REGULAR MEETING Crete City Council Meeting City Hall March 17th, 2026, (Condensed, entire copy available at the office of the City Clerk). Mayor Dave Bauer called the meeting of the City Council to order at 6:00 p.m. Answering roll call were the following Council Members: Crisman, Frans, Strehle, and Fitzgerald Absent: Ashley Newmyer and Dan Papik The following actions were taken at the meeting: Approved the Consent Agenda items: Unanimous Meeting Minutes March 3rd, 2026 City Council Minutes March 3rd, 2026 Public Works Committee Minutes March 3rd, 2026 Finance Committee Minutes March 3rd, 2026 Legislative Development Minutes March 3rd, 2026 Personnel Committee Minutes March 3rd, 2026 Public Safety Committee Minutes Treasurer’s Report Claims against the City $1,247,382.23 Approved Mayor’s appointment of Tom King to the Library Advisory Board Approved NLC, LLC Contractor's Application for Payment in the Amount of $71,645.44 for the 2024 Crete Street and Alley Improvements Held a Public Hearing to hear testimony for or against the Class I Liquor License Amendment Application on the Manager Change Amendment from STAAB PH Units LLC DBA Pizza Hut of Crete. Unanimous Approved a recommendation to the Liquor Control Commission on the Class I Liquor License Amendment Application on the Manager Change Amendment from STAAB PH Units LLC DBA Pizza Hut of Crete. Unanimous Held a Public Hearing to hear testimony for or against the Special Exception Application for a Church at 969 W Highway 33. Unanimous Approved the Special Exception Application for a Church at 969 W Highway 33 for 5 years or when the lease is terminated. Unanimous Approved the South Crete Sports Complex Park Planning Proposal. Unanimous Approved the FY2026 Grant Application for Project No. 3-31-0022-019/020-2026 at Crete Municipal Airport. Unanimous Adopted Resolution 2026-04 Approving the Execution of An Agency Agreement With Nebraska Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics for Project No. 3-31-0022-019/020-2026 To Be Submitted By The Department To The Federal Aviation Administration To Obtain Federal Assistance For The Development Of The Airport . Unanimous Approved to authorize Mayor to sign the National Museum Of The U.S. Air Force Inventory Report. Unanimous Approved the Crete Ace Hardware claims in the amount of $4,095.77. Unanimous Tabled Ordinance 2266 Amending 2-1514 Dead or hazardous tree removal. Unanimous Enacted Ordinance 2271 Amending Salaries and Wages in Ordinance 2257, 2263, 2267, and 2270. Unanimous Approved the beacon quote from IES in the amount of $20,748 . Unanimous Approved the unclaimed properties as of 09/30/2025. Unanimous Approved vacating easement on lots 1 and 2 of Pine Ridge 4th Addition and direct City Attorney to develop Ordinance. Crisman: Aye, Frans: Aye, Bauer: Aye, Strehle: Aye, Abstained: Fitzgerald Approved forwarding Tamela Chodosh's claim to the League Association of Risk Management (LARM). Unanimous Approved the 2025 CLG Annual Report. Unanimous Officers’ Reports Chief of Police Gary Young stated the Crete Police Department was awarded a $16,000 grant to help with the CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) Library Director Jessica Wilkinson showed the City Council a dinosaur she created using the laser machine at the library and added that the Summer Reading Program is going to be dinosaur themed. Wilkinson attended The Nebraska Library Association (NLA) Advocacy Day 2026 on March 16th, 2026 and provided the City Council with a fact sheet and mentioned that there were over 5 million library visits in 2024 in Nebraska. The Libby program costs the Crete Public Library about $750 right now and if state funding for libraries is reduced that cost would be much more and the library would not be able to afford it. Parks and Recreation Director Liz Cody stated the following: Introduced Clara Walstad as the new full-time Groundskeeper 2025 IRA UCF Funds are now available for Crete which help fund tree work in parks and city-maintained public green-spaces. Summer hires are open for aquatics and parks seasonal positions. Campgrounds open on April 1st. Fields are already available for use by reservation Youth soccer ongoing- with some snow delays. Micro Soccer starts in April. Coaches welcome. Micro T-Ball and T-Ball Registration will open at the end of the month. City Administrator Tom Ourada stated the following: Explained that the municipal equalization fund and LB1072 there have been legislation proposals to do away with municipal equalization and various amendments to reduce the MEF. This year Crete’s was about $777,000 and with some projections indicating that Crete could be eligible for over $1 million in 2027 the reduction could be a reduction of almost $50,000 proposed with LB1072 amendments. There seemed to be some confusion over the source of that data. Ourada explained he provided testimony to the legislature of the adverse effect that would have to the City of Crete. The food truck that was on Hawthorne Ave is gone for two weeks in compliance with City Ordinance and will locate back in a couple of weeks. Tom and Nancy participated in a virtual meeting with the Nebraska Department of Roads conducting interviews for the pedestrian bridge design. The consultants each had a partner. JEO is partnering with WSP, Schemmer partnering with FHU, and Wilson partnering with Confluence. Confluence did the City of Crete’s Comprehensive Plan. Interviewed candidates for the police officer position. Extended one conditional offer and there will be another interview on Thursday, March 19th, 2026. Council President Dale Strehle asked about highway 103 and if the overlay be taking place this summer. Ourada stated that the overlay project would be from Crete to Wilber and traffic will be detoured through Crete on Main Street for a portion of the project. Mayor Dave Bauer wished everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day and good luck on the next Library Puzzle Race. The meeting adjourned at 6:41 p.m. PAYEE, DESCRIPTION, AMOUNT; CITY REVENUE FUND, AIRPORT, $33.02; CRETE AUTO SUPPLY INC, SERPENTINE BELT, $52.99; SAPP BROS, INC, PROPANE, $578.99; AIRPORT FUNDS, SUBTOTAL, $665.00; CITY REVENUE FUND, CONSUMER DEPOSIT APPLIED, $694.35; IRENE AVALOS, ISIS, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $70.97; WITZKE, ALVIN, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $34.68; CONSUMER DEPOSIT FUNDS, SUBTOTAL, $800.00; CRETE POSTMASTER, UTILITY POSTAGE, $1,376.87; BLACK HILLS ENERGY, UTILITIES, $363.55; CITY HALL FUND, DEPARTMENT OFFICE RENT, $1,225.00; CITY HEALTH FUND, HEALTH REIMBURSEMENT ACCOUNT, $535.00; CITY REVENUE FUND, SEWER REV, $11,972.00; CITY TAX FUND, ELECTRIC SURPLUS & FRANCHISE, $39,167.00; CRETE AUTO SUPPLY INC, MANUAL BATTERY CHARGER, $297.49; CRETE LUMBER & FARM SUPPLY CO, HAND DIGGING SPADE, $44.06; EAKES OFFICE SOLUTIONS, OFFICE SUPPLIES, $47.65; FIBER PLATFORM LLC, ETHERNET INTERNET /PHONES, $391.53; HOH WATER TECHNOLOGY, CS - 39, 30 GALLON DRUM, $1,223.15; HOLIDAY INN KEARNEY, ACCT#2518 - MEETING/TRAINING, $259.90; LINCOLN WINWATER WORKS CO, MGP4 4 MJ GSKT/T-BOLT PK, $1,132.05; MAX I WALKER UNIFORM & APPAREL, UNIFORMS, $174.59; MCMASTER-CARR SUPPLY CO, HIGH-CAPACITY NARROW-WEDGE, $655.53; ONE CALL CONCEPTS INC, LOCATING SERVICE FEE, $31.90; RESCO, ERMCO 3 PHASE PAD TRANSFORMER , $46,827.00; SAPP BROS, INC, PROPANE, $477.00; SUMMIT FIRE PROTECTION, FIRE EXTINGUISHER ANNUAL INSP, $1,762.94; WIRUTH, JOHN, WASTEWATER WORKSHOP, $87.00; MEAN, WHEELING EXPENSE, $789,240.83; UPS , POSTAGE, $11.70; CITY PAYROLL FUNDS, WAGES, $119,003.58; UTILITY FUNDS, SUBTOTAL, $1,016,307.32; AMAZON CAPITAL SERVICES, BLDG MAINT, $5,595.54; BAUER INSURANCE INC, 4 YR BOND, $40.00; BEATRICE CONCRETE CO, CONCRETE, $1,883.60; BLACK HILLS ENERGY, UTILITIES, $2,269.89; BSN SPORTS INC, SOFTBALL FIELD IMPROVEMENTS, $1,520.00; CENGAGE LEARNING INC, BOOKS/MAGAZINES, $332.66; CITY HALL FUND, DEPARTMENT OFFICE RENT, $375.00; CITY HEALTH FUND, HEALTH REIMBURSEMENT ACCOUNT, $990.00; CITY REVENUE FUND, WANEKS COMMUNITY CENTER, $15,522.57; CITY TAX FUND , LIBRARY BOND PAYMENTS, $21,000.00; CORNHUSKER INTRNTNL TRUCK, SENSOR/O-RING DUMP TRUCK, $385.27; CRETE AREA MEDICAL CENTER, AMBULANCE LAUNDRY, $35.00; CRIST TOWING SERVICE, TOWING, $200.00; CRISTINA'S FAMILY RESTAURANT, LB840 CRISTINA'S, $3,654.50; DETECTACHEM INC, THC FIELD TESTS, $89.58; EAKES OFFICE SOLUTIONS , OFFICE SUPPLIES, $31.08; EAKES OFFICE SOLUTIONS , JANITORIAL, $208.50; ELECTRONIC CONTRACTING CO, VE AUDIO SYSTEM, $7,113.24; ENVIRO-TECH PEST SERVICES, PEST CONTROL, $105.00; FIBER PLATFORM LLC, ETHERNET INTERNET/PHONES, $1,045.29; FREEDOM AND GLORY, SNAPHOOK, $117.52; FYR-TEK, SVP SIREN MAGNUM, $764.75; GRUNWALD MCHNCL CNTRCTRS & ENGINE, BOILER REPAIR, $9,215.37; HAMILTON EQUIPMENT CO, BOBCAT REPAIR, $171.15; HEIMAN INC, BOOTS, $853.52; HOMETOWN LEASING, CNTRCT ADMIN FEE & MNTHLY PAYNT, $155.12; INT'L INSTITUTE OF MUNI CLERKS, MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL, $330.00; LAWN KINGS, SNOW REMOVAL, $600.00; MARVIN PLANNING CONSULTANTS INC, ZONING & SUBDIVISION REGS, $4,475.00; MATHESON TRI-GAS INC, OXYGEN, $860.97; MIDWEST ALARM SERVICES, SERVICE CALL, $225.00; MURPHY TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT, CUTTING EDGE JD LOADER, $773.68; NEBRASKALAND TIRE INC, TIRE REPAIR, $32.99; ONE SOURCE THE BACKGROUND CHECK, BACKGROUND CHECK, $154.00; OVERHEAD DOOR CO, SW OVERHEAD DOOR REPAIR, $1,086.02; PAPER TIGER SHREDDING, PAPER SHREDDING, $35.00; QUILL LLC, OFFICE SUPPLIES, $91.61; ROSE EQUIPMENT LLC, MAXWELL ELASTOFLEX , $2,106.00; SACK LUMBER CO, LUMBER-9TH & BOSWELL PROJ, $458.65; SALINE CO 4-H COUNCIL, T-SHIRT SPONSORSHIP, $100.00; SEWARD COUNTY INDEPENDENT, CIVIL SERVICE, $202.94; SIGN SOLUTIONS USA LLC, R2-125//SPEED LIMIT 25//HIP , $303.29; STRYKER SALES LLC, AED REPLACEMENT PADS, $174.00; SUMMIT FIRE PROTECTION, FIRE EXTINGUISHER ANNUAL INSPCT, $1,131.51; TOG DEVELOPMENT LLC DBA LOCALHOP, SERVICE 1-1-26 THRU 12-31-26, $432.00; TRI STATE OIL RECLAIMERS INC, USED OIL PICKED UP, $75.00; TURNER, KAITLYN, REFUND-YOUTH SOCCER, $50.00; QUADIENT FINANCE USA INC, POSTAGE, $300.00; CITY PAYROLL FUNDS, WAGES, $141,938.10; TAX FUNDS, SUBTOTAL, $229,609.91; ALL FUNDS, TOTAL, $1,247,382.23 CR — March 25, 2026 ZNEZ
