(A) The village is authorized and empowered to purchase, accept by gift or devise, purchase real estate upon which to erect, and erect a building or buildings for an auditorium, fire station, village building, or community house for housing village enterprises and social and recreation purposes, and other public buildings, including the construction of buildings authorized to be constructed by Neb. RS Chapter 72, article 14, and including construction of buildings to be leased in whole or in part by the village to any other political or governmental subdivision of the state authorized by law to lease such buildings, and maintain, manage, and operate the same for the benefit of the inhabitants of the village.
(B) Except as provided in division (C) of this section, before any such purchase can be made or building erected, the question shall be submitted to the electors of the village at a general village election or at an election duly called for that purpose, or as set forth in division (D) of this section, and be adopted by a majority of the electors voting on such question.
(Neb. RS 17-953)
(C) If the funds to be used to finance the purchase or construction of a building pursuant to this section are available other than through a bond issue, then either:
(1) Notice of the proposed purchase or construction shall be published in a legal newspaper in or of general circulation in the village and no election shall be required to approve the purchase or construction unless within 30 days after the publication of the notice, a petition against the purchase or construction is signed by registered voters of the village equal in number to 15% of the registered voters of the village voting at the last regular village election held therein and is filed with the Board of Trustees. If the date for filing the petition falls upon a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the signatures shall be collected within the 30-day period, but the filing shall be considered timely if filed or postmarked on or before the next business day. If a petition with the necessary number of qualified signatures is timely filed, the question shall be submitted to the voters of the village at a general village election or a special election duly called for that purpose. If the purchase or construction is not approved, the property involved shall not then, nor within one year following the election, be purchased or constructed; or
(2) The Board of Trustees may proceed without providing the notice and right of petition required in division (C)(1) of this section if the property can be purchased below the fair market value as determined by an appraisal, there is a willing seller, and the purchase price is less than $25,000. The purchase shall be approved by the Board of Trustees after notice and public hearing as provided in § 92.34.
(Neb. RS 17-953.01)
(D) (1) The Board of Trustees adopting the proposition to make such purchase or erect such building or buildings for the purposes set forth in division (A) of this section shall have the power to borrow money and pledge the property and credit of the village upon its negotiable bonds. No such bonds shall be issued until after the same have been authorized by a majority vote of the electors voting on the proposition of their issuance, at a general village election or at a special election called for the submission of such proposition. The question of such purchase or erection of such a building or buildings, as set forth in division (A) of this section, and the question of the issuance of the negotiable bonds referred to in this division may be submitted as one question at a general village or special election if so ordered by resolution or ordinance.
(2) Notice of the time and place of the election shall be given by publication in some legal newspaper printed in or of general circulation in the village three successive weeks immediately prior thereto.
(3) No such election for the issuance of such bonds shall be called until a petition therefor signed by at least 10% of the legal voters of the village has been presented to the Board of Trustees. The number of voters voting at the last regular village election prior to the presenting of the petition shall be deemed the number of votes in the village for the purpose of determining the sufficiency of the petition.
(4) The question of bond issues for such purpose in the village when defeated shall not be resubmitted for six months from and after the date of such election.
(5) When the building to be constructed is to be used by the state or its agency or agencies under a lease authorized by Neb. RS Chapter 72, article 14, or the building is to be leased by any other political or governmental subdivision of the state, when the combined area of the building to be leased by the state or its agency or agencies and the political or governmental subdivision of the state is more than 50% of the area of the building, and when such sum does not exceed $2,000,000, then no such vote of the electors will be required.
(Neb. RS 17-954)