Mayor Ewing presents recommended 2026 budget calling for flat tax levy and $561.5 million general fund

Mayor John W. Ewing Jr. presented the City of Omaha’s recommended 2026 budget and six-year capital improvement program, proposing a flat tax levy while increasing the general fund 5.6% to a proposed $561,500,000. "We propose to keep the tax levy flat as the general fund increases 5.6% to a proposed $561,500,000," Ewing said as he outlined personnel and equipment costs driving the increase.

The mayor told the City Council the spending rise is driven principally by personnel and equipment, citing staff for the new Central Library and additional police recruitment and equipment as primary items. He said the city is funding 27 new positions for the Central Library, which he said will employ 63 people at the new 96,000-square-foot building at 70 Second and Dodge. The mayor said the library project has roughly $158,000,000 in total cost and that the city contributed $20,000,000, with private philanthropy and other partners contributing the balance.

Ewing highlighted public safety investments that he said will account for nearly half of the general fund increase. The Omaha Police Department (OPD) general fund budget, he said, would rise 6.6% to support recruit classes, new vehicles and equipment, and a pay adjustment negotiated mid-contract that he called necessary to recruit and retain officers. "That new contracted pay scale goes into effect in January, and it's the reason for 10,000,000 of the department's personnel cost increase," the mayor said. He said OPD plans three recruit classes in 2026 that together will bring 113 new officers and move the department closer to a target staffing level he said is 906 officers.

Ewing said the city plans to spend $22,900,000 in 2026 on body-worn cameras, cruiser cameras, tasers and virtual reality training as part of a longer-term contract that began in 2024. He also cited a $2,700,000 outlay for 30 new police cruisers. For the Fire Department, the mayor said the general fund budget will increase about 3.1% in 2026 to cover wage increases for 695 funded positions and expenses including paramedic training and new Stryker Power Cots. He said the city will spend about $687,000 on firefighter cancer screenings.

On capital projects, Ewing described a six-year CIP that totals roughly $3,100,000,000 and lists nearly $860,000,000 in projects in 2026 alone. He identified major items including $242,000,000 for parking structures tied to urban redevelopment, $5,000,000 for a new Northwest Omaha fire station, $20,000,000 for a downtown fire station integrated with a police precinct, and $2,300,000 for fire apparatus replacement. He also highlighted Levi Carter Park redevelopment, noting $45,000,000 in state funding and $13,000,000 in philanthropic support for park fields.

About revenues, the mayor said sales and use taxes remain the largest general-fund source, projected at about $265,000,000 in 2026, roughly 6% more than the 2025 budgeted figure. He said the city’s portion of property tax equals about $0.21 per dollar and that a projected 5.1% valuation increase would yield about $244,600,000 in property tax revenue across funds, with about $122,500,000 earmarked for the general fund.

Ewing said the budget aims to fund a new Central Library opening next spring and called for investments in planning, economic development and affordable housing. He said the city will rely on tax-increment financing (TIF) rather than general property tax to fund a proposed streetcar and that he will form implementation task forces on poverty elimination, economic development, climate action, homelessness, infrastructure, parks and affordable housing. "I urge you to adopt this budget so that we can move forward as 1 United Omaha into our shared and promising future," he said.

No final appropriation vote on the 2026 budget was recorded at today’s meeting; the mayor announced a public hearing on the budget and CIP scheduled for Aug. 12.

Ending: The City Council did not take a final vote on the recommended budget at this session; the mayor asked members to adopt the proposal at a future meeting after public hearings and further review.