City of Omaha proposes higher property tax rate, cites police raises and new library as drivers

Steve Curtis, finance director for the City of Omaha, presented the city's proposed property tax request and explained spending priorities driving an increase in the city’s operating budget.

Curtis said the city’s proposed property tax request is $245,600,000 and that the tax rate that would raise the same dollars as last year would be about 0.415; the city proposes a tax rate of 0.439 per $100 of assessed value. Curtis attributed most of the city’s increase in the operating budget to police compensation and the opening of a new library on 72nd and Dodge. “The majority of our increase … was primarily police. I think you may have heard we gave police a fairly generous raise package, and then we are opening up that new library … Those account for about half of what our increase was,” Curtis said.

Curtis provided charts showing revenue composition (property tax about 13.6% of total funds and about 22% of the general fund) and expense composition (police about 38–39% of the general fund and fire about 25%). He said the city aims to carry forward roughly $8 million as a buffer, allowed under state law and the city charter.

Curtis said the city’s total operating budget including capital will exceed last year’s by about 6.92% (about 1.8 billion total), and that residents seeking information can contact the city finance department or the budget email address shown in the presentation.