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Lincoln City Council sets property tax levy for FY2025‑26, approves labor contract and multiple permits
Summary
The council set a property tax levy to fund the already-adopted FY2025‑26 budget and approved several routine items including a police union labor contract, pay-schedule adjustments, on-call engineering task orders and liquor license applications. All recorded votes carried unanimously.
The Lincoln City Council on Oct. 6 set the property tax levy required to fund the city’s previously adopted fiscal year 2025‑26 budget and approved several routine items and agreements, voting unanimously where recorded.
Finance Director Joe Donlier told the council the action is a ministerial step to match the levy with the budget the council adopted in August. “The item in front of you today is setting the tax levy necessary to fund the fiscal year 2526 budget that council passed,” Donlier said, adding the levy includes the amount needed to repay a stormwater improvement bond approved by voters. The resolution produces a levy of 29.732 cents per $100 of assessed value, the staff presentation said.
The levy-setting vote, introduced by Councilmember Beckias and seconded by Councilmember Washington, passed on a 6‑0 roll call.
Why it matters: setting the levy is the ministerial step required by city code and state law to make the adopted biennial budget effective; without the levy adoption the budget would not be balanced on paper, staff explained.
Beyond the levy, the council moved several consent and ordinance items with little discussion. Highlights recorded on the docket and by roll call include: - Reappointment of Emily Deaker and Christopher Walsh to the StarTran Advisory Board (term to expire 10/20/2028) — motion carried 6‑0. - Approval of two on‑call professional services task order agreements for preliminary engineering and environmental services for the West South Street bridge over Salt Creek — motions carried 6‑0. - Introduction and approval of several liquor license items: Cornhusker Bar and Grill (class I) with manager application for Saad Kodaida; Arbor Axe House (class A) with manager Connor Peterson — both approved; an application from Mill Global LLC (Milium Market) was withdrawn by the applicant and the withdrawal was approved 6‑0. - Third‑reading ordinances: pay‑schedule adjustments for classifications prefixed by “P” were adopted 6‑0; the labor contract between the City of Lincoln and the Lincoln Police Union (effective 08/14/2025 through 08/31/2028) was approved 6‑0.
Council procedure and legal context: Donlier cited Lincoln Municipal Code chapter 3.0607 and Nebraska Revised Statute chapter 77‑1633 when describing the levy action as ministerial. He reminded the public the council adopted a biennial budget in August and the current action aligns the levy rate with that adopted budget.
The meeting record shows no public opposition to the levy during the public hearing period and no amendments to the budget were proposed at the Oct. 6 session.
Looking ahead: council members stated no further debate was needed on these routine items; staff will proceed with implementation steps tied to the adopted budget and the approved contracts and licenses.
