FREMONT — After three-plus hours of testimony at a crowded public hearing Tuesday night, the mayor of Fremont broke a 4-4 council vote and killed a proposal targeting illegal immigrants.

The proposed ordinance — believed to be a first for a Nebraska city — would have barred renting housing to or hiring illegal immigrants.

The City Council had planned to take testimony and have its own discussion of the ordinance, which was set for a final vote Aug. 26.

But toward the end of the meeting, which drew more than 1,000 people, the council voted 7-1 to suspend its rules and make its decision.

“This weighs very heavily on me,” said Mayor Don “Skip” Edwards, whose vote doomed the proposal.

He said he had talked about the proposal with Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning and other attorneys. “We all agreed control is a federal issue,” he said.

Bruning has kept some distance from the issue because it is a city matter but has agreed that a related 1997 opinion stands.

That opinion said the state had no authority to impose sanctions against businesses for employing illegal immigrants.

City Attorney Dean Skokan has previously brought that opinion to the council's attention, saying the city didn't have authority, either.

The issue has stirred strong opinions. Tuesday's hearing drew comment from Fremont residents and many other from Omaha, Lincoln and other nearby areas.

Supporters of the proposal expressed their frustration over lax enforcement by federal officials. They pointed to medical costs, job losses and increased crime among the impact illegal immigrants have had.

Opponents, meanwhile, voiced concern about discrimination and worries the proposal could cause more problems than bring solutions.

Fremont resident Marv Eden encouraged the council to move ahead with its plan, saying that if more cities enacted such laws it could grab federal officials' attention.

“Maybe Congress would wake up,” he said.

Opponent Sylvia Sanchez asked the council to proceed in a way that would not divide the community, spark hatred and destroy families.

“I'm here to ask you all to look into your hearts and ask yourself if this is truly the right thing to do,” she said.

Police used metal detectors and searched purses and bags as people entered the building Tuesday evening.

At least three dozen law enforcement officials were on hand from the Fremont Police, Dodge County Sheriffs Department and Nebraska State Patrol. Officers manned doorways and those inside the auditorium lined the side aisles about 20 feet apart.

Fremont is one of a handful of Nebraska cities that have seen marked demographic changes primarily because of mostly Hispanic work forces at meatpacking plants.

Hazleton, Pa., Escondido, Calif., and Riverside, N.J., are among several U.S. cities that have attempted similar measures aimed at slowing or halting illegal immigration. Those cities' actions have attracted legal challenges primarily because the federal government has maintained it has the only authority on the matter.

Fremont's proposal was revised last week to include hiring provisions. It would have required all businesses in city limits to use a federal Internet-based employment verification system. Businesses that didn't comply could have lost their licenses, permits or contracts with the city.

Large employers in the area, including Fremont Beef and Hormel, are already using the system, though both plants are outside city limits and would not have been subject to the proposal.

The ordinance also would have prohibited renting to and harboring illegal immigrants. Renters would have had to secure $5 occupancy licenses to prove their legal status. Renters without licenses or landlords renting to people without occupancy licenses would have been subject to a fine of $100.