The Omaha Public Schools Board is moving forward with a plan to raise property taxes. Board members voted to raise the property tax levy to one-dollar-and-21-cents per 100-dollars of valuation. The move means the owner of a 250-thousand-dollar home will pay about 200-dollars more in taxes per year. The vote came following the announcement of a 50-point-six-million-dollar budget gap. This comes the Nebraska Department of Education miscalculated state aid over several years. As a result, the district must repay 30 million dollars from last school year and will receive 20 million dollars less in state aid this year. District leaders plan to use reserve funds, provide staff with a smaller raise than originally planned and eliminate cellular connectivity on school-issued iPads to help save money.
Council Bluffs police are starting a voluntary Criminal Trespass Program. The program will allow local businesses to register their properties with Council Bluffs police, identify people who are authorized to be at the businesses, and post signs stating that trespassing is prohibited. Officials say the new program will help officers more quickly determine who is allowed to be on a property without contacting a business owner in the middle of the night.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is facing a challenge in its quest to rejoin the American Association of Universities. The president of the American Association of University Professors has urged the American Association of Universities to withhold consideration of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The American Association of University Professors warned that recent actions at UNL, including the closures of departments and faculty terminations, have compromised its standing as a leading research institution.
Lincoln Fire and Rescue Chief David Engler is censured by the International Association of Firefighters. Engler was censured over management practices that have allegedly lowered morale and undermined public safety. The International Association of Firefighters voted to censure Engler following a censure approved by members of the Lincoln Firefighters Association.
Nebraska is among the top states in the nation when it comes to binge drinking rates. According to a study by the Valley Spring Recovery Center, Nebraska had a binge drinking rate of 20-point-five percent, which is the fifth highest in the nation. The study utilized data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. According to the study, Iowa led the nation with a 22-point-five-percent binge drinking rate.