Omaha leaders are proposing a new fee that requires anyone who works in Omaha — but who doesn’t live there — to pay a $50 commuter tax. The idea is meeting strong resistance from residents in surrounding Iowa and Nebraska communities.

Bellevue (Nebraska) City Councilwoman Carol Blood says people from both sides of the Missouri River who plan to attend tonight’s (Tuesday) meeting to discuss fighting the tax. “We have gotten responses from as far away as Glenwood, Iowa, and from as close as La Vista, Nebraska,” Blood says. She’s expecting good attendance at the meeting, especially from residents of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Blood says, “We have no idea on how many people will be in attendance but we look for a favorable amount of people to attend.”

She’s leading the effort to stop the so-called “wheel tax” and has looked into alternatives if the issue can’t be resolved at the local level. Blood has invited Iowa officials who are concerned about their residents paying this additional “tax” to bail out Omaha’s empty coffers.

Blood says, “We have had some discussion with some folks in Iowa in reference to the Interstate Commerce Act and how this may affect the residents in Iowa that work in Omaha.” The meeting will be held in the Bellevue Council Chambers at 6 P.M. 1 P.M.

By Karla James