REGULAR MEETING Crete City Council Meeting City Hall March 3rd, 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, Newmyer, Strehle, and Fitzgerald Absent: Dan Papik The following actions were taken at the meeting: Approved the Consent Agenda items: Unanimous Meeting Minutes February 17th, 2026 City Council Minutes February 17th, 2026 Public Works Committee Minutes February 17th, 2026 Public Safety Minutes February 17th, 2026 Legislative Development Treasurer’s Report Claims against the City $1,247,382.23 Approved Mayor’s appointment of Sarah Brown to the Board of Health Approved Mayor's appointment of Gary Young to the Board of Health Approved the Audit. Unanimous Approved the amended LB840 Application from Heath Sports. Unanimous Approved City of Crete LB840 funds to cover 5% for Downtown Revitalization Program (DTR). Unanimous Approved the LB840 Application from Gary and Denise Lothrop for Business Infrastructure Improvements. Voting Yes: Crisman, Frans, Newmyer, Strehle Voting No: Fitzgerald Approved the LB840 Application from Edith M Cabrera for Business Infrastructure Improvements. Voting Yes: Crisman, Frans, Newmyer, Strehle Voting No: Fitzgerald Approved the LB840 Application from The 1206 LLC for Business Infrastructure Improvements. Voting Yes: Crisman, Frans, Newmyer, Strehle Voting No: Fitzgerald Approved the LB840 Application from Yoidier Rodriguez and Mary Alvarez for Business Infrastructure Improvements. Voting Yes: Crisman, Frans, Newmyer, Strehle Voting No: Fitzgerald Approved the Application for Special Event Permit for a Tractor Safety Course from the Saline County 4-H, NE Extension. Unanimous Approved the Crete Freightliner Chassis Purchase Agreement. Unanimous Approved to authorize the Crete Volunteer Fire Department to apply for the grants from Gary Sinese Foundation, Firehouse Subs, USDA and Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Unanimous Tabled Ordinance 2266 Amending 2-1514 Dead or hazardous tree removal. Unanimous Enacted Ordinance 2269 amending Section 2-1204 of Crete Municipal Code To In Accordance With State Law, Changing The Individual Who Can Remove Individuals From The Commission From Mayor To The Appointing Authority. Unanimous Enacted Ordinance 2270 Amending Salaries and Wages in Ordinance 2257 2263 and 2267. Unanimous Approved the AirMethods Agreement. Unanimous Approved to authorize to apply for the Adrian Smith FY 2027 Appropriations Request for Community Project Funding for Roundabout Infrastructure Project. Unanimous Approved to authorize to apply for the Adrian Smith FY 2027 Appropriations Request for Community Project Funding for Doane Substation Project. Unanimous Officers' Reports Library Director Jessica Wilkinson stated that the Crete Public Library was awarded $20,000 and it will be used to purchase braille books, audio books and shelving. Chief of Police Gary Young stated Officer Noah Zach was recognized by the local legion on his Nebraska American Legion Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. This summer Zach will be attending the state meeting in Columbus, NE. Young stated that he will be out of service for about a week and Captain Jon Pucket will be helping. Council member Anthony Fitzgerlad asked Young about officer interviews and City Administrator Tom Ourada stated that they are scheduled for March 12th and 19th, 2026. Building Inspector Trent Griffin provided the February Permit Log and stated that he and Planning Commission Chair Dave Jurena will be attending the Nebraska Planning and Zoning Association Conference in Kearney, NE. Council member Anthony Fitzgerald asked City Administrator Tom Ourada about a damaged utility building at Tuxedo Park. Ourada explained that there is no equipment stored and there had been chalk and other things that have now been moved to the baseball field shed. Ourada added that the school would like to add building there. City Administrator Tom Ourada stated that the City of Crete is participating in a Brownfields grant that SENDD wrote and was awarded. Park planning for the south Crete Sports Complex might be able to be done through this grant. They are checking with the EPA. The quote that Ourada received was a range from $50,000 to over $100,000. Ourada stated that the City is getting a new airport beacon. The City received a 0% interest loan to be paid back over 5 years. Ourada stated that the Historic Preservation Commission had a meeting and there were concerns with park improvement activities at City Park. Some of the commission members were concerned that the bandstand would be demolished. There isn’t a plan to demo the bandstand and instead the City is looking at possibly relocating it. Ourada spoke with the Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission and Mayor Bauer and they were both happy with the possible solution. As part of the Reconnecting Communities Grant that the City of Crete is also participating in the Paths to Connections that teaches to navigate the federal grants. Ourada and City Clerk Nancy Tellez will be participating in a Zoom meeting in March an person training in Maryland in April, and another Zoom meeting in May. All the expenses are paid for by the grant. Ourada and Tellez will not be at the April 21st 2026 City Council meeting and Finance Director Wendy Thomas will be helping during that meeting. Mayor Dave Bauer added that he will also not be able to attend the April 21st, 2026 City Council meeting. Ourada stated that he met with a person that had questions about the LB840 Program. She had mentioned that many of the people that have been awarded funds can afford to do the projects. Ourada provided information on how the state statutes are structured and how aid is to be used and how this makes money available for people who may or may not be able to afford to do the projects. People have to submit their financials and proof they have financial backing to do so. There was also conversation on this topic during the Legislative Development Committee. LB840 is a good program and it does what the legislature intended it to do. Ourada stated that the Business Alley Paving is a solution to a problem that really doesn’t have another workable solution. Business expenses are allowed by LB840 and follow several review processes in order to ensure they conform with the program. The City Council can also place limits on project qualifications. The votes being what they were was good as it shows that the City Council is staying on top of things and doing what people were expecting. The City Council reviews things thoroughly. Ourada met with Dr. Brown and she discussed some grants she would work on, and she will be a tremendous asset to the Fire Department. There was discussion of the USDA grant and she will be helping with that. Ourada stated that the City of Crete gets a lot of grants but don’t necessary show up on the audit because they show up on past years or future years. Ourada spoke to JEO about doing a mill and overlay project on Boswell and Hawthorne. These projects are going to be really expensive. You can’t create districts with these projects. By state law these are considered maintenance and are operations activities You can’t assess them and use state funding. When you are doing ten or twenty blocks it is very expensive. There was also discussion on the bid projects that JEO has been doing in other towns and they stated that the bids have been between 52% and 60% of the engineers estimate. Ourada asked them to redo 15th Street estimate to get some updated costs numbers. Council member Tom Crisman asked if any of the streets can be armor coated. Ourada stated that those are not great for municipalities because they shed a lot of rock and that goes into the gutters and storm sewer. They are also not popular as they can be hard on vehicle finishes. Ourada added that the City of Crete is financially conservative. We have to be since we are on the low end of property taxes. Ourada added that revenue-wise, we are not comparable to the communities we typically get compared to. The meeting adjourned at 7:12 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 11, 2026 ZNEZ
