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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Omaha City Council Meeting Summary for January 13, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, January 13, 2026

BodyOmaha, Nebraska

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, January 13, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:26:42

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:03

Fasterson Goodman is absent.

1:05

Harding.

1:06

Hug.

1:06

Mr.

1:07

President.

1:07

Here.

1:08

Please stand for uh we have opening remarks by Councilmember Pete Fasterson after the Pledge Allegiance.

1:29

Why don't we take a minute?

1:31

The reason why our colleague uh Miss Goodwin's not with us today is because she's at the funeral for her father-in-law, Dan Goodwin Sr.

1:39

A couple of us had the opportunity to attend that service just now, along with Mayor Ewing.

1:43

We want her to know that our thoughts are with her and her family and uh with the good ones.

1:49

Dan Goodwin, as you may know, is a longtime committed citizen to Omaha, uh, civil rights champion, a business owner, a barber, and leaves a great uh a great um tradition and a great legacy to all of their family and to our community.

2:06

So we want to recognize them here today and um and have our thoughts be with the family.

2:11

And lastly, this being the first meeting of two thousand twenty-six, I want to say happy new year to everyone, and we look forward to doing great things for the city of Omaha this year.

2:19

Thank you.

2:22

An affidavit of publication is on trial, and our current copy of the Open Meeting Act is posted in a white binder on the East Wall of Legislative Chambers.

2:31

Okay, we're gonna skip around.

2:33

I appreciate everybody's patience.

2:35

Um, I got a proclamation I like to read for the Omaha firefighters today, if Trevor and your members want to come down.

2:45

Well, not all of you, but as many as you want.

2:47

Whereas Omaha firefighters serve our community by putting our safety above their own, working in toxic environments containing smoke, soot, and other carcinogens, and whereas studies have found a direct correlation between the chemical exposures firefighters' experience on the job and their increased risk for cancer, with firefighters having a nine percent greater chance of being diagnosed with cancer, and a 14% greater chance of dying from cancer than the general population.

3:38

Early detection through routine screening leads to earlier treatment and better disease outcomes, including improved survival and reduced morbility.

5:00

In witness whereof we have set our hands and caused the official seal of the city of Omaha to be a fix on this 13th day of January 2026.

5:27

Thank you, Mr.

5:28

President, uh members of the council.

5:30

I'm Trevor Towey, President of Omaha Professional Firefighters 6005 Grover Street.

5:39

Not only for this proclamation, but for honoring firefighter McDonald's service of over 18 years to the citizen of Omaha.

5:46

As you can see, he was very popular, very good firefighter.

5:52

He's done great things over his career.

5:55

And you know, we're a little less of a department with in his absence.

5:59

But I also want to just thank you for your continued support on uh the issue of cancer among firefighters.

6:07

The city of Omaha has invested a lot of resources in reducing that number of cancers, and without your support and your approval, that wouldn't happen.

6:16

So again, I want to thank you.

6:18

Um I look forward to continuing to work with you.

6:20

And with your permission, Mr.

6:22

President, I know Mrs.

6:23

McDonnell had some prepared remarks that she'd like to make.

6:26

Thank you.

6:29

And I as you're coming up, I apologize I wasn't able to greach in person ahead of time.

6:36

I wanted to say hello to each and every one of you that are here today, but thank you and please take as much time as you want.

6:43

Okay, thank you.

6:44

Do I need to say my name and address?

6:46

Please.

6:46

Okay.

6:46

Stacy McDonald, Matthew McDonnell, 423 North Sixth Street, Plattsmith, Nebraska.

6:52

Good afternoon, Council members.

6:54

Thank you for taking the time today to recognize Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month and for honoring my husband Matt.

7:01

On behalf of our family, we are greatly deeply grateful for this proclamation and the acknowledgement of what firefighters and their families face every day.

7:10

Thank you for seeing him, not just as a firefighter, but as a person whose life and service matters.

7:16

Firefighters accept risk as part of the job.

7:19

They run towards danger when everyone else is running away.

7:22

What many don't realize, the danger doesn't always end when the fire is out.

7:27

Long after the gear is hung up and the shift is over, they're facing a silent battle.

7:32

Cancer has become one of the most serious and silent threats facing firefighters today.

7:38

Matt didn't ask for recognition.

7:40

Like most firefighters, he showed up to work to serve his community, protect his brothers and sisters, and come home to his family.

7:48

Cancer was never something we expected to be a part of his story, but it's now a reality for us and far too many firefighters.

7:56

Matt's cancer is terminal.

7:59

Saying those words out loud is something no family ever expects to do.

8:03

We never imagined the job he loved.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████80%

Public Safety███6%

Liquor Licensing██4%

Affordable Housing██3%

Mental Health Awareness█2%

Public Engagement█2%

Pending Litigation█2%

Zoning█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Omaha City Council Meeting Summary - January 13, 2026

The Omaha City Council convened on January 13, 2026, beginning with a tribute to Councilmember Miss Goodwin's absent father-in-law, Dan Goodwin Sr., and a recognition of Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. The meeting featured a proclamation honoring the risks firefighters face, followed by public testimony from a family member of a firefighter diagnosed with terminal cancer. The council proceeded to approve multiple liquor licenses, land platting proposals, and routine administrative items, including school resource officer ordinances, with all major motions passing unanimously.

Consent Calendar

Items 13-17: Public hearing held on December 23, 2025; council moved to approve without discussion. (Motion passed 6-0)
Items 18-43: Public hearings held; items approved by the council. (Motion passed 6-0)
Item 44: Resolution to approve a settlement agreement for Kerry Salon versus City of Omaha in the amount of $112,500. (Motion passed 6-0)

Public Comments & Testimony

Stacy McDonald: Spoke on behalf of her husband, Matt McDonnell, a firefighter diagnosed with terminal cancer. She expressed gratitude for the Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month proclamation but argued that the current city contract fails to provide long-term health insurance for dependents of line-of-duty deaths. She highlighted that while Nebraska LB 432 exists, zero dollars have been paid out because participation is voluntary. She emphasized that while firefighters accept risk, cancer should not be their cost of service and urged continued support beyond the fire.
Donnie R. Johnson (Johnson Equation Foundation): Addressed the council multiple times. He expressed support for the school resource officer program (Items 47-53) but argued that engineers should also be hired, stating, "I rather have the engineers as well with the police." He raised off-topic queries regarding land negotiations at Benson Park, potential future elections, and highway contracts. He also requested the addition of a van for Peace Corps transfers and questioned tax liabilities for heavy equipment operators.
Larry Store: Stated he is in favor of Item 40.
Timothy Reader: Introduced as having significant knowledge of Omaha history and housing.

Discussion Items

Firefighter Cancer Awareness Proclamation: Council recognized the increased cancer risks for firefighters, noting a 9% greater chance of diagnosis and a 14% greater chance of death from cancer compared to the general population. Councilmember Trevor Towey thanked the council for supporting cancer reduction resources and honoring Firefighter McDonald.
Item 6 (Class C Liquor License): Application for State Bridge Suites (7825 Davenport Street). Applicant Jessica Thomas Stewart was present via Zoom to answer questions; no public proponents or opponents appeared.
Item 7 (Class I/K Liquor License): Application for Benson Theater. Christina Camler (attorney) and Chad Morford (Abraham Catering Services) presented. Councilmember Festerson expressed support for the transition of the license to Abraham Catering Services.
Item 8 (Class C Liquor License): Application for Courtyard Omaha Downtown (101 South Tenth Street). Applicant Lacey Bailey was present via Zoom; no public comments were made.
Item 9 (Affordable Housing): Preliminary plat for "Two Key Heights" (Replat 1) with a waiver regarding La Depth. Representative Joe Flaxbeard and Matthew Kavanaugh (Holy Name Housing) expressed excitement to provide affordable housing. No public opposition presented.
Items 10-12 (Avenue 1 Replat 7): Approvals for preliminary plat, final plat, and subdivision agreement northeast of 192nd and Burke Streets. Applicant Jim Boucher was present. Donnie R. Johnson raised concerns about proximity to the county line and requested land negotiations, though the council was instructed to stay on topic.
Items 47-53 (School Resource Officers): Ordinances to approve SROs for 2025-2026 across multiple school districts. Donnie R. Johnson supported the program but suggested adding engineers to the police force.
Item 45 (Street Vacations): Ordinance to vacate a portion of Sleepy Hollow Lane right of way. No comments received.
Item 46 (Turf Maintenance): Acceptance of a bid ($55,550) from Chopper's Lawn Service for Ramble Ridge Subdivision cleanup. No comments received.
Items 54-55 (Budget Transfer & Fuel Storage): Approval of a $2,924,667 wage adjustment transfer and additional fuel storage at a Class B district. No comments received.

Key Outcomes

Liquor Licenses: All three Class C and Class I/K applications (Items 6, 7, 8) were approved unanimously (6-0).
Land Development:
- Two Key Heights (Item 9) approval passed (6-0).
- Avenue 1 Replat 7 (Items 10-12) approval passed (6-0).
Public Sentiment on Housing: While the project was approved without formal opposition, applicant representative Matthew Kavanaugh explicitly stated, "we're excited about this project to provide some affordable housing in the neighborhood."
Administrative Actions:
- Settlement agreement for Kerry Salon (Item 44) approved (6-0).
- Budget transfer (Item 54) and Fuel Storage District changes (Item 55) approved.
- School Resource Officer ordinances (Items 47-53) approved.
- Consent Agenda items (13-43) approved.
Meeting Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 3:25 PM following a brief executive session to discuss labor negotiations.

Executive Session

Purpose: To discuss labor negotiations.
Motion: To convene and conclude; passed (6-0).

Meeting Transcript

Fasterson Goodman is absent. Harding. Hug. Mr. President. Here. Please stand for uh we have opening remarks by Councilmember Pete Fasterson after the Pledge Allegiance. Why don't we take a minute? The reason why our colleague uh Miss Goodwin's not with us today is because she's at the funeral for her father-in-law, Dan Goodwin Sr. A couple of us had the opportunity to attend that service just now, along with Mayor Ewing. We want her to know that our thoughts are with her and her family and uh with the good ones. Dan Goodwin, as you may know, is a longtime committed citizen to Omaha, uh, civil rights champion, a business owner, a barber, and leaves a great uh a great um tradition and a great legacy to all of their family and to our community. So we want to recognize them here today and um and have our thoughts be with the family. And lastly, this being the first meeting of two thousand twenty-six, I want to say happy new year to everyone, and we look forward to doing great things for the city of Omaha this year. Thank you. An affidavit of publication is on trial, and our current copy of the Open Meeting Act is posted in a white binder on the East Wall of Legislative Chambers. Okay, we're gonna skip around. I appreciate everybody's patience. Um, I got a proclamation I like to read for the Omaha firefighters today, if Trevor and your members want to come down. Well, not all of you, but as many as you want. Whereas Omaha firefighters serve our community by putting our safety above their own, working in toxic environments containing smoke, soot, and other carcinogens, and whereas studies have found a direct correlation between the chemical exposures firefighters' experience on the job and their increased risk for cancer, with firefighters having a nine percent greater chance of being diagnosed with cancer, and a 14% greater chance of dying from cancer than the general population. Early detection through routine screening leads to earlier treatment and better disease outcomes, including improved survival and reduced morbility. In witness whereof we have set our hands and caused the official seal of the city of Omaha to be a fix on this 13th day of January 2026. Thank you, Mr. President, uh members of the council. I'm Trevor Towey, President of Omaha Professional Firefighters 6005 Grover Street. Not only for this proclamation, but for honoring firefighter McDonald's service of over 18 years to the citizen of Omaha. As you can see, he was very popular, very good firefighter. He's done great things over his career. And you know, we're a little less of a department with in his absence. But I also want to just thank you for your continued support on uh the issue of cancer among firefighters. The city of Omaha has invested a lot of resources in reducing that number of cancers, and without your support and your approval, that wouldn't happen. So again, I want to thank you. Um I look forward to continuing to work with you. And with your permission, Mr. President, I know Mrs. McDonnell had some prepared remarks that she'd like to make. Thank you. And I as you're coming up, I apologize I wasn't able to greach in person ahead of time. I wanted to say hello to each and every one of you that are here today, but thank you and please take as much time as you want. Okay, thank you. Do I need to say my name and address? Please. Okay. Stacy McDonald, Matthew McDonnell, 423 North Sixth Street, Plattsmith, Nebraska. Good afternoon, Council members. Thank you for taking the time today to recognize Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month and for honoring my husband Matt. On behalf of our family, we are greatly deeply grateful for this proclamation and the acknowledgement of what firefighters and their families face every day. Thank you for seeing him, not just as a firefighter, but as a person whose life and service matters. Firefighters accept risk as part of the job.

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