O'NeillNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

O'Neill Mayor & City Council Election 2026

4 of 8 council seats are on the ballot, with 7 candidates running. Updated Oct 20, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

Not sure who to vote for? Answer 4 questions and see which candidates agree with you, and why.

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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.

O'Neill voters elect the mayor citywide and one City Council member in each of the four wards this year. Four council members, including mayoral candidate Kayla M. Burdick, are not on the council ballot and stay on the eight-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.

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

What the next council decides

01Sewer plant repairs and bonds4 sourced facts

Where it standsThe city is repairing an anaerobic digester at its sewer plant. It financed the work first with short-term notes and in September 2026 authorized long-term general obligation sewer bonds.

What's on the tableThe next council will oversee the project's final cost and the repayment of the sewer bonds.

02City budget and property tax4 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council adopted a $13.7 million budget for 2026-2027 in September 2026. The property tax request rose 3.46% while the levy rate fell 9% because valuations rose about 14%.

What's on the tableThe next council will set the 2027-2028 budget and property tax request.

03Economic development sales tax (LB840)4 sourced facts

Where it standsVoters approved continuing O'Neill's half-cent sales tax for its economic development program at the May 2026 primary. The council approves grants and loans from the program each month.

What's on the tableThe council will decide which business grants, loans and property improvement projects the program funds.

04Street projects and road bonds3 sourced facts

Where it standsIn 2025 the council issued bonds backed by state highway allocation funds to cover costs of the 2019 flood road projects that FEMA did not pay.

What's on the tableThe next council will update the one- and six-year street plan and decide how to pay for future street projects.

1 note on these statements

Holt County's primary election notice lists Michelle Liewer (Ward I), Tim J. Schneider (Ward II), Paul Asche (Ward III), and Beth Walsh and Andrew Huber (Ward IV) as O'Neill City Council candidates automatically nominated to the general election ballot. Holt County Clerk · Mar 20, 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 the city borrow money to repair the sewer plant's anaerobic digester?

  2. 2. Should the city raise its property tax request about 3.5% for 2026-2027?

  3. 3. Should the city use its option to exceed the state budget limit by an additional 1%?

  4. 4. Should the city borrow against future state highway funds to pay for street costs?

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 voted15 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.

Key dates

The seat math

3 stay (not up this year): Tim Gleason, Chris Laursen, Quana Wheeler4 on this ballot

8 council seats plus a mayor who doesn't vote on council items. The council decides by a 5-vote majority.

  • The mayor presides at City Council meetings and may vote only when the council is equally divided. City of O'Neill
  • The mayor is elected at the city election and serves a four-year term. City of O'Neill
  • The City Council has eight members, two from each of Wards I through IV. City of O'Neill
  • In the May 12, 2026 primary, Kayla M. Burdick received 411 votes, Scott Menish 246, Quana Kelly-Wheeler 130 and R. Dean Sidak 94 for mayor. Holt County · May 19, 2026

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