REGULAR MEETING Crete City Council Meeting City Hall May 5th, 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, Papik and Fitzgerald The following actions were taken at the meeting: Approved the Consent Agenda items: Unanimous Meeting Minutes April 21st, 2026 City Council Minutes April 21st, 2026 Public Works Committee Minutes April 21st, 2026 Public Safety Committee Minutes April 21st, 2026 Legislative Development Minutes Treasurer’s Report Claims against the City $1,215,893.15 Arbor Day Proclamation. Unanimous Held Public Hearing to hear testimony for or against the Class C Retail Liquor License for El Acapulco on 1245 Main Ave. Unanimous Approved a recommendation to the Liquor Control Commission on the Class C Retail Liquor License for El Acapulco on 1245 Main Ave. Unanimous Enacted the Zoning Amendment Ordinance 2272 Chapter 11 Planning and Zoning Article 5 Dwelling Units, Special Types Shouses. Unanimous Adopted Resolution 2026-08 Interlocal Agreement with the Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council. Unanimous Approved the Prior to 2019 Write Offs. Unanimous Approved the Lincoln/Lancaster County LLCHD Interlocal Agreement. Unanimous Approved the Master Fee Schedule amendments. Unanimous Approved the Hochstetler Subdivision 1st Addition. Unanimous Approved the Crete Ace Hardware claims in the amount of $136.38. Crisman: Aye, Frans: Aye, Newmyer: Aye, Strehle: Aye, Fitzgerald: Aye, Abstained: Papik Officers’ Reports Parks and Recreation Director Liz Cody stated the following: There are 63 children registered for micro t-ball and t-ball Swim Team will start practices on May 18th, 2026 Introduction of new Groundskeeper AJ Novak The Wildwood Pool will be opening on May 23rd, 2026 Chief of Police Gary Young stated the following: After signing the CALEA efforts they are well into self-assessments and have most of the policies taken care of. The software works well with CALEA system. Detour has been running smoothly Building Inspector Trent Griffin stated that for the month of March there were 31 permits including two new home permits for a total of 3 new homes for the year. Griffin will have the April permit log at the next City Council meeting. Griffin stated there will be 16 new weed letters that will be mailed out. Council member Anthony Fitzgerald asked if the Street Department could get the work on 9th and Boswell completed before Doane University’s graduation. City Administrator Tom Ourada stated the following: On Thursday, May 7th, 2026 the City of Crete will be remediating a nuisance property by the 6th and Pine Ave area. The City of Crete Annual Spring Cleanup is going on this week. There were some changes made to the Main Ave detour. Ourada explained that with the Municipal Equalization Fund (MEF) shortfall of $638,000 and budget issues it creates, the City Council has hard choices to make. With the budget shortfall, we have to cut from within for the next year or two, and will have to raise the levy in order to avoid this happening every year. There is not a way in discussing it with State Agencies and the League of Municipalities that we can avoid that. Ourada pointed out that the City of Crete is not losing the most. Grand Island is losing the most but proportionally we are impacted the most, as it is 15% - 16% of our entire budget. It would be nearly impossible for the City to function and provide services as usual while absorbing that scale of deficit. Ourada explained that he provided various scenarios to the Mayor and Council and there is no way of making that up and no way of making it up with revenue only. It would necessitate making it up next year with raising the levy and making cuts. You can’t do one and accomplish it and you can’t do the other and accomplish it. We will have to raise the levy at least a few cents. There will be serious decisions that we will have to make on cutting services all the way across the board in order to get through the next year. The Council’s direction as we understand it is to take the steps necessary to execute the internal measures and report back to the City Council with the results and projections of what is going to happen yet this fiscal year, and communicate the outlook for the next fiscal year aside from the levy consideration. Ourada stated that he will work with Mayor Bauer to do this. The next steps will be a couple-month process because we won’t have our new valuations until the end of June and that will tell us a lot. Still we are looking at making significant modifications to the levy. The Mayor and the City Council will continue to meet on this for the actual budget portion of it. Mayor Dave Bauer stated that on May 5th, 2026 at 8:15am he received a call asking him to please not putting meter parking downtown because there was an article on social media on the City of Crete putting meters downtown. It was an unknown source that started it. Mayor Bauer let the person that called know that it was not true. The frustrating part is that people can make comments on the social media post but when someone goes on there to try to put the truth out there it gets taken down and they don’t let the comment stay. Mayor Bauer stated that he wants people to know the City of Crete is not putting meters downtown and we have never talked about it and that was just a rumor someone started. The meeting adjourned at 6:39 p.m. CITY COUNCIL CLAIMS PAID; PAYEE, DESCRIPTION, AMOUNT; AKRS EQUIPMENT, OIL FILTER, $186.44; CITY REVENUE FUND, AIRPORT, $44.90; OLSSON, CRETE 2-BAY HANGAR, $13,547.65; WASTE CONNECTIONS, UTILITIES, $96.71; AIRPORT FUNDS, SUBTOTAL, $13,875.70; BOEHM, STACY, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $20.82; CITY REVENUE FUND, CONSUMER DEPOSIT APPLIED, $1,558.74; CLINE, TIFFANIE, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $54.30; ESOBAR, YECENIA, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $28.45; FLEITAS-GARCIA, JUAN M, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $48.14; MILLER, ROBIN E, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $30.39; RAMOS LAMADRID, DAIMARA, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $50.40; SIGALA, KARINA LEYVA, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $104.47; VELASQUEZ, YANSY C, CONSUMER DEPOSIT REFUND, $48.76; CONSUMER DEPOSIT FUNDS, SUBTOTAL, $1,944.47; CRETE POSTMASTER, UTILITY POSTAGE, $1,403.92; MEAN, WHEELING EXPENSE, $700,256.11; ALTEC INDUSTRIES INC, SHOP SUPPLIES, $3,921.38; AQUA-CHEM INC, AQUA HAWK, $750.23; BLACK HILLS ENERGY, UTILITIES, $126.25; CASELLE, INC, CONTRACT SUPPORT & MAINT, $2,102.62; CDW GOVERNMENT INC, APC REPL BATT CART, $228.63; CITY HALL FUND, DEPARTMENT OFFICE RENT, $1,225.00; CITY HEALTH FUND, HRA, $535.00; CITY REVENUE FUND, SEWER REV, $11,767.71; CITY TAX FUND, ELECTRIC SURPLUS & FRANCHISE, $39,167.00; CORE & MAIN LP, OMNI+ 3 TRPL 3W & 20' PULSE CABLE, $1,915.50; CORNHUSKER INTRNTNL TRCK, MISC. CHARGES, $19,605.85; CRETE AUTO SUPPLY INC, BATTERY -SEWER JETTER, $472.37; CRETE LUMBER & FARM SUPPLY CO, GENERATOR #7 REPAIR, $194.90; ELITE AERIAL, OVERPAYMENT ON BULK WATER, $5.50; EXECUTIVE ANSWERING SERVICE, ANSWERING SERVICE, $87.19; FIBER PLATFORM LLC, ETHERNET INTERNET/PHONES, $391.33; GRAINGER, GEN #7 MAINT, $181.06; JAY'S OIL CO, TIRE REPAIR 1994 F-150, $35.00; JURGENS, JACK, UTILITY OVERPAYMENT, $34.68; MAX I WALKER UNIFORM & APPAREL, UNIFORMS, $181.84; MCMASTER-CARR SUPPLY CO, GENERATOR #7 REPAIR, $144.44; MIDWEST LABORATORIES INC, LABS, $2,734.57; NE DEPT WATR ENRGY & ENVRNMNT, OPERATOR LICENSE, $165.00; OLSSON, CRETE CORE INGREDIENTS, $184.38; ONE CALL CONCEPTS INC, LOCATING SERVICE FEE, $128.89; RAILROAD MANAGEMENT CO III LLC, LICENSE, $458.76; SE MUNICIPAL SOLAR LLC, SOLAR ENERGY APR 2026, $12,841.66; SEWARD COUNTY INDEPENDENT, ANNUAL WATER REPORT, $756.00; SID DILLON FORD, OIL & FILTER 2020 F-250, $66.12; WASTE CONNECTIONS, 1440 LINDEN, $42,486.00; WESCO RECEIVABLES CORP, HPS BRNZ TERMINAL CONN, $1,290.00; CITY PAYROLL FUNDS, WAGES, $118,395.21; UTILITY FUNDS, SUBTOTAL, $964,240.10; AKRS EQUIPMENT, GRASS MULCHING ATTACHMENT, $308.34; ALLO COMMUNICATIONS, INVESTIGATIONS LINE, $130.38; AMAZON CAPITAL SERVICES, BOOKS, $1,551.26; BEATRICE CONCRETE CO, CONCRETE, $4,078.74; BNCHMRK GVRNMNT SLTNS LLC, TRAINING MEALS NLETC, $97.65; BLACK HILLS ENERGY, UTILITIES, $1,152.07; CASELLE, INC, CONTRACT SUPPORT & MAINT, $1,166.38; CDW GOVERNMENT INC, APC REPLACEMENT BATT, $393.93; CENGAGE LEARNING INC, BOOKS/MAGAZINES, $238.40; CHAPIN LAWN CARE, MONTHLY MOWING, $300.00; CITY HALL FUND, DEPARTMENT OFFICE RENT, $375.00; CITY HEALTH FUND, HRA, $990.00; CITY REVENUE FUND, COMMUNITY CENTER, $12,894.90; CITY TAX FUND, LIBRARY BOND PAYMENTS, $21,000.00; CLINE WILLIAMS LLP, GEN BUS-STREET, $6,171.45; COUNTY ROAD TIRE LLC, TIRES 2013 CHEVY 4500 AMB, $1,476.00; CRETE ACE HARDWARE, BLDG/GRND MAINT, $136.38; CRETE AREA MEDICAL CENTER, AMBULANCE LAUNDRY, $35.00; CRETE AREA MEDICAL CENTER, ALS PARAMEDIC FEE, $1,318.13; CRETE AUTO SUPPLY INC, OIL - FOGGER, $58.90; CRIST AUTO BODY REPAIR, VINYL REMOVAL, $805.00; CRIST TOWING SERVICE, TOWING, $210.00; CRISTINA'S FAMILY RESTAURANT, LB840 CRISTINA'S, $3,633.54; DANKO EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT CO, VEHICLE REPAIR, $487.72; EAKES OFFICE SOLUTIONS, WINDOW ENVELOPES, $531.13; EAKES OFFICE SOLUTIONS, GLOVES, NITRILE, $49.60; ENVIRO-TECH PEST SERVICES, PEST CONTROL, $105.00; ES OPCO USA INC, ML KONTROL POLY DR N/R, $4,950.00; EXECUTIVE ANSWERING SERVICE, ANSWERING SERVICE, $29.06; FIBER PLATFORM LLC, ETHERNET INTERNET/PHONES, $1,044.76; FIRST WIRELESS, RADIO REPLACEMENT, $2,967.60; HEATH SPORTS, UNIFORM SEWING, $45.00; HOMETOWN LEASING, CONTRACT ADMIN FEE, $157.00; KEN'S USAVE PHARMACY, ONE TOUCH ULTRA TEST STRIPS, $130.00; MARVIN PLANNING CNSLTNTS INC, ZONING & SUBDIVISION REGS, $2,950.00; MIDWEST ALARM SERVICES, ALARM MONITORING, $150.00; MIDWEST BREATHING AIR LLC, BREATHING APP., $520.45; NEBRASKALAND TIRE INC, TIRE REPAIR, $25.00; NIPPON SANSO MATHESON INC, OXYGEN, $214.83; ONE SOURCE THE BCKGRND CHCK, BACKGROUND CHECK, $88.00; PAPER TIGER SHREDDING, PAPER SHREDDING, $38.00; PITNEY BOWES GLOBAL FINANCIAL, POSTAGE METER LEASE, $91.14; QUILL LLC, JANITORIAL SUPPLIES, $179.05; SACK LUMBER CO, STAKES & FORM BOARDS, $307.25; SAPP BROS, INC, FUEL, $1,507.87; SCHINDLER ELEVATOR CORP, INSPECTION SERVICE, $419.70; SEWARD COUNTY INDEPENDENT, SPRING CLEANUP, $1,243.20; SID DILLON FORD, VEHICLE REPAIR, $953.97; THE STRING BEANS, CONCERT, $1,100.00; TRANSUNION RISK & ALTERNATIVE, TLO MONTHLY CHARGES, $170.00; UNION BANK & TRUST CO, HWY ALLC FD PLEDGE BOND SRS 2019, $1,753.75; WASTE CONNECTIONS, UTILITIES, $819.49; CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES, SERVICE CONTRACT, $255.00; NE DEPT OF REVENUE, GAMING TAX JAN/FEB/MAR, $10,326.00; NEBRASKA.GOV, JUSTICE CASE LISTING, $16.00; CITY PAYROLL FUNDS, WAGES, $143,685.86; TAX FUNDS, SUBTOTAL, $235,832.88; ALL FUNDS, TOTAL, $1,215,893.15 CR — May 13, 2026 ZNEZ
