Southwest Omaha. And about a little over ten years ago, I hired a young guy to come work with us. And we get together uh several times a week, uh, you know, for the last ten years, and just grab a cup of coffee and kind of chat about what's going on in the world. And our discussions might be as mundane as getting a truckload of sidings shipped to a project in Arkansas, or as shocking as the murder of a young man in Utah. Every day it's something different. Last week we were talking about Martin Luther King Jr. On April 4th, 1968. Our country lost that prominent civil rights leader. Hours after that horrific shooting, Robert F. Kennedy walked out out on the stage in the heart of Indianapolis and delivered the news to the crowd. It wasn't the campaign speech that they were expecting. So today I ask that we lead with intention, that we lead with compassion, and that we lead with a servant heart and soul for the betterment of our community. Robert F. Kennedy, RFK, ended his speech that night in Indianapolis with a quotation that he borrowed from Edith Hamilton. Thank you. Thank you, President Begley. And if I may have the representatives of Ivy Black Girl approach the podium, please. Good afternoon, Ms. This proclamation is for the awareness of Black Maternity Health Month. And so it would reads, whereas the month of October is an opportunity to recognize the profound contributions of Black-led organizations, health care professionals, advocates, and community leaders who are at the forefront of improving maternal health outcomes and creating a more equitable system of care, and whereas black women are disproportionately affected by the nation's maternal mortality rate, being more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications as white women, regardless of their income, education, or other socioeconomic factors, including living in areas of high poverty and lacking access to reliable and affordable transportation, and whereas multiple factors, including discriminatory treatment from providers, limited access to quality care, and broad inequalities in health-led and health lead to complications during pregnancy and contribute to black infants having a higher rate of death during birth, and whereas we can deepen the conversation about black maternal health in our community and amplify driven research, policy and care solutions while centering the voices of black mothers, women, and family with the values and traditions of the reproductive birth justice movement, and whereas Black Maternal Health Month is a time for action in which communities are encouraged to commit to equity of care for black women, assuring them of their dignity and well-being before, during, and after pregnancy. Now, therefore, we the City Council of the City of Omaha do hereby proclaim the month of October, 2025 as Omaha Black Maternal Health Month. In witness whereof, we have set our hands and caused the official SIL of the City of Omaha to be affixed on this 30th day of September, 2025. Thank you. And if you can remain there, I'll come up and we'll take a quick photo and we'll move on to the next proclamation. Thank you. If you want to come down, please, the Riley family. You're not under oath either, so not yet. Whereas Thomas C. Riley was born on April 22nd, 1950 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and attended St. Mary's College in Vermont before attending Michael's I'm under oath. Yes, have him gagged, Sergeant at Arms, before attending Creighton University School of Law and graduating in 1975 with his law degree. And whereas on September 16th, 1975, Tom Riley began a 50-year career with the Douglas County Public Defender's Office, representing people charged with crimes who cannot afford their own attorneys.