Council Summaries - April 4 and 18, 2023

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.

The next Crete City Council regular meeting will be Tuesday, May 2. 

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, April 18
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

The joint City Council and Planning Commission meetings were opened by Mayor Dave Bauer and Planning Commission Chairperson Anthony Fitzgerald.

Assembled groups heard a Comprehensive Plan update presentation by Confluence staff, Christopher Shires and Caitlin Bolte. (Note: A digital copy of this presentation is available on the comprehensive plan website)

• Planners are about halfway through the new comprehensive plan process and are currently in Phase 2: Vision, Input, and Direction. They shared community profile data including terrain, population growth projections, age, race, and ethnicity  demographics, household income, housing ownership, commuters, employment, and land use.
• An Advisory Committee kick-off meeting included discussions about the biggest advantages in Crete as well as the most challenging aspects of updating the plan; other issues included those with housing and economic development opportunities. Stakeholders addressed in the community included students, commuters, economic development groups, Welcoming Circle members, realtors, bankers, community leaders, business owners, and developers.
• Stakeholder interviews, a public workshop, and interactive website yielded theme topic areas of focus, and results of mapping and image voting activities.
• Strategic planning was held with city department heads and then with the mayor and council members about the city’s diamonds - things the community does well, coal - community struggles, and roadblocks - challenges to turning coal into diamonds. Groups talked about core values and critical categories for long term decision-making: finance and budget, facilities and equipment, customer service and outreach, staffing/human capital, future planning and policy.
• The council committed to focus on five key priorities in the short-term: railroad quiet zone, staffing plan, street improvements, housing and economic development strategy, and parks and recreation master plan.
• Guiding principles from the consultant team include: Welcoming Community, Quality of Life, Diversity in Housing Options, Pedestrian Mobility and Connectivity, Economic Development and Growth, Parks and Recreation, Strategic Partnerships. Twenty-one Big Ideas were also highlighted.
• The next steps in the plan are draft writing, review sessions in April/May/June, and a public open house projected for June.

The Planning Commission meeting adjourned.

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council April 4, Legislative and Economic Development Committee April 4, Parks and Recreation Committee April 4, Public Safety Committee April 4,
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City 
  • Approve statements 359744-369747 for legal services provided by Cline Williams in the amount of $19,555.11. 
  • Approve the CE and Contractor signed copy of Pay Estimate No. 5 for all work completed through 3/25/2023 in the amount of $90,363.81.

Mayor's appointment of Ward I Council Member.

• Mayor Dave Bauer said he interviewed eight people interested in serving on the council and felt he picked the individual best fit to serve, Anthony Fitzgerald, who was approved by a 5-0 vote of the Council and took his Oath of Office from City Clerk Jerry Wilcox. Fitzgerald is a resident of Ward I and served on the Airport Advisory Board and the Planning Commission until his appointment to the council. He will finish the current term to 2024 previously held by Travis Sears.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve Application # SE 23-01 for the Cinco de Mayo Celebration by the Crete Chamber of Commerce.

• Veronica Ortiz shared information about this year’s event in coordination with the Crete Chamber of Commerce, which will follow last year’s model as an event for the whole community with food, activities for kids, piñatas, dance performances, and craft vendors. They will utilize space in and around City Park.
• City Administrator Tom Ourada said this is not an application for use of City Park as the City does not reserve parks for private use, but for certain requests that require council action involving street closures and commitment of additional city services.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Arbor Day Proclamation.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve Ordinance 2168 on its second of three readings: An ordinance to annex Area #1 into the corporate limits of the City of Crete.

• Note: This is the former Fred Brown property, now owned by Mary Farrington Brown, and is a requested annexation for certain city services. A requested annexation allows the city to skip several statutory requirements in the approval process, including a public hearing. Alison Borer, City Attorney with Cline Williams, added that the Planning Commission recommended this annexation.

The Council Consider swim team registration going up to $75 after April 18th 2023.

• Parks and Recreation Director Liz Cody said they currently have 34 registered for this program so far, which has been increasing each year to about 70 in 2022. The fee has not changed from $50 (or $40 with sibling discount). Participants get 5-6 days each week with access to the pool for practices, etc. In order to offset the tremendous feat it is to host this program, she is requesting an increase to $75, or $65 with sibling discount, to take effect April 19. Parks and Recreation Committee Chairperson Kyle Frans said $75 is still a good value for this program.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve amending employee rules and regulations section 4.02. Ourada said this clarifies a policy on excused leave the day before or day after a city holiday. Ourada will work with the city attorney on the policy structure.

The Council voted 6-0 to authorize the solicitation of bids for a 10 MVA Substation Class Distribution transformer.

• Ourada explained this and the next items are part of the planned new substation construction and they are trying to get some of the long lead items ordered up front; this item was estimated to cost $600,000, but with new economic conditions, could go into seven figures on the bid.

The Council voted 6-0 to authorize the solicitation of bids for both a 35 KV PDC and a 15 KV PDC. These are also long lead items.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve a recommendation on request from Saline County Area Transit on fiscal year funding total of $24,439: including $6,403 toward Crete’s county match and $18,036 for the city’s local service.

• Ourada explained last year the mayor solicited donations from local partners; Scott Bartels, SCAT director, did say school ridership went up considerably and the city will be talking to those local partners to continue to offset the costs of this service in Crete.

The Council voted 6-0 to waive three readings and enact Ordinance 2169: An ordinance setting the rates for ambulance and rescue services provided by the City of Crete Fire and Rescue Department.

The Council voted 5-0 (Papik abstained) to approve payment of claims to Crete Ace Hardware in the amount of $947.32

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.

• Wendy Thomas, Human Resources Director introduced the newest hire, Jennifer Valente, who will be doing bookkeeping in the Utilities Office.
• Brandon Smejdir, CVFD Vice President introduced new department members: Quinn  Whitcomb and Sarah Theiler, both Doane University students.
• Police Captain Jon Pucket reported on new officer trainee Noah Zach’s schedule to start at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Academy in May.
• Liz Cody, Parks and Recreation Director, reported they are still trying to hire a Pool Manager.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • the city’s workforce housing duplexes all sold at market value; this grant compliance has been extended to 48 months but we should be closed out in under 36 months;
  • City Spring Cleanup is the first week in May, with major appliance pickups, Transfer Station coupons, and a Main Street cleanup;
  • 22nd Street triple box culvert project is moving along; the top is poured; photos were shared; 
  • north side gap paving projects are also moving along; with paving down already on two streets, with photos shared on this project as well.
  • letters were sent out addressing the East 16th Street residences on garbage tote issues - addresses were painted on totes to pinpoint potential issues;
  • Public Works met with Ann Richart, Aeronautics Director at the Nebraska Department of Transportation, and the Airport Advisory Board to discuss possible privatization of the airport; there are a lot of issues to work through; Ourada noted that airport funds are kept separate and always have been; if the airport is sold, grant funds would have to be reimbursed to the FAA; there are a lot of questions that need to be answered as this discussion moves forward;
  • Tom will be at NMPP and MEAN board meetings Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Meeting adjourned.

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, April 4
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

(Vacancy in Ward I Council Seat)

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council March 21, Public Safety Committee March 21, Personnel Committee March 21, Legislative and Economic Development Committee March 21, Finance Committee March 21,
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City 

Adjourned City Council to a meeting of the Community Development Agency (CDA). 

Members voted 5-0 to approve Resolution CDA23-01: Recommending the approval of a blight and substandard declaration and general redevelopment plan pursuant to the Nebraska Community Development Law. 

• Alison Borer, city attorney with Cline Williams, explained JEO Consulting Group prepared this blight study for an area on the east side of Crete, with properties generally along the north and south sides of East 13th Street east of Iris Ave. The law determines the language of blighted areas and this area meets the qualifications; the Planning Commission held a hearing and recommended the council move forward. This establishes a redevelopment area for TIF (tax increment financing) purposes, but does not approve any specific projects. This is a general guide for redevelopment projects in the area and certain areas within the study would need to be annexed to be eligible for TIF.

Adjourned the CDA to the City Council meeting.

The Council held a public hearing to hear testimony in favor of and/or opposition to the declaration of an area of the City (the "Subject Area") as blighted and substandard and in need of redevelopment pursuant to the Nebraska Community Development Law. Borer said up to 35% of the city can be designated as blighted and substandard - with this designation we will get confirmation that it remains under than percentage.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve Resolution 2023-06: Declaring a portion of the City of Crete, Nebraska to be blighted and substandard.

The Council held a public hearing to hear testimony in favor of and/or opposition to action on a general redevelopment plan for the Subject Area.

• Craig Snyder, 2100 East 13th St, said he agreed with a letter (attached with agenda) sent by Gary Lothrop, on not wanting his properties, currently outside city limits, designated in this manner; and also asked about the redevelopment plan. 
• Borer said the redevelopment document is attached to the agenda and includes general guidelines for the area; developers who have project proposals for this area in the future would bring those to the CDA for hearings, recommendations, etc. The TIF process requires an area to be declared blighted and substandard.
• City Administrator Tom Ourada clarified a redevelopment area can include property outside the city limits, however, TIF can only be applied to projects within city limits.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve Resolution 2023-07: Approving a general redevelopment plan for the City of Crete, Nebraska.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve Ordinance 2168 on its first of three readings: An ordinance to annex Area #1 into the corporate limits of the City of Crete, Nebraska.

• Ourada explained this is the former Fred Brown property, now owned by Mary Farrington Brown, and is a requested annexation for certain city services. A requested annexation allows the city to skip several statutory requirements in the approval process, including a public hearing. Borer added that the Planning Commission recommended this annexation.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve Resolution 2023-05 Annexation Area #5

• Ourada explained this is the Alan and Cindy Wanek property, and this annexation was not requested by owners. It is surrounded on three sides by property in city limits and will follow the regular annexation process.
• Borer said the first step is for the city council to approve a resolution on this annexation; this property is already served by all utilities except sanitary sewer and the item will go to Planning Commission.

The Council Consider the Prohibited Animal Exception Application for 4H Horse Shows. Jack Oelschlager, Ward II Council member, said this is an annual event and recommended by the Public Safety Committee.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve an application for LB840 Economic Development funding for Isis Theater Renovation by BRAC. $351,158.54

• Ourada said BRAC followed the LB840 process with this application and a recommendation was made to the Legislative and Economic Development Committee. In committee discussion he noted that if the city had embarked on this project, improvements would likely only include the marquee, screen, and HVAC, with the approach we would do what would be necessary to make the theater operable, and we included the estimated sales tax expense, which we would not have had to pay. All of this was the basis in the award amount of $351,158.54. There are stipulations in case of default, in that the property, all inclusive, would return to the city so they can control the destiny of that building; BRAC would also recognize the city’s contributions enabling the project and that they actively support the renewal of the LB840 program when it sunsets.
• Dan Papik, Ward I Council member, said Shay Smith shared a lot of information with the Committee, and while there is still some apprehension, we need to keep moving forward, and recognize BRAC’s work in the last four years to keep this project going.
• Mayor Dave Bauer also applauded the BRAC committee for all they have done with funds raised and work in the last four years; they will see the results soon. This will be a big plus for the community.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve an application for LB840 Economic Development funding for a marquee at The 1206 in the amount of $24,876.66.

• Ourada said he worked with Justin and Elayne Jones on the design of this marquee over the last couple of months; they determined a design that is within the city’s downtown guidelines, is tasteful for Main Street, and helps set a standard for the area.
• Justin Jones explained in the Legislative and Economic Development Committee meeting prior that their goal is to continue bringing people into Crete to their venue for private events and sponsor public events. A marquee will create a landmark on Main for both informational purposes and a visual attraction for their clients.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve an ambulance rate increase.

• Fire Chief Tod Allen explained in both the Public Safety Committee meeting and to the Council that the department hasn’t done a rate increase since 2017; ambulance rates are what funds the fire station building. The proposed rates are in line with other departments that use the same billing service.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve the purchase of 5 sets of turnout gear for the Fire Department at a cost of $24,205.

• Allen said compliance for turnout gear maintains that it be less than 10 years old. The department has a routine of replacing 3-5 sets of gear nearly every year to maintain compliance. In this purchase, per item costs are as follows: coats - $2,716 each, pants - $2,125.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve Fire Department tanker repairs in the amount of $4,342.65. Allen said the pump panel was fixed after it was damaged and the truck is back in service.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve amending the Master Fee Schedule to change pool party rates. 

• Kyle Frans, Council member Ward III, chair of the Park and Recreation Committee, said they discussed fees at other pools, and recommended an increase to $250 for pool parties and to keep other rates the same to stay affordable.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve a bid to make park improvements on the site of the old library.

• Ourada said the original design for this was done last year and bids came in quite high. The council rejected those bids, opting to wait until spring. One bid was received this year that was barely reasonable, but workable. (This project would reconstruct an exit drive on the east side of City Hall around to 12th Street and make room for a playground expansion with parking in the area of the old library.)
• Frans noted the importance of City Park and the need to move forward with this project within the bounds of current, reasonable costs.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve authorizing the Police Department to apply for a mini-grant to participate in "Click it or Ticket". Police Chief Gary Young said these types of grants pay the costs of officers on overtime for special traffic enforcement.

The Council heard a request of Eugene Wit to address the City Council.

• Eugene Wit, 619 Ivy, said he has talked to Tom Ourada on what can be done about cleaning up the town; he had noted many unkept properties with piles of junk, a person who appeared to be living in a camper on a residential lot, issues with trailer courts, and trash in Walnut Creek.
• Mayor Bauer said the city does have a Code Enforcement Officer who works through the police department to address these issues and the newest officer in this position has continued to do a lot of work. City government has to give residents notice of these types of nuisances and time to clean up. We have also gone in and cleaned up properties and billed people for it, while some people have cleaned up on their own after a letter from the city. Chief Young has a report on how much has been done; this is an area that people don’t think anything is improving and a lot is complaint driven. We encourage people to report nuisance complaints to the city and the police department.
• Young went through recent activity from the city’s Code Enforcement Officer since she took over in October. She worked 190 cases with roughly 77 cases where residents voluntary complied to clean up. There are 15 active cases with warnings issued and 17 cases ready for prosecution where the city attorney takes it to court to get permission for cleanup. The city then takes on the burden of cleanup costs until a lien is filed on the property. There are currently 21 active new cases from the last 2 weeks. He did say some property issues are police issues so residents should call them and they are happy to respond; their goal is voluntary compliance to work with the community on cleanup. He commended Code Enforcement Officer, Kylie Nicewonger, who is doing a great job and is used to working with people under stress; as a department they try to educate as well as enforce for the city.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve deeding the Sertoma building at Tuxedo Park to the Saline County Ag Society.

• Ourada talked in the Park and Recreation committee meeting that the Ag Society is interested in acquiring the building and can use it; the city received it from Sertoma for $1 and already has two other rental buildings/spaces that operate now. He will work with the city attorney on the process for transferring ownership.

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:
  • shared information about a speaker Jeff Barnes who will be presenting his program, "Marking Nebraska" on Tuesday, April 18 at 2 pm. This presentation is appropriate for all ages.
  • she worked with Tom, Jerry, and library volunteers to work on bringing food trucks to the library every Thursday night through the summer; they want to start with four at the Summer Reading kickoff on June 1 from 5-7 p.m.
• Tod Allen, Fire Chief:
  • new wildland fire gear is in full service; Crete Community Foundation helped out; it includes shirts, pants, coats, and boots;
  • Recent stats: February - 63 calls, March - 65 calls;
  • three new members submitted applications; the department will vote at the next regular meeting
• Gary Young, Chief of Police:
  • newest police officer, Noah Zach, started this week and is preparing for the basic academy class from May to August;
  • K9 Hunk and Officer Audrey Arbuckle were recently at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center;
  • the department is in another traffic enforcement grant period for texting and driving;
• Liz Cody, Parks and Recreation Director: 
  • even though I’m not here full time yet, we have divided spring and summer preparation tasks with Aaron Steffensmeier on park maintenance issues, and Dan Dunaway on handling soccer and other events; 
  • we still need a pool manager, there is a lot of transition happening; lifeguard and cashier interviews are in April; 
  • I will go with Aaron and Dan to pool operator certification class;
• Dale Strehle, Ward II Council member, said in his walks around town he also sees a lot of properties with issues; as the city is more aggressive in cleanup efforts, the more people will see what is happening; this is not a fast moving project, but we are working on it.
• Dan Papik, Ward I Council member, thanked Eugene Wit for coming and speaking to the Mayor and Council about properties. He also thanked the arts council on all the hard work they have put in to events and the theatre.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • we have hired an HR coordinator who is finishing her degree from Peru State in May;
  • I met with BVH architects on a renovation proposal for the Wanek Community Center; their original proposal was for $1,100,000; it can be scaled back to $500,000; the mayor and I looked at that and we have options;
  • we are working with ALLO on finding a downtown storefront and have a potential property with a former DTR (downtown revitalization) recipient;
  • we had a city-wide cyber security presentation this morning with nearly all city staff on  what a cyber security breach situation would look like and how it might be remedied; we do nightly, weekly, monthly, and yearly information backups; some ransomware can sit on a server for an extended period of time and in people hours the cost of recovering from an attack is incalculable; a recent example is we had an installation of local software that raised concerns with some people, but 85% of the people who saw it didn’t say anything; we do train regularly and will remain vigilant;
  • the mayor and I had a good conversation with Ann Richart, Aeronautics Director at the Nebraska Department of Transportation, on operation of the airport and possibly privatizing the airport; we will have discussions going forward;
  • I recently had discussions with a prospective business to relocate to Crete with a new building;
  • north Crete gap paving projects are underway;
  • city sales tax looks good and are about 14% ahead of projections;
  • the budget is on track through the first half of the year;
  • we have revisited the South Crete property acquisition discussion we’ve talked about and met again with the property owners;
  • I sent a proposed policy change for townhouses; and recommend doing it immediately.
• Mayor Dave Bauer
  • I’m not a social media person, but people tell me what they see and normally people are mad at me or the city. Last weekend there were comments about businesses, we are doing a lot and we’ve talked to quite a few businesses interested in coming here. On housing needs, we’ve been meeting with three different developers on three different kinds of housing. We are having a lot of success with adding housing. We have Doane partnerships, school partnerships,  and more in the community. There is a lot going on in Crete and until some of it happens much of it can’t be talked about. I’m proud to be part of this town, everyone should be proud. I take offense on one little negative comment on social media that generates a lot of comments; if you have concerns, call me, call Tom.

Meeting adjourned.