LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska cities that want to upgrade roads, build swimming pools and pay their rising employee costs are preparing for a legislative fight this session with state lawmakers who want to restrict their power to tax.
Leaders in many cities, including Lincoln, Kearney and Omaha, want the Legislature to give them authority to raise the sales tax with voter approval, but Gov. Dave Heineman and many lawmakers remain opposed.
Supporters say cities should have the power to seek voter approval of tax increases, but opponents say the need to restrain government spending take precedence over calls for local control.
Don Wesely, a former state lawmaker who now lobbies for Lincoln and Omaha, says the effort to impose state authority over cities marks a change in Nebraska’s historic support for local control.