Good news, taxpayers: the City Council finalized the budget -- which Mayor Beutler is expected to sign -- and it doesn't contain a tax increase. The property tax rate stays at $0.288 per $100 of property value, representing 14% of your property tax bill. Unfortunately, the budget depends on some one-time solutions, and every year the cuts get more and more difficult. If we have to do this again next year ... well, it won't be fun.
How would you grade (a) Mayor Beutler, and (b) the City Council on their performance with this budget? How could they have improved their grade?
Comments
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I think they should have raised taxes. I liked all the great things that Parks and Rec did that have now been cut and I love the libraries which I think could use more money as they do great things with the money they get now.
I’m not as current on all these tax issues, but I did have a question. I had a meeting in Omaha last night and filled up at Sam’s Club in Lincoln (usually the cheapest on my side of town) for $3.55. Only to get to Omaha and see every station on Dodge street with $3.44. Do we get killed more at the pump than the Mecca that is Omaha?
I believe it has to do with the population of Omaha as compared to Lincoln. They get the gas first.
No higher than a B- for both the Mayor and Council, namely for lack of vision and/or political will to do something strategically to take care of our budget deficit. I’m still a little perplexed at how quickly Beutler withdrew the tax levy increase after the LES hike.
It certainly could be competition as well. There’s more of it in Omaha. We have fewer stations, and they are run by a far smaller pool of people.
I would agree on the grade. I’d actually grade Beutler higher than the council, because he at least offered some ideas and some straight talk. All they did was react to what he did and give us more rhetoric.
Just to be clear… that’s me, basically a conservative who tends to vote “R”, saying I give higher marks to Beutler. I’m not blinded by party affiliations.
The thing is, the Council has actually gotten better in terms of not making themselves look like a bunch of buffoons or total assholes to the public like they have in previous years. Part of that is better impression management and more experience.
But I also think that they have done better because Beutler has provided much stronger and more creative leadership than Seng did, so they have realized that they have to shape up a bit too.
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