Top Priority

Eure said homelessness and joblessness among young adults are top concerns, saying that the city should create summer jobs for youths.

Goodwin said housing for low- and middle-income families is a critical need. The city, she said, should audit problematic housing organizations and hold them accountable. 

Gray cited a lack of affordable housing, noting that he helped form the Omaha Municipal Land Bank, which he said more small developers are using.

Johnson said Omaha’s most pressing issue is the persistence of economic and infrastructure disparities. She said she is committed to championing initiatives that drive equitable economic development and ensuring underserved communities receive their fair share of city contracts, economic development incentives and job-training opportunities.

Jones also said economic inequality is a concern. He said he would focus on creating policies that stimulate economic growth from within the community and empower local businesses, support entrepreneurship and ensure the money that’s generated stays in the community. 

King said he plans to address poverty in District 2 through job creation, entrepreneurial growth and financial empowerment, collaborating with local businesses, trade schools and nonprofits to create career pipelines. King also said he envisions establishing entrepreneurial hubs where residents can access mentorship, training and resources to start and grow their businesses.

Lee said the most pressing issue facing Omaha is the lack of equitable economic development, particularly in historically underserved communities. He said he will push to ensure that city contracts and incentives support small, minority-owned businesses; support workforce development programs; and promote road repairs, expanded public transit and widespread broadband access in historically neglected neighborhoods.

Weston said mental health, homelessness and affordable housing are intertwined and must be addressed, noting that homeless people should be given more access to mental health services. She also said transitional housing is needed for homeless people and youths transitioning out of foster care. She said developers who receive Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, could be given incentives to build transitional housing. 

Rogers-Wright said a lack of affordability and accountability on the municipal level are concerns and lead to a decline in public trust. He said too much money is allocated to the Police Department and more needs to be provided to the Planning and Fire Departments. Rogers-Wright called for a budget model that better involves citizens in funding decisions.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

Rogers-Wright said the mayor and City Council are abusing TIF, prioritizing out-of-town developers and their profits over beneficial programs for the people. He said he would push for an ordinance that calls for residential developers who get TIF to dedicate 35% of units to low- and moderate-income people and require the developers, to the greatest extent possible, to use unionized workers for all construction and maintenance needs.

Weston said she would work with other council members to add a requirement that a percentage of the housing in a development be affordable/income-based. In addition, Weston said, the project should be in a blighted area as the regulation was written. 

Lee said that in Omaha, TIF has disproportionately benefited large developers instead of truly revitalizing underserved areas. He said he would advocate for stronger oversight and reforms to ensure that TIF projects provide affordable housing, create jobs and revitalize neighborhoods. Lee also said the city must hold developers accountable by enforcing consequences if they fail to provide promised community benefits.

King said he would work with all levels of government to make sure that TIF rules are followed and the money is used for its intended purpose.

Jones said he would advocate for reforms that ensure the city uses TIF to support local businesses, especially minority-owned businesses, and approve projects that provide long-term benefits to District 2, such as affordable housing, workforce training and local business growth.

Johnson said TIF is a valuable tool, but it must be used responsibly and equitably to ensure that all areas of Omaha benefit. She noted that people have raised concerns about transparency and oversight and whether TIF truly serves the public interest. She said the city must require more detailed reporting on the long-term outcomes of the projects and stronger safeguards to ensure it is used properly. That, she said, means prioritizing projects in underserved communities such as North Omaha. Johnson also said she supports getting more input from the public in the TIF approval process.

Gray said TIF is a great tool for development and that he would continue to support safeguards when using it. 

Eure also said officials must make sure proper safeguards are in effect, saying that accountability is the priority when such money is allotted.

Goodwin said the priority with TIF is to ensure that it can be used to spur development in low-income parts of Omaha, where it is needed most.

Major projects and council’s relationship with mayor

Weston said that any projects requiring massive financial expenditures such as the streetcar should not be approved without giving citizens a chance to vote on such developments. Developers’ contracts also should include a provision that assesses substantial financial penalties for failing to meet timeline goals, Weston said.

Lee said council members must take an independent, community-first approach when evaluating development projects. He said the public should have access to information on development deals before they’re finalized, and major projects should be evaluated for their effects on housing affordability, displacement, traffic and public services. Developers, he said, must guarantee job creation, fair wages and long-term community benefits, and developments must benefit all of Omaha, not just downtown and midtown.

King said council members must participate in the city’s budget in order to have fair, ethical outcomes in all seven council districts. 

Goodwin said a council member from North Omaha must be concerned about equitable economic development that rebuilds infrastructure, increases affordable housing options and brings services and amenities to District 2.

Jones said council members must ensure that developments benefit all Omahans. High-profile projects, he said, should not come at the expense of the everyday needs of the community, and a District 2 council member should ask how each project impacts residents, working families and small businesses in North Omaha and whether it contributes to the city’s long-term growth and success.

Johnson said every development project must be evaluated based on its economic impact, funding structure and long-term sustainability, and community input must be prioritized. Developers, she said, must provide clear justifications for how their projects will generate lasting community benefits. She also said she would assess whether the projects address job creation, infrastructure improvements and equitable access to resources, and that she would hold developers and city leaders accountable.

Rogers-Wright said city officials always must ask certain questions about a major project, including who is really making the decisions, who benefits, whether it shifts power to the people and what else it will impact. Such questions can’t be answered, he said, when the city has an underfunded Planning Department. Rogers-Wright said the mayor and council must require environmental and community impact assessments before approving major projects.

Eure said the people who live near a proposed project should be involved in the review process with the city’s Planning Department. He said projects should be evaluated for their usefulness and for how they will impact the community, positively or negatively.

Gray said council members must ask whether the project increases taxes, aligns with the city’s master plan, requires TIF financing and whether it keeps Omaha competitive with other cities of comparable size. Constituents’ opinions also must be considered, he said.

Housing

Goodwin said Omaha’s elderly and most vulnerable citizens should not live in deplorable conditions. She said an independent audit should be conducted to show where housing organizations are falling short. Resources and services for residents in need can be supported by city funding. The city can assist with housing development by making the permitting process efficient, supporting young and emerging developers and optimizing federal resources and effectively using such tools as TIF, she said.

Rogers-Wright said he supports an ordinance instituting rent control and a maximum base rent system. He also calls for vacating the 2015 consent decree that he said allows bad landlords to subject poor and working-class Omahans to unacceptable living conditions. He said he also would push to establish an Omaha Tenants Relations Board in the City’s Planning Department.

Weston said TIF projects should include affordable/income-based housing, more government funding should be allocated to developing affordable housing, more modular housing should be used and city funding and assistance should be spread more equitably instead of to the same nonprofits.

Gray said more people should use the Omaha Municipal Land Bank and work with nonprofit home builders. Legislation also should be considered that would provide incentives for private, for-profit developers to participate in building affordable homes, he said.

Jones said the city must focus on building and maintaining affordable housing and hold landlords accountable for addressing poor living conditions. The city also should invest in housing programs that support both the construction of new homes and the improvement of existing ones and provide rental assistance and incentives to local developers to build more mixed-income housing.

Eure said neighborhoods are fighting to maintain their value and cohesiveness. He said the city must pass laws banning business practices that turn beautiful neighborhoods into areas where slumlords can move in.

Lee said he would advocate to expand affordable housing development by offering developers incentives to build truly affordable units. He also said he would push for stronger tenant protections, tackle homelessness by prioritizing stable housing and wraparound services, reform zoning laws that encourage more diverse housing options and use public land for affordable housing.

King said the council needs to draft rules that protect renters and reinforce landlords’ responsibilities. The council also should evaluate Omaha Municipal Land Bank, which he said has been used by outside investors to gentrify District 2 when they buy property and raise the rent on residences.

Johnson said she will push for policies that expand affordable housing options, improve living conditions in existing units and support programs that prevent homelessness. She said she supports expanding tax credits and grants for developers who commit to building mixed-income and affordable housing. The city also should explore reusing vacant buildings and partnering with nonprofit housing organizations to create more affordable units. Also needed, she said, is stronger enforcement of housing regulations, including regular inspections and stricter penalties for bad landlords. Johnson said she also supports expanding emergency shelter options, funding mental health care and job training and getting people into stable housing. She also said she will push for down payment assistance and first-time homebuyer initiatives.