(1) Any incorporated municipality other than a city of the metropolitan class by ordinance of its governing body is hereby authorized to impose a sales and use tax of one-half percent, one percent, one and one-half percent, one and three-quarters percent, or two percent upon the same transactions that are sourced under the provisions of sections 77-2703.01 to 77-2703.04 within such incorporated municipality on which the State of Nebraska is authorized to impose a tax pursuant to the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967, as amended from time to time. Any city of the metropolitan class by ordinance of its governing body is hereby authorized to impose a sales and use tax of one-half percent, one percent, or one and one-half percent upon the same transactions that are sourced under the provisions of sections 77-2703.01 to 77-2703.04 within such city of the metropolitan class on which the State of Nebraska is authorized to impose a tax pursuant to the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967, as amended from time to time. No sales and use tax shall be imposed pursuant to this section until an election has been held and a majority of the qualified electors have approved such tax pursuant to sections 77-27,142.01 and 77-27,142.02.

(2)(a) Any incorporated municipality that proposes to impose a municipal sales and use tax at a rate greater than one and one-half percent or increase a municipal sales and use tax to a rate greater than one and one-half percent shall submit the question of such tax or increase at a primary or general election held within the incorporated municipality. The question shall be submitted upon an affirmative vote by at least seventy percent of all of the members of the governing body of the incorporated municipality.

(i) In a city of the primary class, up to fifteen percent of the proceeds from the rate in excess of one and one-half percent may be used for non-public infrastructure projects of an interlocal agreement or joint public agency agreement with another political subdivision within the municipality or the county in which the municipality is located, and the remaining proceeds shall be used for public infrastructure projects or voter-approved infrastructure related to an economic development program as defined in section 18-2705; and

(ii) In any incorporated municipality other than a city of the primary class, the proceeds from the rate in excess of one and one-half percent shall be used for public infrastructure projects or voter-approved infrastructure related to an economic development program as defined in section 18-2705.

For purposes of this section, public infrastructure project means and includes, but is not limited to, any of the following projects, or any combination thereof: Public highways and bridges and municipal roads, streets, bridges, and sidewalks; solid waste management facilities; wastewater, storm water, and water treatment works and systems, water distribution facilities, and water resources projects, including, but not limited to, pumping stations, transmission lines, and mains and their appurtenances; hazardous waste disposal systems; resource recovery systems; airports; port facilities; buildings and capital equipment used in the operation of municipal government; convention and tourism facilities; redevelopment projects as defined in section 18-2103; mass transit and other transportation systems, including parking facilities; and equipment necessary for the provision of municipal services.

(c) Any rate greater than one and one-half percent shall terminate no more than ten years after its effective date or, if bonds are issued and the local option sales and use tax revenue is pledged for payment of such bonds, upon payment of such bonds and any refunding bonds, whichever date is later, except as provided in subdivision (2)(d) of this section.

(d) If a portion of the rate greater than one and one-half percent is stated in the ballot question as being imposed for the purpose of the interlocal agreement or joint public agency agreement described in subdivision (2)(b)(i) or subsection (3) of this section, and such portion is at least one-eighth percent, there shall be no termination date for the rate representing such portion rounded to the next higher one-quarter or one-half percent.

(e) For fiscal years beginning prior to July 1, 2025, sections 13-518 to 13-522 apply to the revenue from any such tax or increase.

(3)(a) No municipal sales and use tax shall be imposed at a rate greater than one and one-half percent or increased to a rate greater than one and one-half percent unless the municipality is a party to an interlocal agreement pursuant to the Interlocal Cooperation Act or a joint public agency agreement pursuant to the Joint Public Agency Act with a political subdivision within the municipality or the county in which the municipality is located creating a separate legal or administrative entity relating to a public infrastructure project.

(b) Except as provided in subdivision (2)(b)(i) of this section, such interlocal agreement or joint public agency agreement shall contain provisions, including benchmarks, relating to the long-term development of unified governance of public infrastructure projects with respect to the parties. The Legislature may provide additional requirements for such agreements, including benchmarks, but such additional requirements shall not apply to any debt outstanding at the time the Legislature enacts such additional requirements. The separate legal or administrative entity created shall not be one that was in existence for one calendar year preceding the submission of the question of such tax or increase at a primary or general election held within the incorporated municipality.

(c) Any other public agency as defined in section 13-803 may be a party to such interlocal cooperation agreement or joint public agency agreement.

(d) A municipality is not required to use all of the additional revenue generated by a sales and use tax imposed at a rate greater than one and one-half percent or increased to a rate greater than one and one-half percent under this subsection for the purposes of the interlocal cooperation agreement or joint public agency agreement set forth in this subsection.

(4) The provisions of subsections (2) and (3) of this section do not apply to the first one and one-half percent of a sales and use tax imposed by a municipality.

(5) Notwithstanding any provision of any municipal charter, any incorporated municipality or interlocal agency or joint public agency pursuant to an agreement as provided in subsection (3) of this section may issue bonds in one or more series for any municipal purpose and pay the principal of and interest on any such bonds by pledging receipts from the increase in the municipal sales and use taxes authorized by such municipality. Any municipality which has or may issue bonds under this section may dedicate a portion of its property tax levy authority as provided in section 77-3442 to meet debt service obligations under the bonds. For purposes of this subsection, bond means any evidence of indebtedness, including, but not limited to, bonds, notes including notes issued pending long-term financing arrangements, warrants, debentures, obligations under a loan agreement or a lease-purchase agreement, or any similar instrument or obligation.

Source:Laws 1969, c. 629, § 1, p. 2530; Laws 1978, LB 394, § 1; Laws 1978, LB 902, § 1; Laws 1979, LB 365, § 1; Laws 1981, LB 40, § 1; Laws 1985, LB 116, § 1; Laws 1986, LB 890, § 1; Laws 2003, LB 282, § 80; Laws 2012, LB357, § 1; Laws 2013, LB104, § 1; Laws 2024, First Spec. Sess., LB34, § 24.
Effective Date: August 21, 2024

Cross References

Interlocal Cooperation Act, see section 13-801.

Joint Public Agency Act, see section 13-2501.

Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967, see section 77-2701.

Annotations

City use tax was properly imposed upon property stored in the city for approximately one year before shipment to its ultimate destination within this state. Omaha P. P. Dist. v. Nebraska State Tax Commissioner, 210 Neb 309, 314 N.W.2d 246 (1982).

This section does not limit the power to propose or reject ordinances concerning a municipal sales tax to the legislative body of a municipality, and does not except sales tax ordinances from the usual power of initiative and referendum. State ex rel. Boyer v. Grady, 201 Neb. 360, 269 N.W.2d 73 (1978).