City of Omaha Mayor’s Office

January 4, 2012 – Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle is calling for lawmakers to support legislation that gives flexibility to Tax Increment Financing regulations so city’s can sustain economic growth without the need for increasing taxes; allows municipalities to make capital improvements without burdening taxpayers; and assists industrial businesses in offsetting costs connected with the federally mandated Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) project.

“Omaha is responsible for 52% of Nebraska’s economy and we take this responsibility seriously,” said Mayor Suttle. “Since I took office we’ve made 37 million dollars in spending cuts while keeping vital city services available to our citizens. We streamlined government operations, found smarter, faster ways of doing business using technology, and are now looking to expand economic development through enhanced Tax Increment Finance (TIF) legislation and tax exemptions on lease purchase bonds.”

The TIF amendment to Nebraska’s Redevelopment Act would allow Omaha to be more competitive with surrounding states in attracting new opportunities for economic development. This legislation, proposed by Senator Heath Mello, would help cities by extending the financing for community development projects from 15 to 20 years.

Mayor Suttle would like to see revisions in the Community Development Law and potential Land Bank legislation that would allow Omaha to tackle a growing problem with vacant and hazardous properties in the eastern part of the city. The revisions would include lifting current barriers for those acquiring condemned property. “We need to be able to free up blighted land for redevelopment,” said Mayor Suttle. “It will allow the city to make way for new businesses, broaden the availability of jobs in vulnerable areas of our community and improve neighborhoods.”

Dec. 28, 2011 – Mayor Jim Suttle will remain focused on financially responsible choices that serve the best interest of Omaha taxpayers entering into the New Year. “2011 has been a challenging year, but we made it through, together, stronger and more committed to finding solutions that will move our city forward,” said Mayor Suttle.

The citizens of Omaha weathered a 500 year flood, financial uncertainties, and political obstacles that threatened to divide the city. “We overcame those obstacles, fought back the flood waters, and gained financial strength through successful efficiency measures which enabled us to keep our AAA bond rating against all odds,” said Suttle. “We’ve cut spending and have worked to save money so we can strengthen our economy, rebuild our infrastructure, provide jobs for our citizens and plan for the future. It is important that we keep moving in this direction.”

Among the list of actions taken by the Suttle administration on behalf of the citizens of Omaha in 2011 include;

• Restoring the Stable Outlook status to the City’s AAA bond rating following downgrades by the Federal Government
• Bringing the community and city employees together to mitigate flood damage and protect the people of Omaha.
• Making Omaha safer by taking over 700 illegal guns off the street
• Providing greater public input on city operations with a year-round virtual town-hall website called EngageOmaha.com
• Establishing online business applications for filing taxes, building permits and inspections – improving the process for users and allowing for more efficient use of city resources
• Making smartphone applications available to the public for snow operations and road conditions
• Automating the city’s budget process to be web based, increasing transparency to Omaha residents
• Collecting outdated account receivables for the city
• Developing a five year revenue outlook for long term planning
• Approving 18 Tax Increment Financing projects with a total value of $150 million dollars – more than tripling last year’s amount
• Obtaining 6.5 million dollars in competitive grant funds, which would have otherwise gone to communities in other states, to reduce crime in Omaha, improve community and economic development and provide afterschool programs for youth in our city

In 2012 Mayor Suttle will be committed to keeping streets and neighborhoods safe, which includes removing illegal guns and gangs from Omaha streets. The Mayor will also continue working with the business community to strengthen the city’s economy and will work to rebuild streets and parks so the city can secure a strong foundation for future growth. “I have emphasized long range planning because it is what is best for the future of Omaha and its citizens,” said Mayor Suttle. “We have seen what decades of short term decision making has done – while it may sound good in a political debate, taxpayers suffer in the long run and we can’t afford to continue on that path.”

In 2012 Mayor Suttle will continue working with the Environmental Protection Agency, Congress and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to secure the rights of Omaha residents to clean water, without forcing them to pay an unreasonable price.

“Most importantly in the New Year we must continue doing whatever it takes to create jobs for our citizens,” said Mayor Suttle. “Providing jobs in this economy is not easy, but it is crucial to the health of our city on so many levels and should be a priority for all of us. Entering the New Year, we should continue working together to make Omaha the best place to live.”

November 21, 2011: Today, the City of Omaha’s Public Works Department’s Environmental Quality Division announced that there will be no garbage, yard waste, or recyclable material collection on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 2011. The collection schedule will change as a result of the holiday according to the schedule below:

Collections will be on the regular schedule the following week, November 28th through December 2nd. However, that will be the final week for yard waste collection in 2011.

In addition, Christmas trees will not be collected curbside this year. Christmas tree recycling locations will be announced through the media at a later date.

Omaha citizens may direct questions to the Environmental Quality Division information line at 444 5238. An answering service, through the same number, can assist during evenings, weekends and holidays. Citizens may sign up for e-mail notification of impending solid waste collection holidays or service delays related to weather by going to join.wasteline.org

November 1, 2011 - $5.2 million in lease revenue bonds for technology and forestry equipment were issued today, November 1, 2011, at an interest rate of 3% according to Moody’s Investors Service. More than half a billion dollars in outstanding general obligation debt will remain at the same low interest rate, because of the City’s ability to maintain its AAA bond rating, saving taxpayers millions of dollars annually.

In the latest report from New York, on October 28, 2011 Moody’s cites “the City’s sizable and stable economy that has weathered the national downturn more favorably than its counterparts in other portions of the country,” as the rationale for continuing the AAA rating and low interest rate.

Standard and Poors credits the Suttle Administration’s “conservative budgeting practices” with helping the city “regain structural balance.”

While Standard and Poors allowed Omaha to keep its AAA rating with a stable outlook, Moody’s is in the process of considering whether to remove the negative outlook assigned to Omaha’s AAA credit rating. Removing the “negative outlook” from Omaha’s rating lessens the City’s chances of being downgraded in the months ahead.

“We are pleased that these bond rating agencies appreciate the tough financial decisions we have made in a bad economy,” said Mayor Suttle. “Companies such as Moody’s and Standard and Poors look at several aspects of how a city manages its finances in determining a city’s credit rating and our budget decisions over the last two years reflect solid financial stability.”

Friday’s report specifically warns that failure to continue making progress towards funding long term pension liabilities and an inability to negotiate terms of the fire contract could have a negative impact on Omaha’s rating.