CozadNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Cozad Mayor & City Council Election 2026

2 of 4 council seats are on the ballot, with 5 candidates running. Updated Oct 20, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

Find where to voteCheck your registration
Last day for in-person voter registration (Oct 23): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Cozad voters elect the mayor citywide and one City Council member in each of the two wards this year. Two council members stay on the four-member council.

Last day for in-person voter registration · Oct 23

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

What the next council decides

01Hiring a city administrator4 sourced facts

Where it standsFormer Kearney City Manager Mike Morgan is serving as Cozad's interim city administrator under a contract that runs until December 31, 2026.

What's on the tableThe council will decide whether to extend the interim arrangement and whom to hire as the permanent city administrator.

02Wastewater plant upgrade and utility rates3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe city has awarded a contract of up to $13.9 million for wastewater treatment improvements and authorized revenue bonds to help pay for them.

What's on the tableThe council will oversee the construction contract, the bond repayments and future water and sewer rates.

03Property taxes and the city budget3 sourced facts

Where it standsIn September 2026 the council set the 2026-2027 property tax request at $954,426.25.

What's on the tableThe council will set next year's tax request and budget.

04Public transportation funding2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe city provides a local match for R.Y.D.E. Transit, and residents have asked the council to shift some of that money to the Grand Generation Center's senior bus.

What's on the tableThe council will decide each year how much to give R.Y.D.E. and whether to help fund the senior bus.

05City loans for land and equipment2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe city has taken on loans for the ballfield land and for new utility and sanitation trucks.

What's on the tableThe council will decide whether to finance future land and equipment purchases with loans.

  • In March 2026 the council voted 3-1 to take over the remaining land note of about $215,000 for the ballfield. City of Cozad · Mar 31, 2026
  • In August 2026 the council approved a $274,000 Homestead Bank loan for a digger derrick truck and a $195,775 loan for a roll-off truck, each for 6 years at 4.79%. City of Cozad · Aug 17, 2026
2 notes on these statements

Chadd Bice (311 votes) and Brian Woldt (205 votes) received the most votes of the five candidates for Cozad Mayor in the May 12, 2026 primary. Dawson County · May 12, 2026

The City of Cozad lists a meet-the-candidates event with mayoral candidates Chadd Bice and Brian Woldt at the Wilson Public Library on Tuesday, October 27 at 5:30 p.m. City of Cozad · Oct 16, 2026

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. Should Cozad keep an interim city administrator under contract while it looks for a permanent one?

  2. 2. Should the city borrow through revenue bonds to pay for wastewater plant improvements?

  3. 3. Should the city keep its property tax request at about $954,000?

  4. 4. Where should the city's local transit money go?

  5. 5. Should the city use loans to buy land and equipment?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted9 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.

Key dates

The seat math

2 stay (not up this year): Jennifer Howerter, Pat Worthman2 on this ballot

4 council seats plus a mayor who doesn't vote on council items. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

  • Cozad's city government is a mayor and four City Council members. City of Cozad
  • Each ward of a Nebraska city of the second class has at least two council members, elected by voters who live in that ward. Nebraska Legislature
  • Under Nebraska law the mayor of a city of the second class presides at council meetings and votes only to break a tie or when a majority cannot otherwise be reached. Nebraska Legislature
  • Mayor Marcus Kloepping is not seeking a third term. KRVN Rural Radio

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