Council approves a package of district budget amendments; one motion to remove “DEI” fails

Omaha City Council members voted on a set of individual budget amendments that redirected small amounts of the 2026 general fund for community service projects and park improvements across council districts.

The council approved multiple one-time appropriations — most commonly $50,000 allocations tied to individual council members — for nonprofits, parks projects and neighborhood initiatives. The votes were largely unanimous. Council members also approved a separate Keno-funded allocation of $150,000 to local food assistance organizations (see separate story).

Why it matters: The amendments funnel locally controlled discretionary dollars into neighborhood-level projects such as park maintenance, workforce training and nonprofit service delivery. The council emphasized responsiveness to public input heard during the budget process.

What passed (highlights) - Item 6 — Heartland Hope Mission: $50,000 for community service programs. Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 745.02–753.95 in the meeting record). - Item 7 — Omaha Parks Foundation: $50,000 for Sunnyslope Park tennis court resurfacing (neighborhood fundraising to supplement). Motion passed 7–0 (vote recorded at 871.71–879.81). - Item 8 — Nebraska Center for Workforce Development Education ($35,000) and The Furniture Project ($15,000): Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 1254.95–1264.79). - Item 9 — Florence Park improvements ($45,000) and Police speed monitor ($5,000): Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 1397.39–1403.89). - Item 10 — Multiple community organizations (Victory Boxing, parks, South Omaha Museum, South Omaha Neighborhood Association): Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 1577.09–1588.37). - Item 11 — North Omaha Music and Arts: $45,000 (parks/facilities) and $5,000 (community services): Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 1996.28–2004.54). - Item 12 — Keno revenue increase and distribution: Raised Keno fund revenue estimate by $150,000 and allocated $37,500 each to Food Bank for the Heartland, Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue, Together Inc., and Heart Ministry Center; motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 3388.15–3410.28). - Item 13 — Omaha Parks Foundation ($35,000) and Omaha Municipal Land Bank ($15,000): Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 3511.85–3519.84). - Item 14 — North 20th Street streetscape CIP programming revisions (capital improvement programming): Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 3837.50–3846.16). - Item 16 — Revenue/expenditure adjustments for areas annexed 07/30/2025: Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 6539.79–6550.86). - Item 17 — Approval of the 2026 budget as amended: Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 6568.89–6589.76). - Item 18 — 2026–2031 Capital Improvement Program as amended: Motion passed 7–0 (roll call recorded at 6612.73–6621.07).

What failed - Item 15 — Resolution to remove the words “diversity, equity and inclusion” from the 2026 budget: Motion failed 3–4 (Harding, Melton in favor; Hugg, Roe, Goodwin and President Begley opposed; recorded at 6510.49–6533.17).

Council comments and context Council members repeatedly described the package as district-level investments responsive to requests from neighborhoods, business improvement districts and nonprofit partners. Several council members noted the amendments were limited, one-time allocations rather than ongoing programmatic funding.

Ending The council finalized the amended 2026 budget and the 2026–2031 CIP after the roll calls above. Many of the approved allocations will be administered through existing city channels or through the nonprofit partners named in the amendments.