Opened the Public Hearing on Special Assessments at 6:05 p.m. 
City Administrator Tom Ourada explained that the Board of Equalization deciding the benefits on Street Improvement Project Nos 2022-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9. 
Mayor Dave Bauer asked if anyone would like to speak at this time to please come forward and state their name and address. 
David Behrens 135 E 18th St asked if there is going to be more paying and if that paving would be along his property. 
City Administrator Tom Ourada explained that not next year or the year after. Behrens asked how he can pay the amount he owed. Ourada explained that he can pay it in full or set up with the county to pay over 15 years. 
Gerald Vlasin 2225 Main Avenue asked why as property owners they are paying for a sidewalk on Oak Ave that is along the river that doesn’t go anywhere and why all the improvements are being paid by the property owners and not the City. Mayor Dave Bauer explained that improvements to streets that have gravel and get paved always have an assessment to the property owner and it is an improvement to the property.


Pastor Marco Flores with Betel Worship Center 2124 Main Avenue asked what is all included in the amount owed. Ourada explained that the paving and sidewalks is included. Ourada also explained that on their property there was an extra $9,200 and the City is paying half and Betel Worship Center is paying the other half. Betel Worship Center can pay up front with no interest or over 15 years with 7% interest. Flores asked if the signs that were taken down can please be put up again or if they can go ahead and do it themselves. Ourada explained that someone from the City would go put the signs up. 
Rosemarie Kleineweber from 335 East 22nd Street stated that she didn't want the gap paving. Kleineweber asked if the City is paying for any of the paving. Ourada explained that the City of Crete is paying for the intersections. City Attorney Anna Burge explained that the City of Crete followed the process for the gap paving. Kleineweber stated there was a tree on her property that was torn up from their yard. Ourada stated that he will be reaching out to the Engineer about this issue. 
Leon Barkdoll from 1744 Oak Avenue asked who had completed the walk through after the project was completed. Ourada explained that the Street Supervisor, Engineer and Contractor had completed the walk through. 
Maria Silvia Adame Ortiz from 246 W 17th Street with translation help from Marilyn Schacht, Community Assistance Director, asked how she would be able to pay for the amount she owes. Ourada explained that the City of Crete Finance Director Wendy Thomas would send out letters with the information and options.
Closed the Public Hearing at 6:52 p.m.
 

The Public Hearing opened at 6:54 p.m. 
City Administrator Tom Ourada explained that this was the 3rd application for the Community Development Block Grant Program for elimination of substandard and blighted conditions within the designated downtown area. 
The Public Hearing closed at 6:56 p.m.

City Administrator Tom Ourada explained that the administrative subdivision is pretty straight forward and has been reviewed. 

 

• Chief of Police Gary Young stated the following:

• Jaden Acevedo Avalos graduated from the Police Academy and the Police Department is thrilled to have him.
• The other night they had a couple successful deployments of the k-9 for a call about a sexual assault and strangulation. The dog helped to detect an individual in a room and another behind a car.
• The Police Department participated in the Doane University walk. They have been working closely with their peer advisor with training with drug recognition, sex assault recognition, stalking, and on dating violence.
• The Police Department will be doing coffee with a cop to continue working with Doane University.

• Library Director Jessica Wilkinson stated the following:

• Provided the Mayor, City Administrator and City Council packets of information from the library.
• The library made over $1,000 from their summer book sale.
• There were over 319 children registered for the summer reading program and 172 reading logs were returned compared to last year only 130 were turned in.
• 39 adult book reviews were completed for the first year.
• The library had their overnight teen lock in from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and engaged in many activities and games.

• Human Resources Coordinator Savannah Anderson introduced the two newest City of Crete employees; Parker Zulauf electric lineman and Trevor Nickel parks facilities and groundskeeper.
• City Administrator Tom Ourada stated the following:

• He has been working with Finance Director Wendy Thomas on the 2024/2025 Fiscal Year budget. Ourada, Thomas and Finance Committee Chair Kyle Frans met with the Fire Department and they are going to waive some expenses for the department and will be picked up from the general fund for this year.
• Ourada explained there is no calculable growth with the budget. Our taxable valuation grew by 6 million but with a 400 million valuation it did not provide additional funds for the budget. The City Council will have the Budget Work Session on Saturday, August 24^th, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.
• LB34 passed and it’s literally 0% growth or SLCE which is a consumer price index (CPI) a form of calculation. That could be a concern. If the legislature left it at just that it might be okay. They removed the lid so there is no levy/ lid restrictions at all. This might be revisited in January and hopefully they don’t do anything with sales tax. Sales tax, which the people who live inside the corporate limits voted for are collected and used for economic development, property tax relief, library and police officers and used for things limited to inside the city limits. The state has talked about taking a portion of that and using it outside of the community for other purposes. Ourada spoke to our State Senator about this.
• Wednesday, August 21^st 2024 and Thursday, August 22^nd 2024 Ourada and IT Director Mike Kalkwarf will be in Kearney for the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska Meetings.
• The Boswell paving is a county project and they don’t have a detour. The City put alternate routes on the City of Crete website and social media. The project is going to take about 80 calendar days to complete. The transfer station will be closed over one Tuesday when they pave over the intersection. Ourada stated council member Dale Strehle recommendation on widening county Rd D for the alternate route traffic would be passed on to the county.

 

7:20 p.m.