- Focus areas include public safety, employment, business growth, urban core investment, and financial management.
- Mayor emphasizes the importance of personal meetings to collaborate with citizens.
- Attendees focused in on a shortage of affordable housing in Omaha.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Mayor Jean Stothert hosted her first 2024 town hall meeting focusing on what she call constant progress. Neighbors joined in conversations about affordable housing, employment and public safety.
In her presentation Mayor Stothert touched on important updates about the streetcar, lowered homicide rates, and a decrease in the city tax levy.
"Cities never stand still they are either growing and moving forward or they are declining and falling behind one or the other," said Stothert.
Not only did neighbors come for updates about the city, they also came for a chance to ask the mayor questions directly some key concerns were climate action, business development, safer roads and affordable housing.
Number one there is a shortage of affordable housing number two what can the city do about that?" said one attendee.
Mayor Stothert said affordable housing largely has to do with developer interest, but that this city is using 60 million is federal funding plus working with non-profits like front porch to increase incentives for developers.
"There's not a whole lot of incentives from the state for affordable housing and that could be one reason why developers were hesitant to do it. But I think what the, the the goals that we have made with the 60 million that we have now designated for affordable housing is gonna, that's a lot and that's gonna make a big difference," said Mayor Stothert.
There are 6 more town hall meetings this fall:
- October 23, Tri-Faith Center 13136 Faith Plaza.
- October 24, Kids Can Community Center 4768 Q Street.
- October 28, Buffett Middle School 14101 Larimore Avenue.
- October 30, Hartman Elementary School 5530 N 66th Street.
- November 12, Pine Elementary School 810 Pine Street.
- November 18, Omaha Public Library Millard Branch 13214 Westwood Lane.
