May 7, 2012 - Today, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle joined Creighton Student Body President Matthew Gillespie and UNO Student Government Vice President Shawn Addison on a conference call with President Obama regarding federally subsidized student loans. Currently at 3.4%, the interest rate is set to double to 6.8% on July 1st unless Congress intervenes.
President Obama discussed the importance of increasing access to college education to the economy and encouraged students to contact their Congressional representatives. “I thought it was important for the White House to hear directly from the students who will be affected if Congress fails to act,” said Mayor Suttle. “College education is the key to strengthening our middle class and growing our economy. In order for Omaha to continue to compete in the global job market we must ensure that college remains accessible and affordable to all.”
April 12, 2012 – The Suttle Administration is now taking applications for the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Commission (MYLC) for the 2012-2013 school year. The MYLC provides Omaha youth with a firsthand look into their city government and allows participants to provide valuable feedback to municipal leaders. Over the past several years, students have been briefed on city government operations and participated in many interesting discussions.
Guidelines to consider are academic achievement, community service, maturity and the ability to represent school spirit. It is not necessary for the student to be engaged in other school activities as the MYLC also consists of students who have overcome adversity and have exhibited potential to be active community leaders. Selected students will serve on the Youth Leadership Commission for their junior and senior years at meetings held the first Thursday of every month from 1 to 3 p.m.
The Mayor’s Staff has made a few changes to MYLC to ensure that a broader group of youth can participate moving forward. The MYLC will be transitioning away from an appointment-based process in favor of student applications.
A PDF version of the MYLC Application is posted below along with a fact sheet that can be shared with students. Please share this opportunity with any worthy incoming Juniors and Seniors currently enrolled at any Omaha high school. Applications are due on Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 and can be submitted electronically, by mail, or fax. Students will be notified of their selection by Tuesday, May 15th, 2012. Only completed applications will be considered.
If you have any questions regarding the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Commission or need additional information, please contact Mayor Suttle’s Chief Service Officer, Craig Howell at craig.howell@ci.omaha.ne.us.
February 13, 2012: Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle left the city today to make funeral arrangements for his mother who passed away Saturday evening in St. Albans, West Virginia.
The Mayor’s Mother, Wanda S. Suttle, age 87, passed away on Saturday evening in St. Albans, West Virginia. A memorial service will be held Wednesday morning at 11:00 a.m. February 15, 2012 at Casdorph & Curry Funeral Chapel in St. Albans, with the Rev. Joel Harpold presiding. The burial will be in Cunningham Memorial Park, St. Albans.
Wanda Suttle was raised on a farm near Hurricane, West Virginia where she graduated as valedictorian in 1940 from Hurricane High School. Mrs. Suttle graduated from Capitol City Commercial College with a major in Accounting. She spent the majority of her professional accounting career at Tag Galleon Chrysler Plymouth and Landers Chevrolet. A resident of St. Albans for over fifty years, she was a member of the First Baptist Church of St. Albans, where she sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, and served on numerous boards. Mrs. Suttle enjoyed travel with visits to Korea, Europe, the Middle East, and numerous states in America.
“Mayor Suttle was very close to his mother and spoke proudly of her strong character and work ethic,” said Aida Amoura, Mayor Suttle’s Communications Director. “The Mayor credits his Mom with his constant drive to do more as a businessman and as a public servant.”
Wanda Suttle is survived by her children: Mayor Jim Suttle, Omaha, Nebraska, Jan Suttle Johnson, Crownsville, MD, Jill Suttle Morrissett, King George, VA; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Letters of condolences may be sent to the Mayor at his City Hall address – 1819 Farnam Street, Suite 300, Omaha, NE 68183.
January 4, 2012 – Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle is calling for lawmakers to support legislation that gives flexibility to Tax Increment Financing regulations so city’s can sustain economic growth without the need for increasing taxes; allows municipalities to make capital improvements without burdening taxpayers; and assists industrial businesses in offsetting costs connected with the federally mandated Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) project.
“Omaha is responsible for 52% of Nebraska’s economy and we take this responsibility seriously,” said Mayor Suttle. “Since I took office we’ve made 37 million dollars in spending cuts while keeping vital city services available to our citizens. We streamlined government operations, found smarter, faster ways of doing business using technology, and are now looking to expand economic development through enhanced Tax Increment Finance (TIF) legislation and tax exemptions on lease purchase bonds.”
The TIF amendment to Nebraska’s Redevelopment Act would allow Omaha to be more competitive with surrounding states in attracting new opportunities for economic development. This legislation, proposed by Senator Heath Mello, would help cities by extending the financing for community development projects from 15 to 20 years.
Mayor Suttle would like to see revisions in the Community Development Law and potential Land Bank legislation that would allow Omaha to tackle a growing problem with vacant and hazardous properties in the eastern part of the city. The revisions would include lifting current barriers for those acquiring condemned property. “We need to be able to free up blighted land for redevelopment,” said Mayor Suttle. “It will allow the city to make way for new businesses, broaden the availability of jobs in vulnerable areas of our community and improve neighborhoods.”
Dec. 28, 2011 – Mayor Jim Suttle will remain focused on financially responsible choices that serve the best interest of Omaha taxpayers entering into the New Year. “2011 has been a challenging year, but we made it through, together, stronger and more committed to finding solutions that will move our city forward,” said Mayor Suttle.
The citizens of Omaha weathered a 500 year flood, financial uncertainties, and political obstacles that threatened to divide the city. “We overcame those obstacles, fought back the flood waters, and gained financial strength through successful efficiency measures which enabled us to keep our AAA bond rating against all odds,” said Suttle. “We’ve cut spending and have worked to save money so we can strengthen our economy, rebuild our infrastructure, provide jobs for our citizens and plan for the future. It is important that we keep moving in this direction.”
Among the list of actions taken by the Suttle administration on behalf of the citizens of Omaha in 2011 include;
• Restoring the Stable Outlook status to the City’s AAA bond rating following downgrades by the Federal Government
• Bringing the community and city employees together to mitigate flood damage and protect the people of Omaha.
• Making Omaha safer by taking over 700 illegal guns off the street
• Providing greater public input on city operations with a year-round virtual town-hall website called EngageOmaha.com
• Establishing online business applications for filing taxes, building permits and inspections – improving the process for users and allowing for more efficient use of city resources
• Making smartphone applications available to the public for snow operations and road conditions
• Automating the city’s budget process to be web based, increasing transparency to Omaha residents
• Collecting outdated account receivables for the city
• Developing a five year revenue outlook for long term planning
• Approving 18 Tax Increment Financing projects with a total value of $150 million dollars – more than tripling last year’s amount
• Obtaining 6.5 million dollars in competitive grant funds, which would have otherwise gone to communities in other states, to reduce crime in Omaha, improve community and economic development and provide afterschool programs for youth in our city
In 2012 Mayor Suttle will be committed to keeping streets and neighborhoods safe, which includes removing illegal guns and gangs from Omaha streets. The Mayor will also continue working with the business community to strengthen the city’s economy and will work to rebuild streets and parks so the city can secure a strong foundation for future growth. “I have emphasized long range planning because it is what is best for the future of Omaha and its citizens,” said Mayor Suttle. “We have seen what decades of short term decision making has done – while it may sound good in a political debate, taxpayers suffer in the long run and we can’t afford to continue on that path.”
In 2012 Mayor Suttle will continue working with the Environmental Protection Agency, Congress and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to secure the rights of Omaha residents to clean water, without forcing them to pay an unreasonable price.
“Most importantly in the New Year we must continue doing whatever it takes to create jobs for our citizens,” said Mayor Suttle. “Providing jobs in this economy is not easy, but it is crucial to the health of our city on so many levels and should be a priority for all of us. Entering the New Year, we should continue working together to make Omaha the best place to live.”
November 21, 2011: Today, the City of Omaha’s Public Works Department’s Environmental Quality Division announced that there will be no garbage, yard waste, or recyclable material collection on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 2011. The collection schedule will change as a result of the holiday according to the schedule below:
Collections will be on the regular schedule the following week, November 28th through December 2nd. However, that will be the final week for yard waste collection in 2011.
In addition, Christmas trees will not be collected curbside this year. Christmas tree recycling locations will be announced through the media at a later date.
Omaha citizens may direct questions to the Environmental Quality Division information line at 444 5238. An answering service, through the same number, can assist during evenings, weekends and holidays. Citizens may sign up for e-mail notification of impending solid waste collection holidays or service delays related to weather by going to join.wasteline.org
