OMAHA, 28 July 2002: by Brian Byrne. While Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and a number of the Nebraskan city’s councillors are enjoying the hospitality of Naas next weekend, they will also be considering in whatever spare time they have a recommended budget for next year of some 230m euros for the city (in comparison, the Naas Town Council budget for 2001 was 4.7m euros).
Their thoughts will be focussing particularly on a budgetary difficulty for 2002 in which a planned deficit of 3.9m euros has had to be revised to some 12m euros, partly due to a city revenue outcome now expected to be around 4.2m euros less than expected. The balance of the excess is, according to the budget recommended by Mayor Fahey, due to ‘prior year encumbrances’ of 3.9m euros.
The city’s Budget 2003 is available in detail to the public, and will be the subject of public discussion shortly after the Omaha visitors return from Naas.
Some key features of the Omaha budget may interest Naas people, such as the City Sales and Use Tax which is the largest income the city authorities have, projected to be 115.3m euros for next year. It is followed by the General Property Tax, paid by all property owners at the rate of 42.5 cents on every 100 euros of real value last year, which is expected to garner 49.5m euros in 2003.
Taxes on businesses are proposed at 29.6m euros, and motor vehicle taxes, at 25 euros per passenger car, will raise 8.8m euros for the city. Some 16.3m euros will come in from charges for services.
The biggest city expenditure is on ‘Public Safety’, projected at 129m euros, and which includes the costs of the Omaha police and fire services. The city has 23 fire stations, which have all recently been designated as ‘safe houses’ for people fleeing from domestic violence.
The Omaha Police Department will cost the city 77m euros in 2003. It responds to some 300,000 calls for service in a year and issues 42,000 moving traffic violation citations. It has a complement of 764 officers, and 192 civilian employees.
Public works of around 17m euros is pegged close to the 2002 level, and about 1m euros more than the annual level in the previous two years.
Omaha’s Building and Development division of its Planning Department has a staff of 46 and last year cost around 2m euros a year to operate.
Almost 17m euros will be spent on the maintenance of public parks in Omaha and over 8m euros on the city’s library service.
Omaha has a population of 390,000 people, and is run by the Mayor and seven city councillors, who meet in official session weekly.
Mayor Fahey is being accompanied on the Naas trip by chairman of the Omaha City Council Chuck Sigerson, Councilman Jim Vokal, Councilman Marc Kraft - the only councilman who has visited all three other of Omaha's sister cities - and Councilman Dan Welch. They arrive next Friday.
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Below - Councilman Jim Vokal
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Chairman of the Omaha City Council Chuck Sigerson
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Omaha mayor Mike Fahey
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Above - Councilman Dan Welch
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Above - Councilman Marc Kraft
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