Council Summaries - May 2 and 16, 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, June 6. 

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, May 16
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council May 2, Finance Committee May 2, Legislative and Economic Development Committee May 2, Personnel Committee May 2, Public Safety Committee May 2, Public Works Committee May 2,
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City
• Approve Statements 361925-361929 for legal services provided by Cline Williams in the amount of $21,816.43
• Approve Committee and Board Appointments (see attachment)

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the LIGHT Health Insurance Renewal. City Administrator Tom Ourada Dan Duren discussed with Finance Committee. Kyle Frans, Finance Committee chair, said it was a minimal increase and still a good deal for city benefits.

The Council on second reading Ordinance 2170: An ordinance to annex Area #5 into the corporate limits of the City of Crete, Nebraska. Note: The Planning Commission has held a hearing on this as well as the City Council. It was approved on its first reading on May 2.

The Council voted 6-0 to waive three readings and enact Ordinance No. 2172 Amending the Crete Municipal Code pertaining to Appointed and Hired Officials. 

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Western Area Power Administration-Upper Great Plains Region Renewable Energy Certificate Letter and Option Form.

• Ourada said the city is being asked to designate if we want to manage our renewable energy credits with WAPA or designate another entity to do that. Typically we ask MEAN (Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska), our power supplier, to manage our WAPA account. This was recommended by the Public Works Committee.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve waiving the outstanding fines and fees from the library in the amount of $5,739.59 that have accrued from prior to 2015 as determined as uncollectible. 

• Ourada, as previously discussed, the Library Advisory Board did meet on this and Library Director Joy Stevenson recommended to waive the fees from 2007 to 2015. Frans said they listened to what the library board told them and the collection agency won’t collect past five years; the committee recommended waiving these fees.
• Mayor Dave Bauer asked in the last two years are there many fees still accumulating? Stevenson said the only fees the library collects, other than DVD late fees, are damaged and replacement fees for books not returned.

The Council voted 5-0 (Papik abstained) to approve payment of claims to Crete Ace Hardware in the amount of $1,519.82.

• Note: This claim would typically be included in the Consent Agenda with other claims for payment, however, Council member Dan Papik chooses to abstain from voting on this item due to his business conflict. Ourada brought up there is a reason for this individual claim, and Mayor Bauer explained by separating the item from the Consent Agenda, he can vote on other claims and abstain from one in which he has a conflict.

The Council voted 6-0 to table the following item to the next council meeting: implementing a key policy for the transfer station gate.  Dale Strehle, chair of the Public Works Committee, said they were still working on an agreement for this. He made a motion to table the item to the next council meeting.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Mutual of Omaha Accident and Critical Illness elective coverage for employees.

• Wendy Thomas, Human Resources Director, explained this is supplemental insurance and not required. There is no cost to the employer, just an added benefit that the city likes to offer to attract more employees and retain employees. The rates have not changed and there is a good enrollment turnout for these plans.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Nexlink Water Tower Site Lease Agreement.

• Ourada explained that in the course of this lease renewal, Nexlink took over for the provider and they wanted some things that were unacceptable to the city. The city attorney and he asked for some changes and went back and forth quite a bit until they came to acceptable terms. This was recommended by the Public Works Committee.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Change Order Request No.004 from Kingery Construction Co. in the amount of $28,935.00 for the Crete Isis Theatre Phase I.

• Shaylene Smith, Executive Director of the Blue River Arts Council, clarified this is the addition of sales tax through the first phase of construction that is ready to proceed. At the end of last year the project transitioned from payments by the city to payments by the arts council because the arts council is the grant recipient for everything going forward. The city’s auditor questioned whether or not sales tax needed to be paid since the arts council is not a sales tax free entity. This is not part of the economic development request made earlier this month.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the request for increased DTR funds in the amount of $5,200 from 1334 Main Avenue.

• Ourada explained this was a request made two weeks ago without a great deal of detail. He looked at it with Nancy Tellez, Acting City Clerk, and it was determined it did meet more than the minimum requirements. They can recommend the requestor met the requirements by the city and the Department of Economic Development. This was recommended by the Legislative and Economic Development Committee.

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.

• Steve Reisdorff, 520 Iris Ave, Crete:
  • retiring attorney in Crete; living on Iris I do see occasional trucks that go that route and those that go down Main St.; Has the city considered enforcing weight requirements or signage for truck drivers? Many truck drivers are for Nestle and using incorrect GPS directions. 
  • The city has a contract for dispatching out of southeast Nebraska; I would remind the council that about 8 years ago the city turned down an offer from the county to do that for nothing; now spending money to do what Saline County will do for free. 
  • The city should be careful with your tax increment financing; you are affecting other entities when you do that. You should know what the impact is; I assume on all the rest of them you acted on that you had that information and I would like to see it. I understand there is a real estate development that someone is going to ask for TIF.  It would not be in the city’s best interest to approve that and it could be done without it. 
  • The ordinance you passed tonight, you can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility. My advice on that would have been not to pass it. Park and Rec and Police are the two departments that generate the most complaints and you are going to find out about them after someone has already taken action on them. I know there’s something going through the Planning Commission right now about a sports complex, I read the proposal; it goes through all the planning and the study said that you were going to develop that sports complex and I asked the Mayor about it; you just gave your responsibility of your Park and Rec Department to your City Administrator; so I guess if anyone has a complaint they go to him; the way I see it you have responsibility for all of it but no authority for any bit of it. I think you have appointed officials who are exercising authority where elected officials should be doing that; maybe you guys don’t think so.             

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.

• Police Captain Jon Pucket:
  • Chief Gary Young was in Washington D.C. for Police Memorial Week;
  • When we brought the K9 proposal to the council last year, we talked about what it could bring to our department. We had 16 other law enforcement units in town for training this week. Because the council approved this program it has a great impact on our ability to keep the community safe. 
  • We still have Noah Zach at the academy and he’s doing well.
• Liz Cody, Parks and Recreation Director: 
  • we are midway through training for pool managers, lifeguards and cashiers - they are also working with Savannah Anderson and Wendy Thomas on employee paperwork; it’s not an easy task with 15 and 16 year-olds and a few, from neighboring towns, are not out of school until the end of this week or still have school athletic/activity commitments; 
  • we have 10 returning guards and another 13 enrolled in the lifeguard course; 7 cashiers and 2 pool managers, which I feel is a good staffing number for the season;
  • some new hires from other towns said they came here because of Crete’s reputation and the facility; many returning guards spoke highly of this pool facility as well and we want to keep that culture alive; we are also trying to make sure that we are keeping things safe, especially with the responsibility we all share; we are reviewing the pool manual and making adjustments;
  • there are 64 registered for swim team, which makes a strong team and we’ve made adjustments in the pool schedule to get them the time they need to get practices started;
  • Brad Bailey, the building inspector, was at the pool today and we have a list of things to do before we open on May 27;
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • beginning of 2022 one of Doane’s Engineering professors asked to partner on some projects; this semester they were going to focus on comprehensive plan elements in groups; with some suggestion, the projects submitted included a South Side Athletic Complex, East Side Annexation and Housing, Main Ave Economic Development Report, Railway Quiet Zone Report, and Hard Water and Treatment Report; 
  • in regards to the sports complex: We have nothing like this and if you want to have something like it and have the community move forward, you will get the opportunity to have direct input on design and be expected to vote on if something like this should be done; it is totally up to the city council, not me. My job is to bring you ideas and help you move the community forward and that’s what I always try to do with the best information I can provide for you to make the decisions you think are best for the community. I don’t recall anywhere in city ordinance that says I make the decision on if you are going to have a complex like this or not.
  • we have bid openings for a transformer and power distribution center on May 31 at 10:00 and 10:30 a.m.; these are for the substation at Doane University
  • MEAN meeting in Kearney on Wednesday this week - the whole organization is being restructured and there are a lot of hard questions and I am chair of the Governance Review Committee tasked with this; there are also committee meetings Wednesday with a board meeting on Thursday; restructured agreements will come to the elected officials here. Wendy and Nancy will be going to the meetings to have a working knowledge of what we deal with as part of MEAN.
  • we had two interviews for city attorney candidates; one has 3 years of experience and the other has much more with municipalities and the legislature; we will still have work for Cline Williams attorneys in the interim;
  • we have wage study data; the mayor and I need to meet with Allison and Henry from Cline Williams to see how that compares with the city’s, the array, the market, and the police department; 
  • we would like to do another owner-occupied housing rehabilitation program similar to one we tried several years ago; we could have more interest now;
  • the city put $280,000 into workforce housing construction and will use the returns to construct more; our next submission would yield a little over $1 Million for housing projects.
  • Ourada spoke to USDA again this week and they are eager to work with Crete on helping to fund a fire station expansion project with a grant and loan combination, however it will have to be in the next budget cycle beginning in September.
• Mayor Dave Bauer:
  • Sunday, May 7 was our second Cinco De Mayo celebration and I think it went well with a lot of people and vendors who sold out of product. It was great to see the community come together and celebrate that; City Park was a great asset to host this event. I also thank all the city employees who helped in preparations;
  • that morning, May 7, the fire department cleaned Main Street of gravel and dirt that blew in; afterward it looked great and they did a super job;
  • Tonight is Jack Oelschlager’s last council meet as a member; I want to thank him for the years he has served on the council. He has provided a lot of insight to the council and has worked hard for the city. We wish you the best and good luck in your move.

Meeting adjourned.

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, May 2
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council April 18, Parks and Recreation Committee April 18, Personnel Committee April 18, Public Safety Committee April 18, Public Works Committee April 13 and April 18, 
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City
• The 1206 LB840 Reimbursement
• Approve Application and Certificate for Payment from General Excavating for all work completed through 4/22/23 in the amount of $198,245.24
• Approve City Council Standing Committees 

The Council held a Public Hearing on the annexation of Area #5

• Alison Borer, City Attorney with Cline Williams, explained this is the Wanek property on East 13th Street and the Planning Commission held a hearing on this where the owner had some questions. She felt his questions were answered in a satisfactory way.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve on its first reading Ordinance 2170: An ordinance to annex Area #5 into the corporate limits of the City of Crete, Nebraska.

The Council voted 6-0 to table action on the request for increased DTR funds in the amount of $5,200 from Scott Skala. Dan Papik, chair of the Legislative and Economic and Development Committee, said officials need some clarification on the dollar amounts related to this project.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve amending employee rules and regulations section 4.02.

• This clarifies a policy on excused leave the day before or day after a city holiday.
• “In order to receive pay for an observed holiday, the employee must have worked the workdays immediately preceding and immediately following the holiday or been on a pre-approved paid vacation for those workdays, unless otherwise approved in writing by the employee’s department head or the city administrator.”

The Council voted 6-0 to waive three readings and enact Ordinance 2171: An ordinance amending the Municipal Code on Animal licenses.

• City Administrator Tom Ourada explained this issue was entertained by the council and they asked it be codified, which was done by Alison Borer and her colleagues at Cline Williams.
• Borer said they worked through city code and removed all references to animal licenses and license fees.
• References remain in city code regarding animals running at large, impounding loose animals, etc.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve Change Order No. 1 for Project 2 of 2 East 22nd St.

• Ourada explained this will add a bored looped water main component to the box culvert design on the East 22nd Street project.
• Dale Strehle, chair of the Public Works Committee, said the city does not have the equipment to do this and it was recommended by the committee.

The Council voted 6-0 to table action on Ordinance No. 2172 Amending the Crete Municipal Code pertaining to Appointed and Hired Officials. Officials would like clarification on this item.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve on its third reading and enact Ordinance 2168: An ordinance to annex Area #1 into the corporate limits of the City of Crete on third reading. 

• 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 voted 6-0 to approve the 2023 Ballot for Election to the Nebraska Regional Interoperability Network (NRIN) Board of Directors

•  This language authorizes the council to cast a vote for a regional NRIN director; the Public Safety Committee met on this with explanations from Ourada and Police Chief Gary Young.

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:
  • this Sunday, May 7, is the second event in a speaker series: Bruce Garver, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Nebraska - Omaha; his presentation "looks at both the family life of new Czech-Americans and aspects of intellectual and cultural life."
  • annual Summer Reading Program signup started today and the kickoff is June 1, from 5-7 p.m. at the library with activity stations and food trucks; the summer reading program runs throughout June;
  • food truck Thursdays this summer in the library parking lot are filling up with vendors;
• Gary Young, Chief of Police:
  • in exploring Emergency Management with he city, he is working with Human Resources Coordinator Savannah Anderson and talked with John McKee at Saline/Jefferson County Emergency Management; employees should receive training in incident management levels, 100, 200, 700, and 800; Wendy, Savannah and I have been working to get everyone’s transcripts in these courses;
  • Dan Neil, Senior Transportation Manager with Nestle Purina in Crete, has asked us to come in and talk about active threats; we will bring in the Saline County Sheriff’s Office and Nebraska State Patrol and work with his team to improve employee safety and have a working group for these issues;
  • thank you from the department for the work on eliminating animal licenses; this frees up Mary Klahn as Administrative Assistant and others to work on other activities;
  • Crete post prom - Officers Audrey Arbuckle and Dawn Jonas make a point to have a presence at this event for our high school students;
  • this weekend we have the chamber’s Cinco De Mayo events in City Park;
  • we participated in a lockdown event today at Crete Middle School - Officer Jonas has been instrumental in pushing the groups towards reunification drills; we are well ahead of a lot of school districts in this area and our district has recognized this as an important issue;
• Liz Cody, Parks and Recreation Director: 
  • we currently have 29 pool hires, including lifeguards and 8 cashiers; we would like to hire both pool manager candidates and Libbie Clevette as pool assistant manager for the first part of season to provide support; May 15-17 is pool staff training; Kourtney Martin will also complete pool operator training in addition to Aaron Steffensmeier, Dan Dunaway, and myself;
  • we’ve started power washing the pool and painting the lines; pool opening day is May 27
  • we are also on-boarding in the Parks Department with this year’s seasonal staff;
• Wendy Thomas, Human Resources introduced two new hires, Savannah Anderson, Human Resources Coordinator, who was present at the meeting, and Kevin Centamore, Electric Groundsman.
• Anthony Fitzgerald, Ward 1 Council Member said the mowing at the airport looked nice; Ourada mentioned the Street Department is doing that in absence of an airport manager and airport board members have been helping and stepping up as well.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • This is the city’s Spring Cleanup Week; Pinnacle Bank as a partner, has generously sponsored a document shredding truck in past years; this year trucks were booked early so they didn’t get one and we’ve heard about it from the public, that the City should just provide this for people; kudos to Pinnacle for doing it all those years and not being recognized for their participation;
  • 13th Street will close as part of Doane University’s new dormitory construction; Boswell to Code will be closed from May 15-31; signage will advise local traffic only at Hawthorne and Iris Avenues, with a detour on Highway 33 to avoid more traffic on East 15th Street;
  • we’ve been talking to the USDA on funding for a fire department expansion; we are looking at using both the smaller outright grant program and larger long term low interest loan over 40 years; looking at about $2+ million; we still need a feasibility study, environmental review, etc. There are a lot of criteria to qualify for USDA programs to work through, but it will be worth it.
  • city staff are using the parking lot across from the fountain in anticipation of the park construction project east of City Hall which should commence in late June.
  • the Water Department crew will work to turn the fountain on tomorrow (Wednesday);
  • address labeling on the trash totes at the East 16th Street townhouses seems to be working as expected;
  • we are working on a finance and purchasing policy update that will go to the city attorney and mayor for review;
  • reminder of Tim Coffey’s retirement reception on Friday, May 5, 3-5 p.m. in the Crete Carrier Community Room at Crete Public Library;
• Mayor Dave Bauer read a letter from Ward 3 Council Member Jack Oelschlager who recently retired from Nestle Purina and will be moving from Crete on June 1; Oelschlager said many changes have occurred in Crete over his years on the council and many more to come for the good of the community; Mayor Bauer said he wished him the best and thanked him for his many years serving the city as a member of the council.

Meeting adjourned.