Council Summaries - March 1 and March 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, March 15
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council March 1, Parks and Recreation Committee March 1, Finance Committee March 1, Public Works Committee March 1
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City

The Council heard a Mayoral Proclamation celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Crete Rotary Club.

• Five club members were present at the meeting; Mayor Dave Bauer signed the proclamation and presented it to Club President Tom Parker. The Mayor stated the community is fortunate to have this club in Crete and are thankful for the volunteer service they have provided over the last 100 years.

The Council approved a special event permit application from Southeast Nebraska CASA for a 5k run on April 30, 2022. This item was discussed and recommended by the Public Safety Committee. The event is from 8-11 a.m. and the run will start and end at City Park. Police Chief Steve Hensel said his department is aware of the activities.

The Council approved 5-0 with one abstention (Council Member Dan Papik) the payment of claims to ACE Hardware in the amount of $2,231.67.

The Council approved entering into an agreement with Seneca Waste Solutions for the drainage and disposal of old bulk fuel from one of the City's holding tanks.

The Council waived three readings and enacted Ordinance 2146: An ordinance relating to nonconforming lots, structures, and uses.

• City Administrator Tom Ourada explained this item was placed on the council agenda at the request of the mayor. He also noted this went to the Planning Commission in January. They voted at the February meeting to have the planner consider this after they come on board in May.
• City Attorney Kyle Manley explained this ordinance clears up a lot of ambiguities that are in Chapter 11, Article 2, Section 11-205 of the City Code. He said this section is hard to apply to situations as it was written. This ordinance will clear up the provisions to make it enforceable by also defining types of non-conforming uses, structures, and lots, as well as making them nuisances in order to apply the city’s nuisance property process.

The Council authorized the Police Chief to apply for a $1,770 mini-grant through the Nebraska Department of Transportation to replace the Police Department's preliminary breath testing equipment. Hensel said this grant will replace aging devices with devices of the same type.

The Council authorized the Mayor and City Administrator to negotiate property transactions with Doane University. Ourada said there are items of interest to both Doane and the City, as well as some  misconstrued interest and ownership of property which has existed for possibly the last century. They will get these things corrected in the best interests of Doane and the City. After the Mayor and Tom are done, they will bring this work to the Council for review and possible approval.

The Council tabled the following item to the next council meeting: changing the billing company for the Fire Department. The City Attorney will look over a new agreement when it’s available.

The Council voted to allow the closure of all city buildings at 4:00 pm on April 1, 2022 for the Mayor's Chili Feed. Mayor Bauer said this has been done in the past as an appreciation for the employees.

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.

• Steve Hensel, Police Chief reported that Officer Alex Sawtelle will finish is field training soon and Will DeHart will finish is academy class in April. A new officer will hopefully start at the academy soon if approved.
• Tod Allen, Fire Chief: 
  • the department will add new members for a total of 45 current members in April;
  • the department has dealt with grass fires lately in the dry conditions; they will be communicating with burn permit applicants on procedures; Allen said people will still be able to burn if weather conditions allow, but they need to be smart about it.
• Ryan Hinz, Council Member Ward II reported the Lincoln Food Bank distribution at Doane’s campus on Tuesday served 320 families.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • The Code Enforcement Officer position is open and advertised; the current officer, David Paxton, will be the newest conditionally offered non-certified police officer candidate;
  • He asked PD to begin working on the K-9 budget for approval on the odd chance a dog could come available and we would want to be ready and have Council approve a tentative budget;
  • a property owner asked for help in doing some things with one of their properties in order to sell it; in turn,they own some property we would like to make into a comprehensive recreational area and all parties are eager to talk about moving this forward;
  • HR Coordinator Wendy Thomas and Deputy City Clerk Kelsey Sisouvong are at clerk school this week;
  • the NMPP annual meeting is in Lincoln next week;
  • we will be helping Denton with water and sewer utility work and testing while they hire a new employee and getting them licensed; Kyle Manley will work out an interlocal agreement in order to provide this service;
  • newest equalization projection is going down tentatively below $600,000 for the next budget year, a reduction of over $70,000.
• Mayor Dave Bauer welcomed Crete Cub Scouts from Pack 212 to the meeting, saying it’s nice to have visitors and they are welcome back anytime. He spoke with them after the meeting about how the mayor and council make decisions, how city decisions affect many parts of town, and the importance of volunteering in your community.

Meeting adjourned.

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

(Video of this meeting is posted here in two parts.)

City Clerk Jerry Wilcox was absent.

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council Feb. 15, Legislative and Economic Development Committee Feb. 15, Finance Committee Feb. 15, Public Works Committee Jan. 4 and Feb. 1
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City

The Council  heard a presentation by the Police Department on the proposed Police Service Dog Program. (View the pdf presentation)

• City Administrator Tom Ourada asked that the department make this presentation to the entire council rather than a committee.
• Police Chief Steve Hensel had a full slide presentation beginning with how the city and department would begin this program and sustain it over time. The PD agrees a K9 unit would be a great asset to the organization and they would do it well and in a manner to provide a succession of dogs and handlers over time. The program would have a strong connection with the community and use talents of seasoned officers to carry the program over time. They would develop funding sources, because if the community is behind it, it will happen. Needs of the program include everything from department leadership, a home for the K9 with its handler, a properly equipped vehicle, annual supplies, and veterinary care. The unit would gain public support through public interaction and the current department has a good track record of this with current officers and programs, including the School Resource Officer program and officers known in the community. Crete PD has the internal capacity with an officer who has handled a K9 unit, helped select dogs, and worked with state K9 training. Funding avenues would include donations and the potential for material seizures as part of task force activities. Crete would join a strong local team with the county’s two K9 units. Training includes 13 weeks of patrol and K9 narcotics and also timely recertification. Crete’s officer would have to live in Crete. This could also be a retention effort for the department offering an additional opportunity for officers. Hensel said the officers are excited for this opportunity.
• Sgt. Jon Pucket is Crete’s officer with direct K9 experience as a former handler with a previous department. Travis Sears, Ward I Council Member, asked about life expectancy of a service animal. Pucket said about 7-10 years. Departments try to get the dog at 2 years old for the right attention span and training ability. Pucket also commented on the training process, including recertification and performance evaluations.
• Ourada said while this doesn’t take the place of an officer, the K9 can fill that role sometimes as an asset to the department and the community; this K9 can guard an officer and then visit the first grade and be warm and fuzzy. There is potential for money in the city’s general fund to make this happen and shows buy-in from the city into this endeavor. Funds are also available in the PD budget for another patrol vehicle. He said the city would be remiss not to proceed. "I’m told we have officers with the kind of dedication it takes to make this program work.”
• Mayor Dave Bauer agreed it was a great presentation and funding comments are correct in availability. He also wanted to make sure there is opportunity for donations and for the community to buy-in and feel involved as well.
• Jack Oelschlager, Ward II Council Member, commented that this is a right step in the right direction for the city.
• The presentation was not an action item on the agenda. An item for approval will appear on a future council agenda.

The Council approved Van Kirk change order and pay application for the West Crete Sewer Project in the amount of $9,450.

The Council tabled the following item to the next council meeting: authorizing the execution of a power purchase agreement and a lease agreement with Sandhills Energy LLC for the solar power project. Ourada and City Attorney Kyle Manley have questions on this agreement and will get more information.

The Council authorized the submission of grant applications for new lane ropes for the Wildwood Pool.

• Ourada explained this will authorize youth swim team coach, Tina Rockenbach, to apply for the this grant and pay her for her time in completing the application. Typically, grant applications are submitted to the council for authorization before submitting to the corresponding organization or entity.
• Kyle Frans, Park and Recreation Committee chair, said the condition of the lane ropes warrants this application and the committee agreed to pay Tina for her hard work in completing this application.

The Council approved entering into a software service agreement with myGov for permitting, licensing, and code enforcement software.

• Ourada explained this software will be quite the asset and help the city make a difference with the nuisance property process, building permits, business licensing, and other areas. He explained to the Finance Committee that city officials looked at a number of software programs and evaluated two strongly to make this recommendation.
• Travis Sears, Finance Committee chair, said the committee recommended this and asked for periodic updates on its effectiveness.

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.

• Steve Hensel, Police Chief, noted the weekly crime incident report received by city officials and staff: drugs transported on I-80 enter our community and law enforcement interdiction teams help to stop them. We have an active community and officers worth their salt come here to work and we have a fine staff of young officers who want to work. Wendy Thomas, HR Coordinator, is actively involved with Mr. Ourada and the Civil Service Commission in trying to help find new officers, I want to recognize her for all the work she has done for the city in this and other areas.
• Dan Papik, Ward I Council Member, noted the recent grading work on Dogwood Ave. and thanked the city for getting it done.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • city officials and staff have been in Lincoln the last couple of days for the League of Nebraska Municipalities Mid-Winter Conference where there has been a lot of discussion on federal money coming; these funds are going to make an impact, but we don’t know yet when; there is money for streets, water, and infrastructure; there is also money for covid-related events and the city is looking at everything we qualify for, but we weren’t as effected as other communities during the pandemic;
  • the police department did a great job on the K9 program report;
  • the police department is hiring, the latest job posting ended yesterday with testing and interviewing to come.
• Mayor Dave Bauer offered comments on the LNM conference sessions he attended, which talked about running meetings and had good points on the role of the council and the mayor; he will bring ideas to share. A session for mayors brought up all kinds of ideas that all villages and cities are dealing with, including some of the same challenges. Other cities are finding it hard to hire police officers when they used to get 40 applicants and now are getting 7-8; Crete is still getting good officers hired and while some cities are having trouble getting street crews, etc., we continue to hire good people and have hired well recently. “I think it says something good about our community that people want to live and work here. I want to thank all the departments and love to see everyone working together because we are all one city and everyone working together is so important.”

Meeting adjourned.