(A) The city is authorized and empowered to purchase, or accept by gift or devise, real estate upon which to erect and erect a building or buildings for an auditorium, fire station, city building or community house for housing city 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 the construction of buildings to be leased in whole or in part by the city 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 city.
(B) Except as provided in division (C) below, before any such purchase can be made or building erected, the question shall be submitted to the electors of the city at a general city election or at an election duly called for that purpose, or as set forth in division (D) below, 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 newspaper of general circulation in the city, and no election shall be required to approve the purchase or construction unless, within 30 days after the publication of the notice, a remonstrance petition against the purchase or construction is signed by registered voters of the city equal in number to 15% of the registered voters of the city voting at the last regular city election held therein and is filed with the City Council. 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 city at a general city 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 City Council may proceed without providing the notice and right of remonstrance required in division (C)(1) above 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 City Council after notice and public hearing as provided in § 92.034 of this chapter.
(Neb. RS 17-953.01)
(D) (1) The Mayor and City Council adopting the proposition to make such purchase or erect such building or buildings for the purposes set forth in division (A) above shall have the power to borrow money and pledge the property and credit of the city 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 city 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) above, and the question of the issuance of the negotiable bonds referred to in this division (D)(1) may be submitted as one question at a general city 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 city 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 city has been presented to the City Council. The number of voters voting at the last regular city election prior to the presenting of the petition shall be deemed the number of votes in the city for the purpose of determining the sufficiency of the petition.
(4) The question of bond issues for such purpose in the city, 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)