Council Summaries - Feb. 6 and 20, 2024

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 on Tuesday, March 5 

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, Feb. 20
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council Feb. 6, Public Safety Committee Feb. 6, Personnel Committee Feb. 6, Finance Committee Feb. 6, Public Works Committee Feb. 6, Parks and Recreation Committee Feb. 6, Legislative and Economic Development Committee Feb. 6
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City 
• Cline Williams invoices totaling $1,088.00 
• COR 015: Crete Isis phase I in the amount of $766.00 
• COR 002: Crete Isis Phase 2 in the amount of $255,500  
• Mayor's appointment of Carely Adame to the Planning Commission

The Council held a Public Hearing on the proposed One Year and Six Year Street Improvement Program.

• City Administrator Tom Ourada said these plans are required by the Nebraska State Department of Transportation to be completed each year; if not, the city would forfeit $850,000 to $900,000 in street funds. The city compiles these each year. Of note on the one-year plan are a number improvements along school property and with gap paving because if we didn't have projects on the this plan and federal aid comes available, they are not eligible.

The Council voted 6-0 to adopt the One Year and Six Year Street Improvement Program.  Dale Strehle, Public Works Committee Chair, said this item was also in front of the Planning Commission. The city lists these potential projects, however, can still choose to do or not do them on an individual basis.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the request to vacate part of the street between lot 5-6 block 168 and lot 11-12 block 21 from Crete Lumber and Farm Supply.

• Ourada said this was together as a request to vacate and to purchase from an adjacent property owner; the requests were split.
• Strehle said the Public Works Committee recommended to approve the street be vacated.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the request to purchase part of the street between lot 5-6 block 168 and lot 11-12 block 21 by allowing bids from the two adjacent property owners. Strehle said the committee recommended going to the two adjacent landowners for bids on purchasing this property from the city.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the serving of catered alcohol at the Crete Public Library jigsaw puzzle race on March 12th 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. in the Crete Carrier Community Room. Ourada said catering alcohol in the community room is possible, however each time it has to be approved by the council.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve adopting Resolution No. 2024-2 Authorizing the mayor to sign the Certification of Local Government Approval for Hope Crisis Center receiving funding for emergency shelter activities. Mayor Dave Bauer explained this came to him as a request; these funds are received and distributed every year, and this year Hope Crisis requested a resolution from the mayor to have it on record; once it’s signed and on record it will not need to be brought each year.

The Council voted 5-0 (Papik abstained) to approve approving payment of claims to Crete Ace Hardware in the amount of $2,774.05.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the DTR application from Angelica Murillo Ortiz for 1239 Main Ave Crete, NE 68333.

• Ourada explained this is utilizing funds not previously used on DTR (Downtown Revitalization) projects and this applicant has one of the buildings the city sought to be done with DTR.
• Anthony Fitzgerald, Legislative and Economic Development Committee chair, felt with the intent of the program and unused funds available, they should be used on this eligible project.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the serving of catered alcohol at the Mayor's Chili Feed on March 7th 2024 in the Crete Carrier Community Room.  

Petition - Communication - Citizen Concern:

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.

• Gary Young, Police Chief:
  • warm weather stirred the population a bit, otherwise this tends to be a slower time of year;
  • Officer Noah Zach is ready to come off preliminary probation; new hire Jaden Acevedo is working with the Code Enforcement Officer and doing legal prep work for the academy course;
• Liz Cody, Parks and Recreation Director: 
  • Micro Soccer and Youth Soccer registrations are open;
  • we are opening summer seasonal employment for parks and pool staff;
  • staff training is ongoing - lawn and landscaping, pesticide application, arborists;
  • we’ve been receiving small donations from people reaching out; for big picture grants,  having the park master plan will help in identifying potential grants;
• Savannah Anderson, Human Resources Coordinator, introduced a new meter reader for the Utilities Office, Brian Mierzejewski
• Tom Crisman, Council Member Ward2, asked about street tarring and the Main Street railroad crossing; Ourada said it is onging and potholes will start after tarring; we do not know the outlook on the crossing - Burlington had equipment here and then left and they still have materials here for it; the railroad works on their own time frame;
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • we are working on bathroom bids for City Park, hopefully can have it built quickly;
  • he had Building Inspector Brad Bailey look at the pool bathhouse roof and early estimates; he recommended waiting until next year as current prices are not even reasonable; he said it should be able to be replaced for about $35,000 and the cheapest, current price is $75,000; prices should drop some in the next year; Fitzgerald suggested looking at combining this project with the well house at Iris Ave., the FBO building at airport;
  • the city’s phone system is out of support; IT Director Mike Kalkwarf has been working on a replacement system, which might be cheaper than this last one was about 15 years ago; we are looking at about $80-90k range and implementing towards the end of the year for the next budget year;
  • we have nuisance property hearings this week;
  • he posed information on economic development and flexible dollars in nearby, comparable communities: Beatrice, York, Gretna, and Seward. Gretna spent $52M on developing a sports complex much larger than what the city is proposing on the south end of town; Gretna is also looking at partnering in their area on a $500M economic development project; Beatrice spent about $10.8M, York - $15M, Gretna - $21M, and Seward - $7.3M. There are differences in communities, but similar population to Crete, where we spent about $4.7M; Crete is frequently compared to Seward. We have a lot of challenges to be like other communities, but we don’t have the income to do that. We do a lot with a little and have to take bites out of the elephant with strategic planning and making sure we are smart with what we do and how we do it. Many people are wondering why we aren’t doing things like other communities and it’s a harsh reality for us but we do a lot with what we have.
  • dispatch plans should be on the next council meeting or the one after that; the council will have a vote to give notice to Southeast Nebraska Communications in Beatrice and about 18 months before the city would go with Saline County; we’ve worked out logistics and there isn’t anything that would prohibit us; they are offering a lower annual cost to be reviewed annually; services with Beatrice are $295,000 this year.

Meeting adjourned.

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, Feb. 6
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council Jan. 16, Public Works Committee Jan. 16, Finance Committee Jan. 16, Personnel Committee Jan. 16, Parks and Recreation Committee Jan. 16
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City 
• Mayor's Appointment of Marilyn Schacht as the City's representative on the Blue River Arts Council. 
• Approve Matthew Gross as new volunteer member of the Fire Department. 

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

• The CDA voted 6-0 to approve Resolution# CDA 24-01 First Amendment to Redevelopment Agreement Cardinal Ventures Redevelopment Project. City Administrator Tom Ourada clarified this is an amendment to the redevelopment agreements after plats were done. City Attorney Anna Burge also reviewed this agreement.
• Adjourn the CDA to the City Council meeting. 

The Council held a Public Hearing to hear testimony in favor of and in opposition to and to answer questions in relation to the Final Plat for Butterfly Acres. Mike Eckert, of Civil Design Group, Inc., spoke on behalf of the developers and reminded the council this project is for 19 lots, each about 3 acres, in Lancaster County, within Crete’s extra territorial jurisdiction.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Final Plat for Butterfly Acres.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Master Services Agreement Between the City of Crete and JEO Consulting Group, Inc for Professional Services. Ourada said this agreement is typical when you have consultants that also act in the capacity of city engineer. The city will still use JEO for some tasks and that is what this agreement covers; it was recommend by the Public Works Committee.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Fire Department applying for the Forestry Service grant.  Fire Chief Tod Allen discussed this item with the Public Safety Committee. They plan to buy tools for a new grass rig and new wild land firefighter gear. The department will pay all costs up front and be reimbursed 75 percent.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Fire Station Proposals from JEO Consulting Group. Ourada said this is three agreements, including one for architectural services, which the city has to engage in at the city’s cost to qualify for USDA loan funding, which is offered at a rate under 1% and terms up to 40 years. The other proposals are eligible as reimbursable expenses. This was recommend by the Public Works Committee.

The Council voted 6-0 to waive three readings and approve Ordinance 2193 relating to wages and salaries. Ourada clarified this reflects changes in minimum wage law and the city needs to remain in compliance for several affected positions, including pool positions, which are not currently staffed.

The Council voted 6-0 to refer the claim for sewer backup to the city’s insurance carrier Ourada explained this issue occurred near 15th and Doane Drive and the claim went to the Public Works Committee. Dale Strehle, Committee Chair, said they recommended referring the claim to the city’s insurance carrier, which is standard practice.

The Council voted 6-0 to waive three readings and approve Ordinance 2194 Authorizing Execution of Modernized MEAN contract

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Contractor's Application for Payment from Constructors, Inc. for the 2022 Street Improvements in the amount of $155,076.79. This is the final payment for the gap projects.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Change Order NO.4 from Constructors, Inc. for the 2022 Street Improvements in the amount of $11,147.26. This is a change order for a reduction in payment.

The Council voted 6-0 to accept the Crete Public Library Annual Report. 

• Joy Stevenson, Library Director, shared a summary of survey results from the last fiscal year, which showed usage/participation increases in a number of areas of library functions. Everything went up with the exception of 2023 Summer Reading Program attendance, which she explained may have been due to Crete Public Schools introducing student camps coinciding with library programming during weekdays in June; she said there was no communication with the schools on this last year as the library’s Summer Reading Program is traditionally held in June. Library staff have decided to hold the 2024 Summer Reading Programming in July.

The Council voted 6-0 to accept the City Audit Report 

• Marci Luth with AMGL CPAs & Advisors addressed the Finance Committee in a Zoom meeting held prior. She said they submitted an unmodified opinion on the audit, which is what you want. The city’s total assets are up and liabilities are down, which is trending in the right direction; revenue for the governmental side is up 10.5 percent compared to 7.5 percent last year. In the general fund, revenues exceeded expenses. She said they track a five-year comparison for the city to look at trends. In the city’s peer groups, Crete’s valuation per capita comes in less than communities Crete’s size, however there are consistencies across most categories that come in at or above trends. Sales tax and property taxes were both lighter than average, but over 10 years Crete runs ahead of peer groups in municipal equalization. Crete’s levy rate was less than .36, with peers averaging .37. Total utility revenues were on target with the exception of electric running light and water being low this year. Ourada did mention the city is in year 2 of a 4-year rate increase for water, reflecting corrective planning in this area.
• Kyle Frans, Committee Chair, said the city’s numbers are strong for a city and staff our size; trends remain positive.

The Council voted 6-0 to accept the KENO Audit. Frans said the provider, Hastings Keno, is doing a great job, and met all state and city qualifications.

The Council voted 5-0 (Papik abstained) to approve payment of claims to Crete Ace Hardware in the amount of $117.75. Mayor Dave Bauer clarified this item in that the council approves all other bills in the consent agenda and this bill is acted on separately due to a conflict for Council Member Dan Papik, who owns Ace Hardware. He is able to abstain from voting on this bill and remain able to vote on the rest of the bills up for action.

Petition - Communication - Citizen Concern:  

Agenda document: Building Permit Log 9-11-2023 through 12-31-2023

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.

• Savannah Anderson, Human Resources Coordinator, introduced new employees:
  • Darrell Thomas, Street Operator;
  • Police Department - Alex Sawtelle, returning police officer, and Jaden Acevedo, who is working with code enforcement until he enters the law enforcement academy;
  • Rick Brown, Meter Reader.
• Gary Young, Police Chief:
  • we are happy to have new and returning people in the department; Jaden is working with Code Enforcement Officer Kylie Nicewonger in that system as well as getting pieces of law enforcement; he will enter the academy in April;
  • we’ve concluded the case of stolen cars in December with great work from Officer Noah Zach, who obtained a confession and was able to clear all those cases; this was good work by a young officer pursuing the case;
  • K9 Hunk and partner Officer Audrey Arbuckle are now patrol certified; Nebraska changed all the standards and the way they do testing; Audrey is an exceptional handler and Hunk is a great dog; they are putting in a lot of work and it’s paying off.
• Tod Allen, Fire Chief:
  • introduced Matt Gross, who is a member of Wilber Fire and Rescue, and will be an associate EMT member for Crete VFD;
  • call numbers in 2023:Crete Fire and Rescue responded to 908 total calls for service; Average Calls a month - 75.45, Average Calls per day - 2.72;
    • 911 call total: 575: Medical - 363, Motor Vehicle Accidents - 41, Structure Fire - 3, Contents Fire - 12, Vehicle Fire - 5, Grass/Vegetation Fire - 31, Fire Alarm - 30, Hazmat - 15, Mutual Aid Medical - 23, Mutual Aid Fire - 13, Cancel - 29, Special Duty (Public Assist) - 10
    • Transfer BLS. - 126, Transfer ALS - 172, Standby - 15, Other - 20
  • members brought back the new ambulance from Snyder, NE; it’s 99% done with some lighting issues and radio and antennas installation to follow;
• Liz Cody, Parks and Recreation Director: 
  • thank you to Blue River Raceway, that gave a replacement steering wheel for the car in the City Park playground;
  • met with ESL families, Family Literacy class, to provide programming information; met with Grassroots Leadership students at Crete High School; a common theme is families and kids want nicer bathrooms in the parks;
  • Youth Soccer and Micro Soccer program registration is open or opening soon;
  • will soon be opening the hiring process for seasonal staff positions in park groundskeeping and pool managers, lifeguards, and cashiers;

• Ashley Newmyer, Council Member - Ward 3, welcomed new city staff members and thanked staff for the regular reports received at council meetings;
• Dan Papik and Anthony Fitzgerald, Council Members - Ward 1, also welcomed new staff.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • The Planning Commission moved their meeting up to next week and will be considering the 1 and 6-year street plans in a hearing setting; those will come back to the council for consideration;
  • Doane University held a ribbon cutting for the new residence hall, currently called ‘New Hall,’ President Roger Hughes and Mayor Bauer gave nice remarks; it is a spectacular addition to the campus and community;
  • I was elected chairperson of MEAN (Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska), the term starts April 1; there are over 50 members in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming;
  • MEAN wholesale power costs are up about 3%; the city hasn’t voted to raise rates in 4 years;
  • U.S. Senator Deb Fischer’s aid Ray Ringlein stopped in to talk about Crete’s challenges and give a couple of pointers on programs the senator may be interested in helping with, such as roundabouts and a pedestrian overpass;
  • we have lots of interest in businesses relocating to Crete, including someone wanting to purchase our building downtown;
  • we used to have 100% of city employees certified in CPR and are revisiting that; Liz is a CPR instructor and Savannah is working on it; we talked about the value in that to the city, but also the community; we want our employees to be CPR and First Aid certified;
  • we’ve been offered a free train depot, but would have to move it and put on a new foundation; it may fit well on our new south property and be way cheaper than constructing a new building.
• Mayor Dave Bauer welcomed new employees to the city.

Meeting adjourned.