Council Summaries - May 3 and May 17, 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, May 17
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 May 3, Legislative and Economic Development Committee May 3, Finance Committee May 3, Parks and Recreation Committee May 3, Public Safety Committee May 3
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City

The Council voted 5-0 to approve Greg Hollman's application to be the liquor license manager of the Fraternal Order of Eagles #3909.

The Council voted 5-0 to enter into a professional service agreement with Speece Lewis, in an amount not to exceed $68,502, for project management services on the 22nd Street Culvert Project.

• City Administrator Tom Ourada explained this proposal was on the last council meeting agenda with Speece Lewis’ cost at $80,000 and the council rejected it; he was authorized to work with them on a lower price, which is reflected here, $68,502.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve an Application for Payment No. 4 to Van Kirk Bros. Contracting in the amount of $14,044.95 as the final payment for the West Crete Water and Sewer Extension.

• Ourada said this is the close out of the water and sewer extension; it was pending any further extension for a possible district. The city received no requests for the district extension.

The Council voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution No. 2022-01: A resolution of the City of Crete, Nebraska accepting the duties and responsibilities related to the closing of Nebraska Highway 33 for the Saline County Fair Parade. This is the way the state deals with highway closing requests.

The Council voted 5-0 to enter into a contract with Cummins Sales and Service in the amount of $364.44 for preventative maintenance on the Police Department generator.This is a typical contact required by state statute.

The Council voted 5-0 to enter into the Interlocal Cooperation Agreement for the Saline County Rural Fire Protection Mutual Finance Organization for the 2022-2025 period.This item was discussed and recommended by the Public Safety Committee.

The Council voted 4-0 (with one abstention - Papik) to approve the payment of claims to ACE Hardware in the amount of $1,566.85.

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.

• Travis Sears, Council Member, Ward I, asked how the city addresses adding federal holidays to the schedule; Juneteenth (June 19) is a new federal holiday where some places are closed; Tom advised there isn’t a state statute that automatically requires the City to adopt all federal holidays and said he could talk with the Mayor about this and take it to the Personnel Committee.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • the current comprehensive planner has not been responsive; he received a recommendation for a planner in Iowa and after looking into this firm and talking with them, he  thinks they would be a tremendous fit for the city; they have offices in DeMoines, Kansas City, and Denver; they offered to send a proposal and come for a visit; this item will be taken to the Planning Commission and then to the Council for consideration. “They are impressive and get what we are trying to do in Crete.”
  • Tom wanted to proceed with the City Park improvement concepts that he sent city officials; Sears had concerns with parking; Tom will check on the parking best practices and proceed with final design plans and implementation. He noted the addition of a monitored outdoor bathroom will be quite helpful especially with it being situated next to the proposed ADA accessible playground; The Mayor and Council voiced support for moving forward with the next steps.
  • today was the janitor’s last day; the position has been advertised, applications received, and interviews scheduled;
  • a nuisance property scheduled for remediation on Wednesday will be delayed and monitored as progress has been shown;
  • he will be in Kearney for a couple of days for MEAN (Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska) committee and board meetings.

Meeting adjourned.

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, May 3
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council April 19, Public Safety Committee April 19, Personnel Committee April 19, Parks and Recreation Committee April 19, Public Works Committee April 5, April 19
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City
• Mayor’s Appointments: Reappoint Manny Dimas to Seat 2 of the Civil Service Commission with a term ending May 1, 2024.

The Council approved a livestock exception permit to allow Wranglers 4-H Club to have horses at the Tuxedo Park arena from May 1, 2022 to July 17, 2022. City Administrator Tom Ourada explained permits for multi-day livestock events are required to go to the council for approval. This item was also recommended by the Public Safety Committee.

The Council approved a special event permit with street and alley closures for the Saline County Fair parade on July 16, 2022 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm.

• Ourada explained this type of event takes council approval; it met a Public Works and Police Department review and follows Nebraska DOT rules as reviewed by the City Attorney. They will be using the same route as 2021, which was new that year. The parade will start at 10th and Main Ave., follow Main to 12th Street, turn left on 12th and follow to Quince, turn right on Quince, cross Highway 33 and follow West 13th Street into Tuxedo Park. There are areas set aside for registration and parade float staging.
• Mayor Dave Bauer was impressed with the fact that those who made the application started making plans in advance.

The Council sent the following item back for renegotiation: approval of a professional services agreement with Speece Lewis, in an amount not to exceed $80,000, for project management services on the 22nd Street Culvert Project.

• Ourada said he addressed this with the Public Works Committee.
• Dale Strehle, Public Works chair, said the committee thought $80,000 was too high and have asked the city administrator to negotiate.

The Council approved entering into contracts with Stryker in the amount of $10,052.88 for Lifepak defibrillator maintenance at the Fire Station and Wildwood Pool. CVFD forwarded these contacts to Ourada and City Attorney Kyle Manley for review. This item was recommended by the Public Safety Committee.

The Council changed parking spaces along 13th Street near the intersection of 13th Street and Norman Avenue to change the northwest corner spot on 13th Street to compact car parking only.

• Ourada explained this item was taken up by the Public Safety Committee in April and the thought was prior to removing parking in that spot completely, the city should install a compact car parking space and monitor the enforcement to see if that solves the visibility issue for traffic entering the intersection from Norman.

The Council approved amending the Master Fee Schedule to add avoided cost rates for solar and wind cogeneration and to change how the variable rate for residential and commercial sewer service is calculated.

• This item was discussed by the Finance Committee with discussion on how to deal with avoided costs for solar and wind and if this was a better way to do so without revisiting rates  each time wholesale power costs change. This item includes the new calculation for sewer rates with the new software; it is now the average of the lowest three winter months.

The Council approved changing the zoning of the north one-half of Lot 1, Block A Wily Reems Development Tract from R-2 to C-3; the south one-half of Lot 1, Block A Wily Reems Development Tract from R-2 to I-1; and parcel 760144999 from R-2 to I-1.

• Ourada said this issue was taken up by Planning Commission on Monday (May 2). At the PC meeting, Ourada noted the request was supported by the current owner as well as the prospective purchaser of the property. This would conform with the city’s current Comprehensive Plan and accomplish things to facilitate some business needs on this property. He said this is a win all the way around if the council would consider doing this and was recommended by the Legislative and Economic Development Committee.

The Council tabled the following item: enacting Ordinance 2148: An ordinance relating to established neighborhood and new development design standards.

• This item also went to the Planning Commission, which voted to take a month to study it. The Legislative and Economic Development Committee would also like to take more time to study this ordinance.

The Council approved the payment of claims to ACE Hardware in the amount of $1,749.51.

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.

• Shirely Mitchell, Crete, voiced concern over an electrical service issue involving property she owns in Crete. The property has multiple electrical meters, one for a shop building that is charged a commercial electrical rate. She said the building has not been a commercial business for 30 years and is now only storage. She has asked previously about what she could do to change this. She thinks the type of rate should be able to be changed without added expense to people with the same problem.
  • Ourada explained city ordinance states residential properties can only have one meter. On properties with two meters, the other must be commercial rate. The Power Review Board has some oversight on multiple meters and uses concerning electricity sales. We would have to look at this along with other possible statutory concerns before considering any ordinance changes.
• Mitchell also commented on the condition of railroad crossings in the city.
  • Mayor Bauer explained he get calls on this issue frequently and the city has been working on it. The West 13th Street crossing was fixes a couple of years ago and the Hawthorne crossing replacement finished this week after Burlington said they would start on it last year. “We as a city have done everything in our power to get the tracks fixed. Burlington is a big company and they know what they can and can’t do.” Bauer said the city makes calls to Burlington frequently and will continue to work on it, but Burlington works at their own pace. Residents are also welcome to call Burlington themselves to report crossing conditions.

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.

• Lt. Gary Young, Crete Police Department, reported the department has forwarded a contract to the City Administrator and City Attorney on trainer procurement for a department K-9. 
• Brian Stork, Public Works Director:
  • General Excavation started work on the new lift station, but has been slowed by rain;
  • Stevens and Smith Construction will start demo on City Hall front steps next week; once finished, they will move on to red concrete on sidewalks downtown.
• Nancy Tellez reported on the Community World Cup soccer event held April 9-10 with 12 teams, 6 each in the men’s and women’s divisions. She said it was wonderful to see the community support the event and thanked Doane University volunteers, Crete Parks and Recreation and other city staff, as well as community organizations who provided resources. The event raised money for the Doane equity fund, which helps families cover registration costs for local youth programs.
  • Mayor Bauer thanked Nancy for all the work she did to organize the event.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • met with Bruce Filipi, County Highway Superintendent, to discuss Saline County’s soft match funding for the Tuxedo Bridge; the city was to reimburse them but the project may not be closed out yet; we are also looking at some county and joint projects moving forward;
  • asked Wendy Thomas, HR Coordinator, to facilitate CPR training for all city employees;
  • the facilities janitor is leaving; this position will be advertised, he has heard there is already significant interest in the position;
  • he said in response to Lt. Young’s mention of the K-9 contract, that he, Lt. Young, and Sgt. Jon Pucket talked at length about this process and it will be very interesting moving forward;
  • recent nuisance property hearings went well using revised rules, it is very similar to a court setting;
  • With Doane University’s new president, Dr. Roger Hughes, being officially installed and his recent inauguration taking place just last weekend; Tom thinks he will be an advocate for the city; Mayor Bauer agreed, the inauguration was a nice event and noted Hughes has been easy to work with so far and has the best interests of the city and the college in mind.
• Mayor Dave Bauer reminded all of Spring Cleanup week, May 1-7; fire department members cleaned Main Street on Sunday morning and in the future could the city help notify the businesses to participate more during that event.

Meeting adjourned.