WayneNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Wayne Mayor & City Council Election 2026

4 of 8 council seats are on the ballot, with 6 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 to request a mailed early ballot (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.

All Wayne voters choose the mayor, and each ward elects one of its two council members this year; only Ward 2 has more than one candidate.

Last day to request a mailed early ballot · 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

01Electric rates3 sourced facts

Where it standsElectric rates rise 6.5% with October 2026 bills and another 6.5% a year later, smaller than the 11% a rate study recommended.

What's on the tableThe council sets electric rates and decides how the Electric Fund's reserves are used.

  • JEO Consulting recommended an 11% electric rate increase across the board; rates had not been adjusted since 2019. City of Wayne · Jul 6, 2026
  • Resolution 2026-48 raises electric rates 6.5% each year for two years, starting with the October 1, 2026 bill; it passed with Chris Woehler voting no and Brittany Webber absent. City of Wayne · Jul 6, 2026
  • The finance director said the Electric Fund held $9.1 million and that the city will be bonding out a portion of that for the substation. City of Wayne · Jul 6, 2026
02Property tax and budget4 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council adopted a $57.3 million budget for 2026-2027 and a property tax request of $1,673,963.62 in September 2026.

What's on the tableThe council sets the city's property tax request and adopts the budget every year.

03Downtown streetscape4 sourced facts

Where it standsIn May 2026 the council hired JEO Consulting Group for a $40,000 downtown streetscape master plan and set aside Keno funds for the planning.

What's on the tableThe council will decide whether to build downtown street and curb improvements and how much city money to put in.

041100 E 10th Street building3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe city owns the 24,820-square-foot building at 1100 E 10th Street and is studying its future use; no decisions have been made.

What's on the tableThe council will decide how the building is used after the planning study.

  • The City of Wayne bought the building at 1100 E 10th Street in December 2023. City of Wayne
  • The council approved a $30,000 agreement with JEO Consulting Group for a planning study of the building in May 2026. City of Wayne · May 18, 2026
  • In January 2026 the council voted 7-1 to file a letter of intent for a state planning grant for the former FNBO building at 1100 E 10th Street. City of Wayne · Jan 5, 2026
05Prairie Park3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe city awarded a $1.63 million contract in April 2026 to build Prairie Park Phase 4 baseball fields.

What's on the tableThe council approves change orders and decides how much sales tax money goes to Prairie Park versus other projects.

3 notes on these statements

Jill Brodersen is the only candidate for mayor, and Joe Whitt, Jason Karsky and Dallas Dorey are the only candidates in Wards 1, 3 and 4; Chris Woehler and Alex Koch are listed in Ward 2. Wayne County Clerk · Sep 16, 2026

In the May 12, 2026 primary for Ward 2, Alex Koch received 57 votes, Christopher Woehler and Greg Vander Weil 41 each, and Scott JM Abraham 11. Wayne County · May 12, 2026

The council approved the mayoral appointment of Joe Whitt as Ward 1 council member in November 2025. City of Wayne · Nov 17, 2025

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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. How should Wayne raise electric rates?

  2. 2. Should the city's 2026-2027 property tax request be higher than last year's?

  3. 3. Should the city use $40,000 in Keno funds to plan downtown streetscape improvements?

  4. 4. Should the city pay for a study of new uses for the 1100 E 10th Street building?

  5. 5. Should the city have added infield irrigation to the new Prairie Park baseball fields for about $14,000?

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

4 stay (not up this year): Parker Bolte, Austyn Houser, Dwaine Spieker, Brittany Webber4 on this ballot

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

  • Wayne is divided into four wards, each represented by two council members with staggered four-year terms. City of Wayne
  • The mayor is elected by all citizens of the city and serves a four-year term. City of Wayne
  • The council meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first and third Monday of each month at City Hall, 513 Main Street. City of Wayne
  • In a city of the first class, the mayor may vote on ordinances, resolutions and spending orders only when the council is equally divided or a majority of all elected members cannot be reached due to absence, vacancy or abstention. Nebraska Revised Statutes 16-404

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