A long day and night for the Omaha City Council included a Tuesday evening hearing on the 2021 city budget, after the vote for a mask mandate.
6 News reports comments covered different budget items, but the majority of people spoke in support of or opposition to the proposed one percent increase in the police department budget.
Omaha Police Officers Association President Anthony Connor said, “I credit the mayor for her leadership. She deserves a lot of credit for creating expectations and managing the department, but it is our sworn officers who do the work every day, and taking resources away from these men and women at this time will be a mistake.”
“The Omaha Police Department, as the other speakers have said, is one of the best police departments in the nation. A lot of the reforms that people are calling for in other cities have already been done here,” said Peter Owen, president of the Omaha Young Republicans.
Those in opposition said the money should be spent elsewhere.
“The budget also reflects a city that cares more about surveilling and harassing its citizens than it does in investing in jobs, access to jobs and other community betterment,” said Angela Eikenberry, an Omaha resident.
“This is not about creating or solidifying polarities or Republicans or Democrats or even about economic growth. It’s about economic development and human capital that comes from investing in our communities socially and economically,” said Brenton Gomez, an Omaha resident.