Primary-class cities have broad powers to sue, hold and transfer property, make contracts, operate utilities, receive donations, and manage tree-improvement projects.
Cities of the primary class shall be bodies corporate and politic and shall have power: (1) To sue and be sued; (2) To purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire as authorized by their home rule charters or state statutes real estate or personal property within or without the limits of the city for its use for a public purpose; (3) To purchase real or personal property upon sale for general or special taxes or assessments and to lease, sell, convey, or exchange such property so purchased; (4) To sell, convey, exchange, or lease real or personal property owned by the city in such manner and upon such terms and conditions as shall be deemed in the best interests of the city as authorized by its home rule charter, except that real estate owned by the city may be conveyed without consideration to the State of Nebraska for state armory sites or, if acquired for state armory sites, shall be conveyed in the manner strictly as provided in sections 18-1001 to 18-1006; (5) To make contracts and do all acts relative to the property and concerns of the city necessary or incident or appropriate to the exercise of its corporate powers, including powers granted by the Constitution of Nebraska or exercised by or pursuant to a home rule charter adopted pursuant thereto and including the power to execute such bonds and obligations on the part of the city as may be required in judicial proceedings; (6) To purchase, construct, and otherwise acquire, own, maintain, and operate public service and public utility property and facilities within and without the limits of the city and to redeem such property from prior encumbrance in order to protect or preserve the interest of the city therein and to exercise such other and further powers as may be necessary or incident or appropriate to the powers of such city, including powers granted by the Constitution of Nebraska or exercised by or pursuant to a home rule charter adopted pursuant thereto. If the public service or public utility property or facility is located outside the limits of the city but within the zoning jurisdiction of another political subdivision, the city and the other political subdivision may by interlocal agreement provide or exchange services, including utility services, relating to the property or facilities; (7) To receive grants, devises, donations, and bequests of money or property for public purposes in trust or otherwise; and (8) To provide for the planting, maintenance, protection, and removal of shade, ornamental, and other useful trees upon the streets or boulevards; to assess the cost thereof, when appropriate, as a special assessment against the property specially benefited to the extent of benefits received; and to provide by general ordinance for the manner in which such benefits are to be measured and the assessments calculated and the means of notice to the owners of the record title of the property proposed to be improved, including a written statement of the proposed benefits and an estimate of the costs to be assessed according to the method of assessment. The city may create districts by ordinance which shall designate the property within the district to be benefited and the method of assessment. Notwithstanding the provisions of any city charter and except as provided below, no such improvement shall be finally ordered by the city council until a petition, signed by the owners of the record title of property within the proposed district which would be subject to more than fifty percent of the total of all special assessments to be levied for the purposes authorized by this subdivision, is presented and filed with the city clerk petitioning therefor. The sufficiency of the petitions and objections so presented and the sufficiency of notice as provided in this subdivision shall be determined by the city council and its determination thereof shall be conclusive in the absence of objections made and presented to the city council prior to the letting of the contract for the improvement. If an assessment district is proposed without a prior authorizing petition as described in this subdivision, the owners of the record title of property within the proposed district which would be subject to more than fifty percent of the total of all special assessments to be levied for the purposes authorized by this subdivision may, by petition, stop formation of such district. Such written protest shall be submitted to the city council or city clerk within thirty calendar days after publication of notice concerning the ordinance in a legal newspaper in or of general circulation in the city. The powers shall be exercised by the mayor and city council except in cases otherwise specified by law. The mayor and city council shall adopt a corporate seal for the use of any officer, board, or agent of the city whose duties require an official seal. History: Laws 1901, c. 16, § 9, p. 73; Laws 1905, c. 16, § 1, p. 199; R.S.1913, § 4414; Laws 1915, c. 81, § 1, p. 206; C.S.1922, § 3798; C.S.1929, § 15-201; Laws 1935, Spec. Sess., c. 10, § 5, p. 73; Laws 1941, c. 130, § 11, p. 496; C.S.Supp.,1941, § 15-201; R.S.1943, § 15-201; Laws 1965, c. 44, § 1, p. 242; Laws 1988, LB 793, § 2; Laws 1993, LB 78, § 1; Laws 2005, LB 161, § 2; Laws 2020, LB1003, § 21.