17-954.

Public buildings; purchase or construction; bonds; approval of electors required; exception.

The mayor and city council of a city of the second class or the chairperson and village board of trustees adopting the proposition to make a purchase or erect a building or buildings for the purposes set forth in section 17-953 shall have the power to borrow money and pledge the property and credit of the city or 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 municipal 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 section 17-953, and the question of the issuance of the negotiable bonds referred to in this section may be submitted as one question at a general municipal or special election if so ordered by resolution or ordinance. Notice of the time and place of such election shall be given by publication in a legal newspaper in or of general circulation in such city or village three successive weeks immediately prior thereto. No such election for the issuance of such bonds shall be called until a petition for the election signed by at least ten percent of the legal voters of such city or village has been presented to the city council or to the village board of trustees. The number of voters voting at the last regular municipal election prior to the presenting of such petition shall be deemed the number of votes in such city or village for the purpose of determining the sufficiency of such petition. The question of bond issues for such purpose in such cities or villages when defeated shall not be resubmitted for six months from and after the date of such election. When the building to be constructed is to be used by the State of Nebraska or its agency or agencies under a lease authorized by Chapter 72, article 14, or the building is to be leased by any other political or governmental subdivision of the State of Nebraska, 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 of Nebraska is more than fifty percent of the area of the building, and when such sum does not exceed two million dollars, then no such vote of the electors will be required.