City Administrator Tom Ourada stated that the City Council makes a recommendation to the Liquor Control Commission. 

Mayor Dave Bauer stated that the City Council makes a recommendation to the Liquor Control Commission and the commission decides if they approve the license. 

Mayor Dave Bauer stated that this is out at the strip mall on Highway 33 there is a unit that is being remodeled for a church. City Administrator Tom Ouada added that the property owner is present. 

Mayor Dave Bauer stated that this also went to the Public Works committee and there are 8 findings that you have to go through. The committee did go through all 8 findings and did not find any problems with any of them. Council member Tom Crisman stated that most people that apply for a special exception usually attend the meeting to explain what they are going to do. City Administrator Tom Ourada stated that if there is a concern, the City Council has granted a special exception on a year-by-year basis. Council member Anthony Fitzgerald asked if they could match what the lease term is. 

City Administrator Tom Ourada explained that this is to do some preliminary planning on the land that the City purchase for a sports complex. This planning proposal is completely funded through a Brownsfields grant. 

City Administrator Tom Ourada explained that this is for a 2-Bay Box Hangar and this item also went to the Public Works committee. 

City Administrator Tom Ourada stated that this Ordinance for the parks groundskeeper and the cemetery groundskeeper. This lowers the wage a little to conform with minimum wage and it extends it through four seasons instead of five since there has never been someone who has returned for a fifth year and very few return for a fourth year. 

City Administrator Tom Ourada explained that these are unclaimed properties that our auditor suggested we take formal action on and turn over to the state. The best effort was made to contact the people who have unclaimed properties. There was a discussion on how long it would take to turn over to the state which would be a couple weeks and give people time to claim that property. This item also went to the Finance committee. 

Mayor Dave Bauer explained that this did not go to the committee and it went to full council. City Administrator Tom Ourada explained that this is to remove an easement in between two lots so they can purchase both lots. Ourada further explained that there are two components to this. One is asking the city staff to create an ordinance to officially deal with the property and the second is that for tax purposes that the lots have a common PID number. The PID will be issued by the county not the city. This was also going to the Public Works committee but since there was a conflict of interest there was not a quorum. The city staff recommends, since the easement has no occupancy, in it that the easement be vacated to facilitate the construction. 
Mayor Dave Bauer voted Aye on this item as well. Bauer also explained that since there are only four members of City Council and there has to be four votes to approve an item he is authorized to vote in a situation like this. 

Mayor Dave Bauer stated that Tamela's Chadosh's vehicle was backed up by a snow plow. City Administrator Tom Ourada added that a citation was issued for illegal parking and the League Association of Risk Management will sort that out. 

City Administrator Tom Ourada stated that this is a function of the Historic Preservation Commission and they are required to annually submit a report of their activities for the year. The City Council does not have to approve it but this is for the council's information of the commission's activities. 

• 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 16^th, 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 1^st.
• 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 19^th, 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.