City ordinances for parking on lawns and other “non hard” surfaces already exist, making it illegal to park on unpaved or hard surfaces. The current ordinance is enforced by city planning code enforcement inspectors and not the police.

 A new ordinance (#43768) has been proposed by council member Ron Hug who represents district 4 in South Omaha and is a huge disservice to the community he serves. This new ordinance would criminalize parking on grass on private property. This would allow the police to issue a ticket with a $500 fine and a court date. If you fail to go to court a warrant will be issued. Our city currently has a shortage of 105 police officers. Parking on the grass is the least of our worries and this should not fall under the OPD to enforce.

THE VOTE IS THIS TUESDAY, April 9th  AT @2pm at the city council meeting. We want to bring attention to this critical issue that will affect thousands of residents in our community. This will have the greatest impact on the South, East and North Omaha communities. This new ordinance is discriminatory and is targeting our communities.

The city’s attempt to criminalize parking on grass raises significant concerns for our fellow residents. These “undesignated” parking areas have served as a vital resource for those who cannot afford more expensive parking options, providing a practical and accessible solution to their daily parking needs. Parking is extremely limited in our areas. The city is not offering solutions to the parking issues, instead they want to make a profit.

Many residents have gravel or rock driveways which from the current zoning aspect are legal to park on. Under this new proposed ordinance, the city would not allow parking on gravel driveways and there will be no exemptions to the law. The city wants to hold its citizens to higher standards than the city itself. Many of our Omaha baseball fields, football fields and city parks that we enjoy for youth sporting events and recreation have gravel road parking and overflow parking is on the grass. This affects churches during large gatherings with limited parking as well. Will the city be using our tax dollars to unnecessarily pave these parks to accommodate their own law?

Your signature can make a significant difference. Please find attached the petition, and we kindly ask you to sign and share it with your neighbors, friends, and family members. Together, we can ensure that the City Council considers the needs and concerns of ALL residents and work towards creating a more accessible and inclusive community.