Omaha Mayor John Ewing issued a statement today regarding the Streetcar Impact Alliance, a group of business owners and residents affected by Streetcar construction and related utility construction: Today I met with representatives of the Streetcar Impact Alliance. I included members from my office, our Public Works and Law Departments and two members of the Omaha City Council: President Danny Begley and Member LaVonya Goodwin. Our goal is to collaborate with this group of businesses along our streetcar route and advance our shared interest in driving traffic through their doors. We had a frank, robust discussion about their challenges and needs. I hope we keep this discussion ongoing while also coming together as a city to reach their front doors. It is possible to get anywhere in Omaha. We want these businesses to survive, and we need the people of Omaha to patronize them. We appreciate how impactful construction can be. Certainly, this massive project - the biggest Omaha has...

The Omaha City Council heard lengthy testimony last week regarding an ordinance to approve a $70 million lease revenue bond issue to support the streetcar project. When the item appeared on a city council agenda earlier this month, there was some public backlash, particularly on social media, regarding the project’s financial situation. City council members used the public hearing to clarify what the $70 million represents in the overall project. In 2022, the city council approved up to $440 million in bonds to help finance the streetcar project. It was originally contemplated that $360 million would be from revenue bonds, while $80 million would come from lease revenue bonds. The primary difference between the two types of bonds is that the city backs lease revenue bonds while revenue bonds are only paid by the streetcar-related Tax Increment Financing revenue generated by new projects along the streetcar route. In 2022, the interest rates were fairly comparable, with revenue bonds...