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Committee hears request to let small Nebraska cities use three‑member planning commissions and mixed at‑large/ward elections
Summary
Sen. Terrell McKinney presented LB798 to allow second‑class cities and villages optional three‑member planning commissions and to permit mixed nomination/election methods (at‑large and ward). The League of Nebraska Municipalities and a small city zoning official said the changes would help alleviate volunteer fatigue and staffing pressures in small communities.
Lincoln — The Urban Affairs Committee heard testimony on LB798, introduced by Sen. Terrell McKinney, which would give cities of the second class and villages the option of a three‑member planning commission and allow second‑class cities the same combination of ward and at‑large nomination/election options that first‑class cities already use.
Robert Costa, zoning administrator and building official for the City of Utan, said his community supports the bill because smaller municipalities struggle to recruit enough volunteers to staff planning commissions and that three‑member commissions have worked well in similar places. Christy Abraham of the League of Nebraska Municipalities said the proposal was unanimously supported by the League’s legislative committee and would give towns flexibility to ease “volunteer fatigue.”
Sen. McKinney said the measure mirrors prior changes the Legislature approved that allowed villages to reduce governing board sizes; he urged the committee to advance LB798 to provide smaller communities more options for functioning local government.
No opponents testified on the record during the hearing, and the committee recorded no online comments either way.
