March 15, 2010
The Permits and Inspections Division announced today the launch of a new service that allows citizens and businesses to schedule inspections on-line. Inspection scheduling can be performed on all permit types including: Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical. The portal can be used to schedule inspections, check the status of a permit or inspection on the Internet, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“The launch of these on-line services is an important step in the City’s goal to provide more services online,” said Mayor Suttle. “Increasing City government efficiency and responsiveness is an ongoing goal of this administration.”
The Permits and Inspections Division also provided the first of multiple training sessions to familiarize the building community with the new on-line services. Twenty-one companies and forty people attended the first round of training. Additional training sessions are scheduled. For more information, visit the Planning Department’s website.
March 11, 2010
Mayor Jim Suttle of Omaha and Mayor Tom Hanafan of Council Bluffs have partnered to respond to a Request for Information (RFI) from Google to bring ultra high-speed internet to the Metro area. The cities are also joined in their response by the City of Carter Lake, to present Google with a regional opportunity to deploy their Fiber project. According to the RFI, the internet speeds would be “100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today.”
The effort to partner resulted from a conversation between Mayors Hanafan and Suttle, in which the two agreed that strength could be given to a response if the two cities, along with Carter Lake, were able to partner on the RFI. Both mayors have a shared goal to work together and make decisions that benefit the entire region, making the Google joint response a natural fit.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for Omaha and our entire region to 
benefit from new technology,” Mayor Suttle said. “Bringing Google Fiber to Omaha and Council Bluffs could mean the addition of more Google jobs and the potential to be the first cities nationwide to pilot a brand new Google product.”
“Our regional approach to the RFI will help our cities stand out in what is sure to be a highly competitive selection process,” Mayor Hanafan said. “The benefits of bringing Google Fiber to the Metro area would be significant, providing opportunities for individuals and businesses to have access to the fastest internet speeds available. It would be a great asset to our entire region.”
The mayors have joined forces with both the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce to complete the RFI, while also seeking community support through a nomination process.
The Google Fiber RFI gives residents and community groups the opportunity to go online and nominate their community at: http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options. The online form provides an opportunity for individuals to tell Google how they would utilize ultra-high speed internet if the company chose to build the network in their community. The form also encourages respondents to create YouTube videos to support their nomination.
Community support is already building for the project, as the Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/GoogleFiberOmahaCouncilBluffs created on Monday, March 8, had over 1,000 supporters in less than 48 hours.
March 11, 2010
Teens can increase their chances of landing a great job by attending Omaha Public Library’s Fifth Annual Teen Job Fair for ages 16 - 19, noon to 4:00 pm, Monday, March 22, at Omaha Public Library’s W. Clarke Swanson Branch, 9101 W. Dodge Road. Employers will be hiring teens for both part-time and summer jobs.
The event is free and registration is not required. W. Clarke Swanson Branch is normally closed on Mondays, but will be open on March 22 just to host the Teen Job Fair.
Numerous Omaha employers will accept applications and discuss job opportunities, including: Alegent Health; Arby’s; Bag ‘N Save; Catholic Charities Christ Child Center; City of Omaha Human Resources, Police Department, and Fire Department; Delia’s (Westroads); The Employment Guide; Gallup; Hy-Vee; Job Corps; McDonald’s Restaurants; Old Navy; Omaha Public Library; Omaha Steaks; Perkins Restaurant; Salvation Army; U.S. Army/Army Reserves; and West Corporation.
Six of the companies attending will conduct on-site interviews in addition to discussing opportunities and receiving applications.
Teens should dress to meet employers and bring black pens; their social security number; the names, addresses, and phone numbers of their school, previous employers, and three references; and a resume if they have one. More than 25 computers will be available at W. Clarke Swanson Branch for online applications.
Special programs to help teens get ready for the Job Fair will be offered at the following locations:
- Teens and Jobs–Hired, Fired, Promoted–a Lunch Panel Discussion, Saturday, March 13, 1-2 p.m. -
W. Dale Clark Library, 215 S. 15th St., 402.444.4800
- Build a Resume & Tune Up Your Interview Skills, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 6:30-7:30 p.m. - W. Clarke Swanson Branch, 9101 W. Dodge Rd., 402.444.4852
- Build Your Resume for Teens, Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4-5 p.m.
Charles B. Washington Branch, 2868 Ames Ave., 402.444.4849
- Resume Help for Teens, Friday, March 19, 2010 - 4:30-5:30 p.m.
A. V. Sorensen Branch, 4808 Cass St., 402.444.5274)
- Job Fair Basics, Saturday, March 20, 2010 - 11 a.m.-noon - Millard Branch, 13214 Westwood Ln., 402.444.4848
Registration for a library card is always available at any of Omaha Public Library’s 12 locations. Visit omahalibrary.org for information on additional upcoming events at Omaha Public Library’s 12 metro locations.
March 8, 2010
Today, Mayor Suttle awarded certificates of service to a group of high school seniors who have served the past two years as members of the Mayor’s Youth Commission (MYC). The Commission has two members from each Omaha high school, including one representative of the junior class and one representative of the senior class. The MYC meets every other month at City Hall.
The purpose of the MYC is to provide the Mayor with:
1) Outreach opportunities to young people throughout the Omaha community;
2) Suggestions for improving community relations between city departments and youth; and
3) Ways to incorporate the ideas of young people into long-term city planning.
Mayor Suttle and members of the Mayor’s Youth Commission.
March 3, 2010
Mayor Jim Suttle today announced that the City will take a hiatus on privatizing City golf courses. The privatization of the courses has been pursued as a potential remedy for the $760,000 deficit in the Golf Enterprise Fund. However, a golf study conducted recently concluded that the City may not be able to achieve profitability through privatization. The study did suggest that modernization of the existing golf courses could bring greater revenue.
Melinda Pearson, the City’s new Parks Director, will begin implementing several of the recommendations outlined in the study. Those changes will include the elimination of PGA professionals at the City’s 9 hole courses, improvements to the quality of the golf course buildings and cart paths and the possible addition of an online tee time booking system.
”I’ve listened to the many ideas brought forth by our City’s golfers and want to incorporate these ideas into the recommendations of the golf study,” said Mayor Suttle. “Providing the best possible experience for golfers in the most cost effective way has always been my goal for our City’s golf courses.”
February 26, 2010
The Mayor’s Office announced today that Public Works crews are continuing their aggressive efforts at pothole patching. These operations are continuing 24 hours a day, six days a week. Crews are using a hot asphalt mix, which is more effective than cold asphalt. Patching is being done on the more badly damaged road surfaces.
“I ask that motorists please be aware that crews will be out working on our streets,” Mayor Suttle said . “Please use extra caution when driving in the vicinity of workers as they work diligently to repair the blizzard of potholes that are a result of this record winter.”
To report a pothole, call Street Maintenance at 444-4919 or the Mayor’s Hotline at 444-5555. You can also report a pothole online here.
In mid-May and as the weather allows, the Public Works Department will use $3 million of stimulus funding to begin a range of street resurfacing projects.
Click on MORE to see where crews will begin resurfacing in May.
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February 16, 2010
Mayor Jim Suttle today delivered his first State of the City Address at the Hot Shops Art Center. The mayor chose the Hot Shops as the venue for his speech to highlight the important role arts and culture play in making Omaha a destination City.
The full text of Mayor Suttle’s State of the City Address is below:
Good morning. Thank you Dana for that introduction and those terrific words. Thank you Tim for hosting us this morning. This is truly a beautiful location and you have created a phenomenal artist colony here at the Hot Shops.
I’d also like to thank everyone for joining me this morning, including members of the City Council, other elected officials, cabinet members, staff and interested citizens. Take a look at these walls and the art all around us and you will see examples of the depth and breadth of talent that exists in our community. Omaha is a community rich in talent, knowledge and creativity and is blessed by cultural facilities that make us the gem of America’s Midwest.
The Durham Museum is one of the greatest examples of art deco in the world. There is also the Joslyn, the charm of the Old Market and the newly developing NoDo. There is an ever increasing variety of performing arts at both small and large venues including the Qwest Center, the Holland Performing Arts Center, Film Streams and the Kaneko. We have witnessed the transformational development of our Riverfront, highlighted by the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge; and we have made significant improvements to our parks, lakes and recreational trails system.
On both sides of the River, you can see dirt being moved and cranes lifting progress upward in our skyline. Omaha is on the move and we are building a city that is a great place to live and work and a great place to visit and invest.
This is the message that must be delivered outside of these walls and outside of this city. The time is now to tell the full story of Omaha.
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February 10, 2010
As part of an effort to increase communication with citizens through the web, Mayor Suttle has re-designed the Mayor’s Office website. The new design incorporates many features of the previous website while adding several new interactive features.
Citizens may still access the Mayor’s Hotline, provide feedback to the mayor, obtain information about Boards and Commissions, and find information about City and County services.
New features include:
- A summary of the mayor’s priorities and related news items.
- Links to the mayor’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
- Information about each of the City’s department directors.
- And a service to sign up for periodic e-mail updates from Mayor Suttle.
- Visitors can also access information about requesting the mayor to speak at a community event or present an official City proclamation.
The new site was designed by the Omaha-based company SecretPenguin, working with the Douglas-Omaha Technology Commission (DOTComm). The mayor extends his thanks to those who worked on the site, including: Dave Nelson, Matt Helt, Cody Peterson, and Jason Sawyer from SecretPenguin, and Carrie Guinn, Deanna Hughes, Erin Cox, and Shey Joon Teoh from DotComm.
Mayor Suttle plans to continue to enhance the City’s e-government initiatives, make more services available online, and improve communication between the mayor’s office and the citizens.
Please provide feedback about the new site here: http://www.cityofomaha.org/mayor/contact-us.
