The Omaha City Council opened its Dec. 16 meeting with Council member Brinker Harding addressing a recent terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia. Harding read a statement he had previously shared at a press conference at the Jewish Community Center, commemorating the victims and condemning antisemitism.
The council later recognized Scott Hazelrigg, the founding executive director of the NorthStar Foundation, for his work with Omaha youth. Council member Pete Festersen presented a proclamation signed by all council members declaring Dec. 16 “Mr. Scott Day” in Omaha. Hazelrigg, who is stepping down at the end of the year, was credited with helping shape programming that has served approximately 850 students annually since the NorthStar campus opened in 2007.
More than 90 minutes of the meeting were devoted to liquor license applications, with most approved unanimously. Several applications were corrected to adjust hours of operation or license class, including Dreamland Lounge, which was approved after changing its hours and switching from a Class C to a Class I license. One application, for 879 Bar in the Old Market, failed to get approval after a divided vote. The council also approved planning items, housing-related ordinances and consent agenda measures, including actions tied to affordable housing developments and the Union Omaha soccer stadium project.
Meeting documented by Melanie McLeod
Read full meeting notes here
