Omaha City Council Meeting - September 2, 2026

The Omaha City Council met on September 2, 2026, to consider a range of items including liquor licenses, zoning changes, a major affordable housing policy for TIFF projects, school resource officer agreements, and the acceptance of the new central library as a gift. The meeting featured extensive public testimony and council debate on the TIFF affordable housing resolution (Item 43), which ultimately passed 5-2 after a failed layover motion.

Consent Calendar

• Items 24 through 31, which had public hearings on August 25, 2026, were approved unanimously (7-0) as part of the consent agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 43 (TIFF Affordable Housing Policy):
  • Planning staff (Dave Fanslaw, Kelly Dorsey, Bridget Hadley) presented the recommendations, emphasizing that TIFF is not designed to produce affordable housing but can be leveraged. They outlined part one (immediate administrative changes) and part two (longer-term state law changes).
  • Tracy McPherson (Habitat for Humanity of Omaha) supported the recommendations as a starting point but urged greater focus on affordable homeownership and clear timelines for part two.
  • Cheryl Garst (Common Housing Development Corporation) called the policy a good start but noted the math does not work for deep affordability; she suggested additional tools like a waiting period for selling affordable units.
  • Steven Osberg (PGSA / Miller Commons Capital District) supported the measured approach and urged the council to avoid discouraging new development.
  • A representative from Front Porch supported part one and urged the city to explore district-wide TIFF and a dedicated funding source.
  • Kevin Meyer (architect and community member) commended the collaborative spirit and stressed incremental change.
  • Opponents: Stephen Houston argued TIFF creates a dependency that harms taxpayers and called for a full financial audit and pause on TIFF. Larry Store criticized the lack of transparency, stating that TIFF gives special breaks to developers while regular property taxes rise.
• Items 44-50 (School Resource Officer Agreements):
  • Jason Whitmer (ACLU of Nebraska) opposed permanent SRO presence, citing studies showing no improvement in safety and negative impacts on students of color and students with disabilities.
  • Larry Store spoke in favor of SROs, arguing that parents and schools need to be more responsible.
• Item 51 (Central Library Gift):
  • Renee Kekison (Heritage Omaha / Community Information Trust) expressed gratitude and noted that in the first three months, the library had 172,000 visitors, 96,000 items borrowed, and 8,761 new library cards issued.

Discussion Items

• Item 43 – TIFF and Affordable Housing Policy:
  • Councilmember Festerson (sponsor) supported the policy but wished it went further in requiring affordable units and urgency on part two. He highlighted the no-net-loss policy and reporting requirements as key.
  • Councilmember Goodwin framed this as a first step, noting the need for additional tools beyond TIFF and cautioning about concentrating poverty in disinvested areas.
  • Councilmember Rowe expressed respect for the process and supported the layover to allow more time for colleagues to review.
  • Councilmember Harding raised questions about part one details: the scope of existing housing data, the in-lieu payment amount, control of the affordable housing fund, and whether part two would become binding policy. He argued the policy needs more clarity before adoption.
  • Councilmember Melton echoed concerns about missing details on the in-lieu payment and fund governance. She proposed separating part one from part two and adding exceptions (e.g., grocery stores in food deserts). She also urged that the council avoid passing codes that increase housing costs.
  • Councilmember Hug praised the staff work but raised a concern that the one-for-one replacement rule might discourage beneficial redevelopment (e.g., reducing density from illegal conversions).
  • A motion to lay over the item to October 6 failed 3-4 (Festerson, Goodwin, Hug voted no; Harding, Melton, Rowe voted yes; Mr. President (Bagley) voted no). The main motion to approve then passed 5-2 (Festerson, Goodwin, Hug, Rowe, Mr. President in favor; Harding and Melton opposed).
• Items 44-50 – School Resource Officer Agreements:
  • Lieutenant Charles Ott (OPD) explained the SRO role using the NASRO triad model (teacher, counselor, law enforcement). He emphasized that SROs are not school disciplinarians and only intervene in criminal matters or threats. He highlighted the importance of relationships and threat assessment.
  • Councilmember Goodwin noted the 31-year history and the need to balance community concerns with the comfort that SROs provide. She asked about governance; MacCouzie (Law Department) clarified that SROs remain under OPD control, not school district control.
  • Councilmember Festerson reminded that the agreements are annual renewals requested by all four school districts. No recorded vote was taken on these items in the transcript; the meeting proceeded to item 51.
• Item 51 – Gift of Central Library:
  • MacCouzie presented the gift agreement from the Community Information Trust to the city. The library board had unanimously approved the gift on August 19. The council accepted the gift without objection; public hearing was closed and the item approved by a roll call vote of 7-0.

Key Outcomes

• Item 43: The resolution approving part one recommendations to incentivize/require affordable housing in TIFF projects passed 5-2. A motion to lay over to October 6 failed. The policy includes no-net-loss of housing units, rent roll and sale price documentation, and a development concierge for projects with income-restricted units. Part two recommendations (state law changes, area-wide TIFF) were noted but not adopted as policy.
• Items 44-50: The SRO agreements with four school districts were discussed; no roll call vote is recorded in the transcript, but the council moved on to the next item, indicating likely approval.
• Item 51: The gift of the new central library from the Community Information Trust was accepted unanimously (7-0).
• The meeting adjourned at 4:23 PM.