Public Hearing on 2027 City of Omaha Budget and Capital Improvement Program

The Omaha City Council held a public hearing on August 12, 2026, to receive public input on the proposed 2027 city budget and capital improvement program. The meeting began with procedural remarks, followed by testimonies from over 30 speakers. Speakers expressed support for various programs funded in the budget, while others opposed specific allocations, particularly the high proportion of spending on policing. The hearing concluded at 8:22 PM with a motion to adjourn passed 6-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

Support for the Budget:

• A representative from a youth sports organization (South Omaha) advocated for the mayor's 2027 budget, citing increased participation from 3,000 in 2025 to 3,500 in 2026 and dedication to police force strengthening.
• Martisse Ivy (Ivy Leagues Youth Sports Academy) thanked the city for adding Ivy League to the budget, highlighting eight years of partnership and expansion into girls' sports.
• Helena Deddish (Students for Sustainability) supported the budget, noting a 0.624% increase in parks funding from 5.143% to 5.767% of departmental appropriations, and an increase in full-time park staff from 178 to 192 positions. She expressed concern about reliance on private donor matching funds for parks.
• Richard Webb (Boys and Girls Club) advocated for the budget, mentioning 63 years of service, 6,200 kids served last year, and 1,750 per day across 12 locations.
• Marilyn Sims (Urban League of Nebraska) supported the budget, highlighting partnerships with Omaha Public Schools in eight schools, and 85% of students missing fewer than 20 school days.
• Tim Noonan (Santa Francis House) thanked for community service fund support serving hundreds through street outreach and over 1,000 people each year.
• Mark Clark (Together) expressed gratitude for support, citing 3,307 participants in Horizons housing programs, 2,745 obtaining/retaining housing, and food pantries serving 29,760 unique participants (2.8 million meals) last year, with a 24% increase in 2026.
• Kimberly Sherrod Barnes (CASA for Douglas County) supported the budget, noting 247 volunteers supporting children in child welfare, in partnership with six juvenile court judges.
• Damian Ryan (Heart Ministry Center) advocated for the budget, reporting 3.2 million pounds of food distributed, over 160,000 pantry visits, and 6,000 health clinic visits, saving area hospitals over $5 million.
• Nancy Gardner (Miller Park Miniloosa Neighborhood Association) thanked for parks investment, noting a ~20% increase in operating money and 14 new employees, and $5 million in capital projects. She highlighted prior underfunding.
• Andrew Norman (The Bay) supported the budget, citing youth development in Benson, with programs for 4-24 year olds, and construction of a new facility expected in Q2 2027.
• Rita Heston Clark (Saving Grace) supported continued funding, rescuing surplus food from 160+ donors to 60 agencies, diverting nearly a million pounds of food from waste.
• Deborah McKnight (Urban Abbey) celebrated parks and youth programming funding but urged additional housing and shelter funding.
• Jason Feldhouse (Threshold COO) supported the budget, focusing on unsheltered homeless and crisis response.
• Kimara Snipes (One Omaha) supported neighborhood livability and engagement, but encouraged more resources for neighborhood engagement and measuring success beyond traditional metrics.

Opposition to the Budget:

• Margo Warez criticized lack of transit investment, urging millions annually for public transit.
• Andrew Sullivan argued spending far exceeds population growth, property taxes should fall, and criticized TIF and police budget.
• Alan Seibert questioned property tax revenue estimates and urged lowering levy if revenues come in higher.
• Gina Morong criticized police budget at almost 40% of general fund, requesting funds for roads, ADA compliance, transit, and affordable housing instead.
• Theodore Blaylock opposed police budget, noting lack of mental health co-responders, and criticized funding for a gun range and new police headquarters.
• Noah Malberg advocated for protected bikeways and bike infrastructure, citing record bike share ridership.
• Doug Kagan (Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom) urged lowering levy, criticized parking garages and streetcar costs, and suggested privatizing parking.
• Alison Foy advocated for a complete streets mandate and separated bike lanes, citing safety concerns and example from Des Moines.
• Larry Storr argued for more police funding to address homelessness and property damage, sharing personal safety incidents.
• Joyce Von Drasek asked for increased funding for housing inspectors, protected bike lanes, and opposed the PACE program as police propaganda.
• Hannah Miller opposed budget due to poor pedestrian/cyclist infrastructure, citing only 26 miles of bike lanes and 23 deaths since 2024 involving cyclists/pedestrians.
• Gab Rima opposed overemphasis on policing, noted 289 life-altering crashes in 2025, and asked for investment in Vision Zero, protected bike lanes, and transit.
• Anthony Rogers Wright criticized budget for not addressing material needs, high police spending, lack of affordable housing, and reliance on philanthropy.
• Matthew Heller noted police and fire make up 63.5% of budget, asked for climate action funding and transit investment (Metro Next).
• Clarice Domback (Redress Movement) asked for more housing inspectors to prevent situations like City View Apartments closure.
• Kira Britt advocated for holistic public safety: climate, mental health co-responders, housing, accessible sidewalks, and reducing police budget.
• Jane McGill (Urban Abbey) asked for protected bike lanes and better transit, noting Omaha ranks 48th in bike infrastructure.
• Sydney McNeil opposed 12% police spending increase, asked for affordable housing, mental health, housing inspectors, and a more participatory budget process.
• Maureen Piper opposed budget for maintaining status quo on police spending, asked for investment in housing inspectors, transit, and bike lanes.
• Ryan Wishart (served on Vision Zero and Climate Action advisory committees) noted improvements but asked for more resources for climate plan, efficiency standards in TIF, and better bike infrastructure.
• Katie Suarez called for a more transparent and participatory budget process, department-level commitments to climate goals, and transit funding.
• Tim Carter opposed police budget increase ($28 million) without adding officer positions, and noted worsening response times. He asked for more mental health co-responders and streets funding.
• Alexander Lou opposed police budget increase, cited flock camera inaccuracy (71% misreads), and asked for better training on interactions with disabled individuals.
• Rob Sembrat advocated for pedestrian-first funding, bike lanes, and transit to attract and retain residents.
• Shelby Anderson Holt shared a personal story of a bike crash due to lack of infrastructure, and argued for bike and pedestrian safety investments.
• Jonathan Renderia asked for investment in budget process transparency and better breakdowns of CIP and bonds.

Key Outcomes

• The public hearing was held and closed at 8:22 PM.
• A motion to adjourn passed 6-0.
• No other votes or decisions were taken; the council will continue the budget review process following this hearing.