Nebraska City

City of Nebraska City Government Pages

City Council

Did you know Nebraska City is the only municipality in the State of Nebraska that has the Commissioner form of government? In fact, although it’s the oldest form of municipal government in the United States, there are only a handful of communities still using this method of governance.

In City Commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically from 5 to 7 members, on an at-large basis. These commissioners constitute the legislative body of the city and, as a group, are responsible for taxation, appropriations, ordinances, and other general functions. Individual commissioners are assigned responsibility for a specific aspect of municipal affairs, such as public works, finance, or public safety. One commissioner is designated to be elected as Mayor. As such, this form of government blends legislative and executive branch functions in the same body.

Things you always wanted to know about City Council but were afraid to ask:

  • The City Council holds regular meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month. Except when those days are recognized holidays, then an alternate day is used, generally the next day. From time to time there will also be a need to have specially called meetings. These meetings may be called by the Mayor or two (2) Commissioners.
  • If a citizen wishes to put an item or an issue on the agenda, a form is to be completed and returned to City Hall by 5:00 pm on the Tuesday prior to the City Council meeting.
  • The Council may not discuss any item or issue that is not on the agenda.
  • A quorum is required for the Council to meet, which is three members.
  • Mayor and Council are not allowed to discuss City items or issues outside Council chambers if a quorum is present.
  • Except for items of an emergency nature, the agenda may not be altered later than 24 hours before the scheduled commencement of the Council meeting.
  • Advanced publication is simultaneously transmitted to all members of the City Council and to the public by being posted in three public places and giving notice to all branches of the media. The agenda is kept continually current and is readily available for public inspection at the office of the City Clerk.