City Council - Regular Meeting

Yeah, even in the summertime.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Nice time. Good evening everyone. Welcome to the North Plat City Council meeting here on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. Of course, we're here in the city council chambers calling the meeting officially to order. Invocation by Gary Stettler from the Victory Church of God. Mr. Stettler, if you would start, please. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and council members. It's an honor to be with you tonight. Shall we pray? Heavenly Father, we look to you this evening as the eternal God and creator of mankind. As we begin our city council meeting, we seek your wisdom and guidance. help us to avoid conflict and instead operate in unity and understanding so that this meeting will be fruitful. I thank you for your love and your concern with the matters we will deal with today and I express heartfelt thanks for your guiding light and your watching over us

in this meeting. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and risen Savior. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you everyone. Angie, the roll call please. Ley here. D here. B here. Lu here. Eric. Lander here. Here. McN here.

Thank you. A current copy of the open meetings act of state Nebraska is posted on the wall at the back of the council chambers. Meeting procedure. The public may address specific agenda items. The pleasure of the mayor. If recognized by the mayor, please identify yourself by stating your name and address. Please address the council through the mayor and limit your remarks. We respect our city employees. requests that any complaints or criticisms of employees not be aired the public meeting. Concerns about employees should be brought to the attention of the city administrator or the mayor. Individuals in violation will be declared out of order. Uh tonight in the award accolades and presentation section of the meeting, we do have a an exciting award to present. I'm going to attempt the use of the mobile mic here. So, we'll see how this works. Appears to be working. Okay, here we go. Uh, I need Brent and Tommy up here, please. Now, we don't often Did you guys know that there are actually awards for paving? I did not know that, but there are. Front and center, please, gentlemen. Uh, the Nebraska Concrete Paving Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981, dedicated to advancing, promoting, and ensuring the highest standards for concrete pavements in Nebraska. Each year, Portland cement, concrete, pavement projects are rated by a team of state association and ind industry representatives to determine the best pavements designed and constructed during the current contract year. The awards program is intended to encourage highquality workmanship in every pavement project. Now, this year, these guys and the city of North Plat are awarded the 2025 award of merit uh concrete pavement construction presented to the city of Northplat, our engineering team, in recognition of the high quality concrete pavement on West 9th Street, Buffalo Avenue to 300 ft west of Sherman Avenue here in North Platt, which has been

rated the best local project for less than 30,000 square feet. Uh the plaque continues, "Our efforts to achieve quality construction through superior skills, integrity, and pride of workmanship are honored on behalf of users everywhere." So, let's give these guys a hand. We have

Do you want to say anything, Brent? Okay. Thank you. Thanks, Tommy. Thank you guys for all your hard work. That's really great. And Ninth Street is really good, right, Ed? It

is very good. Okay, that's great. Thanks everyone. It's always good when we have an award during our council meeting. Consent agenda. All matters on the consent agenda are considered by the city council to be routine and will be enacted by one motion. And any city council member may however remove an item from consent by request. One. A. Approve the minutes of the January 20 and 22nd, 2026 meetings. B. Approve the mayor's appointment of Sarah Austster to the library advisory board. C. Approve the mayor's appointment of Steven Granger for a three-year term, Jim Griffin for a three-year term, Casey Anderson for a two-year term, Steve Olsen for a two-year term, and Glenn Vanelson for a one-year term to the Northclad Historic Preservation Commission. D. Approve the 2025 Northplat Fire Department annual report. E. Accept and place on file the city of Northplat audit for fiscal year ended September 30, 2025. F. Approve the license agreement with Northplat or NP ICE and authorize the mayor to negotiate and sign necessary documents. G. Adopt the recommendation by the city planning commission for preliminary and final approval of Zeer second subdivision. Mr. Mayor, I move that we approve the uh consent agenda as presented.

Second.

I'm not sure who won that one, but I'm going to give it to Mr. Nisley. So, okay. Uh motion by RER, second by Nisley on the consent agenda. Calling the question on the consent agenda. Consent agenda is passed. Regular agenda. Number two, enter into a professional service agreement with Miller and Associates in the amount of $16,000 to complete an update to the historic building survey and authorize the mayor to sign all necessary documents. Mr. Mayor, I move to enter into a professional service agreement with Miller and Associates in the amount of $16,000 to complete an update to the historic building survey and authorize the mayor to sign all necessary documents.

Second. Motion by Flanders, second by RER. Judy, is this yours? Is this This is Kevin. Sorry, Kevin. You want to give us a little blurb on what's going on, please?

Good afternoon, mayor and council. Um, this is to update our historic building survey, which was completed, I believe, once in our history in 2009. Um we are one of 12 communities that are a certified local government and they recommend in order to part of our certification um to update it frequently but they recommend every 10 years so obviously we're 17 years ago um we received $16,000 in grant funding. The we received four RFP proposals. Um the Historic Preservation Commission and myself and other staff members made the determination that Miller and Associates who some of the people that worked for them helped uh do the one in 2009 they would be the best value and also want more of a local company to be able to update make sure that we stay in compliance with to stay a certified local government.

Thank you. Anyone have any questions or comments? Kevin, go ahead. Yeah, Kevin. um what what is the benefit of this? I mean, just because we have the the survey and and what what what benefit does the community get out of it?

So, right now the historic preservation can take nominations um to be on the national registry. This certy um usually those buildings would be listed in that survey. um does not mean that we have to add anybody else additionally to the to the registry at any time, but a lot of it has to do with tax credits and some other um facade improvements and other things that things that they would be eligible for. Um if that's how a lot of the improvements were done in the downtown area um were through because they became a national reg part of the national registry. Did you say there's what, seven or nine communities in the state? There's 12.

12. We're one of 12. I believe we were added in uh 2008. Thank you. You're welcome. Other questions or comments? Mr. Mayor, just a quick comment. Go ahead.

Yeah, just a quick comment. Um, I'm all for this and I think this is a wonderful survey to have done because it's been a long time. the you always hear about all of the positive things that come with the this historic registry, but just always keep in mind that cities that do adopt more stringent ordinances and registries, they can create um lending limitations or more cost and due diligence and timing and the sale of property. For example, um if I've got my banking hat on and we're working on a building in a historic registry or area, you may have to make sure it complies and different things before a property can change hands, do improvements, remodel. So again, I think these things are 99% positive, but just to create some awareness, if the survey would suggest the enhancement of districts and ordinances and all that, you have to make sure you analyze it from all directions. And before we would add anybody else, it would go to historic preservation. They would have to make a recommendation. Planning commission, planning commission would have to send it to city council.

There's many even more steps before we would even consider adding an additional property. more or less is just to uh stay in compliance and keep our certification. Ed, Mr. Mayor, does this give us any leverage to encourage the protection of those historic monuments, historic buildings,

the survey itself, not necessarily unless they were added to it. Um, the city already has an ordinance in place, I would say, compared to some other of ours. I couldn't give you exact specifics, but I mean ours is a little bit more lenient as some of the points that Titus had made in regards to you could you could hinder uh some processes. So ours is probably more on the lower end of what the threshold is to meet the minimum requirements when it was created probably when it was originally adopted I believe in 2007. Thank you. I may just make a comment. I serve on that board as a council representative and the people ser that serve on there are really dedicated to historic preservation. It's a good group of people. I would encourage we do this.

Thanks, Nick. Thank you. I I like the idea. I agree. It's a good thing for the community. Is there other um area? So, this is focused on one area. is does it have to be a certain like square blocks that they do or is it just buildings throughout the community or are they focused on one particular spot? So this this to keep it in within the threshold, we basically stayed more in the historic downtown. Um the here I have a map if you want to look at it, but for the vast majority um you're welcome to pass if you like included in the RFP.

Um they're welcome to make recommendations outside of there. They're not required to stay in there. That was just an area for them to try to stay within. um at some point if we want to ask for some additional funds from the state in in order to do so we could go out basically a property has to be at least 50 years old um would be be nominated to be part of the national registry. So basically what they recommend is when they put these surveys together that you recommend you look at properties that are 40 years or older because typically you do this about once every 10 years. So by the time you would do it again, that 40-year-old property if there was anything discovered could be eligible to be nominated within that in the next 10 years. Buildings on that map answered my question. So thank you.

Yes. So they may recommend something else outside of that area, but that was an approximate um just to give them an idea of what what we're looking at. And that pretty much lines up with, you know, what what the city has in the past in the ordinance determined with the historic areas. Okay. Other questions or comments? Just make briefly. The buildings on the south side and the north side of the tracks. Yes. Not the south side, right? Okay. Calling the question on item number two, please. Item number two is passed. Item number three, approve the claims.

Mr. Mayor, I move that we approve the claims. Second. Motion by RER, second by McNe. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to abstain from voting on the claims.

Abstain from Mr. Dye. Drawing the question on the claims, please. Claims are approved. Public agenda request. We respect our city employees. Request that any complaints or criticisms of employees now be aired to public meeting. Concerns about employees should be brought to the attention of the city administrator or the mayor. or individuals in violation will be declared out of order. If anyone has a public agenda request item, please approach the microphone, tell us who you are, where you live, and we'll be happy to listen to your future agenda request. This is often the case, it appears that no one is moving. Mr. Rer, Mr. Mayor, I move we adjourn.

Second. Motion by RER, second by BS to adjurnn. Calling the question and adjournment, please. Meeting is adjourned. Thank you everyone. We'll see you on February 17th. Yes.