Council Summaries - Feb. 1 and Feb. 15, 2022

Individuals and media outlets are encouraged to contact the City Administrator for additional details or clarification on the following material. Regular meetings of the Crete City Council are held on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall; Council Standing Committees may meet prior. View a list of City Officials and current council and committee meeting agendas.

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, Feb. 15
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

Council Member Kyle Frans was absent.

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council Feb. 1, Legislative and Economic Development Committee Feb. 1, Finance Committee Feb. 1
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City

The Council tabled the following item indefinitely: review and consider verifying the calculation of the November sewer billing for Crete Core Ingredients. City Administrator Tom Ourada talked about this with Mayor Dave Bauer in January; it was on the agenda because they were anticipating a billing question from Crete Core Ingredients that never came to the city.

The Council tabled the following item to the next meeting: a request to offer scholarships or discounted swimming lesson rates in the summers of 2023 and 2024 as part of Crete Public Schools' expanded learning opportunity program.

• Ourada and the mayor discussed this and the item went to the Legislative and Economic Development Committee.
• Ryan Hinz, Committee Chair, said there was little information provided and the members would like more information to bring it to the full council for action.

The Council approved a livestock exception permit for Saline County Extension to hold animal education programming at Crete Intermediate School, St. James School, and Tuxedo Park. Ourada said this is a permit for their entire year of events; a one day livestock exception permit has been approved previously at City Hall, but a one-year permit goes to the council for approval.

The Council approved entering into open contracts with SEI for electronic door lock systems at the Library. Ourada explained this company was the low bidder from the library construction and they have also equipped the fire station with this system. This agenda item is for the Crete Carrier Community Room at the library and City Hall and was recommended by the Finance Committee

The Council approved a permit to occupy the right-of-way from Black Hills Nebraska Gas to install a new natural gas distribution pipeline along Highway 33.

• Ourada explained this involves ROW occupancy for multiple properties along Iris Ave. and the highway and requires council approval.
• Dale Strehle, Public Works Committee Chair, said Black Hills is conforming with the state’s permitting requirements and the committee recommended approval.

The Council approved entering into a contract with JEO for engineering services related to the 2022 gap paving projects.

• Ourada said this proposal amounts to just under an 8.5% fee for services which is very competitive and was recommended by the Public Works Committee.
• Strehle thanked Tom and JEO for working hard to get the projects on the list for construction this year, but it wasn’t possible to get all of them done. As a result, all project will be bid in 2023.

The Council tabled the following item to the next meeting: approving Van Kirk change order and final pay application for the West Crete Sewer Project. The contractor has not submitted this paperwork yet.

The Council approved changing the Library's hours of operation.

• Ourada explained this item has been discussed over the years and his research was unnecessary as Library Director Joy Stevenson researched the hours of peer libraries. The hours were also presented to the Library Advisory Board who voted to recommend the changes to the Council. Tom noted the change was taken up by the Legislative and Economic Development Committee.
• Stevenson said the library increased the hours after the move to the new building and then closed to in-person visitors for COVID; they settled on slightly less hours upon reopening but see more people who want to come before 10 a.m. The library was at 45 hours a week, which was on the low end of peer libraries that serve communities of 5,000-10,000 people. These changes put the library at 53 hours: opening at 9 a.m. Monday-Saturday and staying open until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays.
• Complete library hours: Monday and Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Legislative and Economic Development Committee then recommended the  changes to the Council.

Petition - Communication - Citizen Concern: 

Citizen testimony may be limited to 3 minutes per person. Please do not repeat testimony that has already be heard. No action can be taken on matters presented under this title except to answer any questions or to refer the matter for further action.

Officer Reports:

Reports may be given by Officers, Departments, Committees, or Council members concerning the current operations of the City. No action can be taken on matters presented under this title except to answer any questions or to refer the matter for further action.

• Joy Stevenson, Library Director gave her annual report, explaining that comparing the last three years is difficult given the building move and covid closures to in-person visitors, both of which changed the way the library served patrons.
  • during 2021 the library was closed to in-person visitors for only 3 weeks;
  • removed all library card fees;
  • patrons saved almost $500,000 by checking out materials;
  • the collection has grown to fill extra space available in the new building compared to the old building;
  • circulation of adult printed materials went down and children’s went up; in looking back at the beginning of the pandemic, circulation for adult materials went through the roof and may have been abnormally high;
  • great summer reading program with high attendance; 
  • outdoor musical instruments fundraising update: the goal was about $15,000 for 3 sets of instruments; raised $7,500 from the October event; they could go to Friends of the Crete Public Library for the rest, or could purchase one set to start and move forward;]
  • At the beginning of 2022 - Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program has over 130 signed up so far.
• Steve Hensel, Police Chief:
  •  two officers in training: Trainee Will DeHart is at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Academy in Grand Island for the 15-week program; Officer Alex Sawtelle is in field training in Crete and the department is happy with his performance so far;
  • Explore Nebraska program with Crete Public Schools: the PD was asked to do a bicycle safety program; 
  • today is National Schools Resource Officer Appreciation Day: Officer Dawn Jonas is deeply involved with the welfare of Crete’s children in the schools and in other department activities and investigations;
  • he will brief Ourada on Thursday on a K9 program.
• Ryan Hinz, Ward II Council Member, thanked Tom Ourada and Jerry Wilcox for assistance in putting together the job fair on Feb. 17.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • a selection committee interviewed substation design candidates and selected Olsson Associates; He is meeting with Olsson tomorrow to work on a scope and fees, a project scope with fees will be available for the March 1 meeting; 
  • 22nd Street lift station project starts in April, and the box culvert will commence in December;
  • we are meeting with a financing consultant on gap paving projects;
  • he still can’t get anything out of infrastructure bill, but still may be good news for the city with later projects like the box culvert;
  • city staff had their first meeting with the preferred comprehensive planner and will meet again to cover scoping considerations; the council will have to approve the planner and the Planning Commission will engage them;
  • a meeting was held with Schimmer regarding a railway transportation safety district; the process could fund a quiet zone, address blocked intersections, reconstruction of intersections; a possible viaduct; and a process to include public forums – addressing rail issues in Crete, making Crete people aware and bringing it to the county’s attention;
  • we met with Windstream yesterday and have project areas for the fiber expansion, but no timeline yet; Tom asked for Windstream to provide that and in turn, he would pass along to the elected officials and the public.
  • he met with JEO about altering City Hall spaces; this could be an inexpensive way of expanding service areas, adding stairs to access the current garage area, and relocating the public bathroom to the park; the project involves moving the Community Assistance Office and Building Inspector to this area with a receptionist and accompanying space; along with continuing a City Hall sign project to guide visitors to offices;
  • PD was at City Hall today for a utility customer issue, Tom pointed out the high value they perform daily for the City in this regard and that Wendy Thomas, HR Coordinator, and the department are working on finding officer candidates to continue to properly staff the PD;
  • Noted the nuisance article the newspaper printed on the council action; 

Meeting adjourned.

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, Feb. 1
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council Dec. 21, Legislative and Economic Development Committee Dec. 21, Finance Committee Dec. 21, Public Works Committee Dec. 7 and Dec. 21, Public Safety Committee Dec. 21
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City
  • Claim from James County for sewer service line work at 160 S. Grove Ave. 
  • $9,934.26 to Gilmore & Associates for engineering work on the 22nd Street Culvert and Lift Station Projects.

The Council reviewed the annual independent audit report.

• Tom Ourada, City Administrator, commented this was a typical audit, however better than it was last year with the improvements in operating our software; we are also working on changes to make sure work is covered during staff absences.
• Travis Sears, chair of the Finance Committee, said there were no areas of concern in the committee’s review with the auditor.
• Marcy Luth, of AMGL CPAs and Advisors, went through the audit review with the Finance Committee and summarized the following information: In addition to a regular audit of the city’s finances, spreadsheets show how the current city finances compare to previous years, as well as comparisons to peer communities. Overall, the city has been consistent in maintaining fund balances at recommended levels. The city has a lower property valuation that area peers, which leads to a higher municipal equalization.. Charges for city services were up in 2021 after a drop in 2020 during the start of the COVID pandemic. Administration expense totals about $74 per capita, which is about $16 less that peers. Fund balances are at or near recommended target levels; and revenues exceeded expenditures. Depreciation of capital assets outpaced the city’s reinvestments by a small margin. The auditors proposed some common adjustments.

The Council approved items from the January 4, 2022 City Council Meeting:

• payment of $120,357.00 to Dostals Construction Company for construction expenses on the Wildwood Pool splash pad;
• authorized the purchase of an additional new police cruiser from AFL, LLC for $36,516 and the installation of police vehicle equipment by Jones Automotive for $11,064.08; new information from Ourada included the possibility that he and Chief Hensel are actively looking at turning a new patrol unit into a K9 unit.
• authorized the payment of up to $3,500 to JEO Consulting Group for consulting services related to a new water rate study; 
• waived three readings and enacted Ordinance 2144: An ordinance authorizing and directing the issuance of sanitary sewer revenue refunding bonds.

The Council approved Items from the January 18, 2022 City Council Meeting:

• approved the payment of $3,168.81 to Kingery Construction for demolition work on the Isis Theatre; 
• awarded projects for the second round of the Downtown Revitalization Program; 
• waived three readings and enacted Ordinance 2145: An ordinance relating to nuisances and city hearings.

The Council approved a recommendation to the Liquor Control Commission on a liquor manager application by David Holling for College Heights Country Club. Ourada said the Liquor Control Commission looks for a recommendation, however, they are free to do what they want.

The Council approved the renewal of employee health and dental insurance coverage with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Nebraska and Principal Financial as recommended by the Finance Committee.

• Ourada explained that Dan Duren, Benefit Management, worked with HR Coordinator Wendy Thomas, who did a phenomenal job working on the benefits in her first year with the city. She shared in the Finance Committee meeting, that the renewal with Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Blue Freedom plan will give employees some stability in insurance coverage. Dental and vision plans are included. Duren said the BCBS plan saw a slight increase of 3.73%.

The Council sent the following request to the Public Works Committee for more information: Crete Public Schools request to hang banners from street poles around the Cardinal Welcome Center, Crete Elementary School, and Crete High School.

• Ourada said Jenny Beck, Executive Director of Talent and Operations at Crete Public Schools; submitted the request and Council member Ryan Hinz ask some questions about banner policy. Ourada explained that poles are city property and regulating poles is within the city’s purview; the city regulates the pole spaces and it should be taken seriously like regulating ROW; Doane has banners on some poles, approved by the previous mayor. There is not a written policy currently.
• Mayor Dave Bauer said a lot of schools have banners now and there were concerns with a previous chamber banner proposal before with downtown poles. These banners the school wants to do are on the outside edge of the downtown area and he didn’t think there were issue with them around the welcome center.
• Sears echoed Hinz’s concerns that there should be some kind of policy on when they get taken down and who puts them up, however he didn’t have a problem putting school banners up. He made a motion to send this request to the Public Works Committee for more information.

The Council awarded $75,869 of LB840 funds to Becker Industries, LLC to renovate 1236 Main Ave for a new Hotworx fitness studio.

• Ourada explained he worked on this application with City Attorney Kyle Manley. Applicant Katie Becker, Becker Industries, was present and discussed some details during the Legislative Committee meeting, relating to their preparation in opening this new franchise fitness studio. She said they are ahead of recommended presale memberships and have a target in mind prior to a spring opening.
• Hinz said Tom and Kyle created criteria and a rubric for the committee to evaluate this and future LB840 applications and determine total funds awarded.

The Council approved the payment of $94,489.14 to Van Kirk Bros. Contracting for the West Crete Sewer Project. Ourada said this is the second payment on this project and was recommended by the Finance Committee.

The Council awarded the contracts for the 22nd Street Culvert and Lift Station Projects to General Excavating of Lincoln, Nebraska, for $1,283,478.60.

• Ourada said two engineering firms reviewed the bids opened last Thursday and he concurred with their recommendations that were also discussed by the Public Works Committee. Committee chair Dale Strehle said bids were over engineer’s estimates, but recommended moving forward with this project. Ourada said this project will not start until late this year and the city will look into the possibility of using some of the federal infrastructure bill money toward this.
• Additional bids were received from Van Kirk Bros. of Sutton and K2 Construction of Lincoln.

The Council adopted the 2022 Street Improvement Plan.

• Ourada explained that moving forward the city’s required Street Improvement Plan will be a hybrid plan reflecting changes in state law, instead of the previous 1-year and 6-year street plans. This plan includes 13 items, with several that were on the 2021 plan. Item 1 is the triple box culvert for 22nd Street and others include gap paving projects 2-11. This was reviewed  by the Public Works Committee, which recommended some projects to be completed this year: item 1 and items 2-8.

Petition - Communication - Citizen Concern: 

Citizen testimony may be limited to 3 minutes per person. Please do not repeat testimony that has already be heard. No action can be taken on matters presented under this title except to answer any questions or to refer the matter for further action.

Officer Reports:

Reports may be given by Officers, Departments, Committees, or Council members concerning the current operations of the City. No action can be taken on matters presented under this title except to answer any questions or to refer the matter for further action.

• Brian Stork, Public Works Director, reported the Street Department received a safety grant from LARM for $500.
• Joy Stevenson, Library Director:
  • Dolly Parton’s  Imagination Library, spearheaded by the Friends of Crete Public Library, has 60 kids signed up in the first couple of days; 
  • VITA, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program has 10 people signed up in two days and continues to be very well received; 
  • the library’s Blind Date with a Book starts in February, where books are wrapped in brown paper in an effort to have patrons try new books.
• Dan Papik, Council Member Ward 1, thanked Katie Becker for coming to the meeting and starting a new business in Crete.
• Jerry Wilcox, City Clerk-Treasurer, reminded members of the mid winter conference signup.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • he will start work on a railroad quiet zone again with the goal of maybe getting at least a partial quiet zone; if you do an RTSD (Railraod Transportation Safety District) safety study, a quiet zone is one result, railroad crossings are another result.
  • postpone the Tuxedo Park improvement meeting due to scheduling conflicts;
  • he sent pictures of Nestle truck traffic on the highway to Nestle staff and asked for a meeting with them to work through options;
  • reminder for Public Works Committee substation interviews Wednesday and Friday;
  • we have a wholesale electric rate increase of 2-3%; he will meet with MEAN representatives on a possible retail rate review;
  • solar project on triangular property, can go to 3.8 MW; he has talked to a property owner about putting additional solar on the acres adjacent to already city owned property.

Meeting adjourned.