8 local mayors and their salaries

Beginning in 2020, Bellevue’s mayor and six City Council members will receive $6,000 pay bumps — plus an 11th-hour amendment saying that as of December 2021, the council and mayor will receive annual 2% raises.

Other than Omaha and Lincoln, none of Nebraska's biggest cities expect their mayors to make public service their full-time job. 

Tim Young, reached Monday by phone, said that he left of his own accord, that he lives in Lincoln and that it made sense to find something closer.

Starting in 2021, every Omaha home will receive two 96-gallon trash carts — one for trash and yard waste together, picked up weekly, and the other for recycling, picked up every other week.

The Fire Department is set to receive more than $8.7 million for its operational budget, which is expected to allow the department to convert at least four firefighters to full-time status.

Even though Ralston transferred the Ralston Arena to private management, the city budget is stillstill is dependent on the performance of the arena for this upcoming fiscal year and years to come.

The first of those town hall meetings starts Tuesday in north Omaha. The last is Nov. 21 in Millard.

The City Council expects to hold a public hearing Tuesday on the city's $730,000 purchase of land near 34th and Q Streets.

Palermo said Tuesday that he will absolutely will not resign after pleading guilty to not filing his income taxes.

Leak private information in Bellevue, lose your office. That's one potential consequence elected officials in the city could face if they disseminate information from closed sessions under a pair of proposed ordinances being considered by the Bellevue City Council.

Omaha Police Capt. Kathy Belcastro-Gonzalez contended the Omaha Police Department failed to promote her to deputy chief because she had previously filed a complaint with the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission over alleged gender discrimination.

Timmerman told The World-Herald on Wednesday that he won’t run for a third term, citing a desire to spend more time with his family as he prepares to retire in a few years.

Mayor Jean Stothert is appointing Eric Burgin, 59, a longtime north Omaha volunteer and neighborhood leader, to represent Omaha Housing Authority residents on the OHA Board.

The council approved both of Mayor Jean Stothert’s appointments to open seats on the board, one reserved for a resident of public housing and one reserved for a racial minority.

Three former council members, the current president of the Bellevue Board of Education and a few private citizens either opposed the measures outright or expressed concerns about specific components.

Rep. Don Bacon said he was getting "heat" from Mayor Jean Stothert over his plans to write a letter on behalf of Omaha fire union President Steve LeClair, according to a union attorney. LeClair was fired after a bar incident with a woman.

City Council President Chris Jerram recently proposed extending that 3% annual raise through 2026. Under that plan, the mayor would then make $124,645. But some council members say Jerram’s proposal doesn’t go far enough, fast enough. They use data from other cities to argue that Omaha’s mayor would still be underpaid.

County Board members will make $26,000 in 2021 and 2022.

A clear City Council majority backs paying the mayor more in the next term than the city does today. But at issue now is a draft amendment from two council members that would boost the next mayor’s pay sooner than the 3%-a-year proposed by Council President Chris Jerram for 2023-2026.

Dave Forrest notified Mayor Don Groesser of his resignation a few weeks ago, Groesser told The World-Herald on Thursday. Forrest has been seeking a new job.

The proposals would give the city the power to punish elected officials who engage in misconduct or who publicly share information from private city meetings.

The mayor in 2022, instead of getting a big pay bump, will earn $110,746 annually, which is less than Mayor Jim Suttle made in the first part of 2013, when he was paid $113,000 annually.

U.S. District Judge Brian Buescher sentenced South Omaha City Councilman Vinny Palermo on three misdemeanor charges of willfully failing to file tax returns.

Mayor Jean Stothert wrote a letter to the U.S. State Department, stating the city's available jobs, affordable housing, health care infrastructure, educational opportunities and experienced social services can meet the needs of refugees.

The Lancaster County Board on Thursday voted 4-1 to offer Rick Hoppe the position of chief administrative officer, a role that is similar to a city administrator.

"Ralston is an amazing community," Rick Hoppe wrote in an email. "The people are so dedicated to the success of the city and to each other. Mayor (Don) Groesser, the City Council and the city staff are great people and continuing to work with them was (a) major factor in my decision."

Deputy Chief Chris Whitted has been named interim chief as the city begins its search for its next police chief.