Some people are questioning how the city of Lincoln is spending tax dollars

The city of Lincoln is being questioned after spending $190,000 from the general fund. It was spent on an educational campaign for the quarter-cent sales tax issue.

The general fund includes funds for snow removal.

Councilwoman, Cyndi Lamm says the money should have been used for snow removal or pothole repair.

“The budget for 2018-2019 was about $4 million and with the February 25th blizzard, the city used $2.8 million of it so now we have $1.2 million remaining,” said Lamm.

Channel 8 Eyewitness News reached out to the city attorney who said the campaign is not illegal since the money is technically being used for public education. It would be illegal if it was considered to be an advocacy campaign.

“I think it’s ludicrous to think that the taxpayers, there money would be used in order to persuade them to raise their own taxes,” said Lamm.

Mayor Chris Beutler released a statement regarding the money used for the educational campaign.

“Lincoln residents will vote on a $78 million ballot issue, that if approved, will dramatically improve street repairs across the city. This is a vote that will impact people’s lives for decades to come.
That’s why it’s critical that Lincoln residents know the facts. Public information is an important part of government transparency. Why does Cyndi Lamm want to stop neutral, fact-based information from reaching voters?
Unfortunately Cyndi Lamm is using the spending on public information to distract from the fact that she opposes our plan to fix Lincoln’s neighborhood streets. That isn’t transparent. If citizens follow Cyndi Lamm’s road, our streets will continue to seriously deteriorate for years to come.
We need to fix Lincoln’s streets now.“

The $190,000 spent on the education campaign will include brochures in Lincoln water bills, television and radio announcements and four open houses for the public.