City Council - Regular Meeting

The Columbus Coun the Columbus City Council meeting for December 15th, 2025 will now come to order in compliance with the Open Meeting Act. A current copy of that act is posted in this meeting room. Madame Clerk, would you please call roll? Bulley here. Olone here. Bar here. He jablonsky here. Lopez here. Pinsky here. Roth

here. Shoud [singing] gleaming who brought stripes and bright stars [singing] through the perilous fight. For the ramp [singing] parts we watch were so gallently streaming. And the rockets red glare. The bomb bursting [singing] in air gave proof through the night that our [singing] flag was still there. Oh, say [singing] does that star spangle banner [singing] yet wave for the land [singing] of the free and the [singing] home of the brave. 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.

Well, thank you, Councilman Schilling. That was awesome. A little faster. Welcome everyone to tonight's council meeting. If at any time during our meeting this evening, anyone has anything to address the council with, we'd ask you please come forward to the podium. We'd ask that you give your name, your address, and that you would keep any comments to 5 minutes or less. With that, we'll go to the consent agenda.

Item four, consent agenda. The following items are considered to be routine by the city council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a city council member or citizen requests in which event the item will be removed from the consent status and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda. Item 4 A, minutes of the December 1st, 2025 city council meeting. Item 4 B, reappoint of Bonnie McFillips to the Northeast Nebraska Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council for three-year term. Item 4 C application from Harris Nebraska LLC doing business as Harris Columbus Nebraska Racing and Casino for Timothy Hoorth as manager in conjunction with the liquor license. Item 4D resolution number R25-150 authorizing payment of various improvement projects and item 4E payroll and bills on file. Mr. Mayor and council members, is there anything you would like removed from the consent agenda?

Mr. Mayor, I move that the items on the consent agenda be approved as presented. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Brings us up to public hearings. Item 7A, public hearing application from Advanced Engineering Consulting Services on behalf of Meadow Ridge Properties LLC for final plat and development agreement of Meadow Ridge Properties Addition 34th Street west of 53rd Avenue. The planning commission recommends approval.

Is there anyone here this evening to speak against this public hearing? Is there anyone here to speak for this public hearing? I would just make the public aware that we have people here to answer any questions that anybody might have if they happen to have a question. If they don't, this information was all brought before the planning and zoning committee a week ago. All right. The public hearing be closed. All right. We motion to close. We have a motion and a second to close the public hearing.

Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Move that the final platin development agreement of Metal Ridge Properties edition be approved. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the final plat. Any discussion? Seeing none. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes.

Item 7 A1, public hearing, determine whether Metridge Properties addition should be included within the corporate city limits. The planning commission recommends approval. Is there anyone here to speak against this public hearing? Anyone here to speak for this public hearing? Mr. Mayor, I move the public hearing be closed. Second. We have a motion and a second to close the public hearing. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes.

Mr. Mayor, move to include metal ridge properties addition to the corporate city limits. Second. We have a motion and a second to include the Meadow Ridge properties addition into the city limits. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 7 A2, resolution number R25-151, approving the final plot development agreement and bringing set addition into the corporate city limits. Mr. Mayor move that resolution number R25-151 be adopted. Second.

We have a motion and a second to adopt resolution number R25-151. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 7B, public hearing application from Advanced Consulting Engineering Services on behalf of Meadow Ridge Properties LLC for final platin development agreement of Meto Ridge 12th Edition, the extension of Greyhawk Place south of 43rd Street. The planning commission recommends approval.

Is there anyone here to speak against this public hearing? Is there anyone here to speak for this public hearing? Again, I would say as I did on the previous there is there are people here if anyone has a question. But again, as mentioned, the this item was in front of the planning and zoning commission last week. Move the public hearing be closed. Second. We have a motion and a second to close the public hearing. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes.

Mr. Mayor, I move the final plat and development agreement of Meadow Ridge 12th edition be approved. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the final plat Meadow Ridge 12th edition. Any discussion? Seeing none. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 7B1, public hearing, determine whether Meta Ridge 12th edition should be included within the corporate city limits. The planning commission recommends approval. Is there anyone here this evening to speak against this public hearing? Anyone here to speak for this public hearing? Mr. Mayor, I move the public hearing be closed.

Second. We have a motion and a second to close the public hearing. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes. Mr. Mayor, I move to include Meadow Ridge 12th edition with within the corporate city limits. Second. We have a motion and a second to bring uh Meadow Ridge 12th edition into the corporate city limits. Any discussion? Seeing none. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Good to see our city growing. Item 7B2, resolution number R25-152, approving the final plot development agreement and bringing set addition into the corporate city limits.

Mr. [clears throat] Excuse me, Mr. Mayor move resolution number R25-152 be adopted. Second.

We have a motion and a second to approve resolution number R25-152. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 7 C, public hearing application from Meadow Ridge Properties LLC to reszone property extending Greyhawk Place south of 43rd Street from RR Rural Residential District to R3 multi-family residential district and to amend the future land use map of the comprehensive plan. The planning commission recommends approval.

Is there anyone here to speak against this public hearing? Is there anyone here to speak for this public hearing? This is a reasonzoning going from one point to a different form to a different Why don't what somebody John or Rick please just explain what where we're going. Uh good evening council John Zwingman with Advanced Consulting Engineering Services 1363 26th Avenue Columbus.

Normally I don't need a mic. People yell at me too loud. Um yes, we are reszoning this uh from it's currently RR and we're asking for R3. Um the plan will be extension of uh duplexes and town houses similar to the construction that's already there. However, the R3 um gives a smaller uh setbacks uh site setbacks. So it allows for a little bit larger construction, a little bit more dense construction. So that's what we're asking for. All right. Any questions for John? There no multilevel type of apartments going in there. No, no multilevel apartments going in.

That's one of the things that I've had information with uh people contacting me about. They're afraid that we're going to have highrises and all that stuff going in. The it'll be the um the existing Meadow Ridge 11th, I believe, was zoned R3 and and this will be also. So, it's just consistent with with what's down there. Appreciate it, John. Thank you. All right, we have a motion. No, we don't. Do we have a motion? Did Did we get a motion this? I need a motion. I'll make the motion to close the hearing. Second. We have a motion and a second to close the public hearing. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes. Item 7 C1, ordinance number 25-19, approving the resoning. Mr. May I move the rules be suspended and ordinance number 25-9 be read by number only? Second. We have a motion and a second to suspend the rules and read ordinance number 25-19 by number only. Any discussion? Seeing none. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed nay. Motion passes. Ordinance number 25-19. Mr. May I move that ordinance number 25-9 be adopted.

Second. We have a motion and a second to adopt ordinance number 25-19. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 7D, public hearing application from Advanced Consulting Engineering Services on behalf of Shady Lake Development LLC for final platin development agreement of Westfield Edition. This is the south side of 23rd Street west of 54th Avenue. [clears throat] The planning commission recommends approval.

Is there anyone here to speak against this public hearing? Anyone here to speak for this public hearing? Mr. Mr. Mayor, I move the public hearing be closed. Second. Have a motion and a second to close the public hearing. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes.

There's another motion. Mr. Mayor, I move the final plat and development agreement of Westfield Edition be approved. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the final plat and development agreement of Westfield Edition. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 7D1, public hearing, determine whether Westfield edition should be included within the corporate city limits. The planning commission recommends approval. Is there anyone here to speak against this public hearing?

Anyone here to speak for this public hearing? Mr. Mayor, move the public hearing be closed. Second. Have a motion and a second to close the public hearing. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. [clears throat] Mr. Mayor, motion to include Westfield edition within the corporate city limits. Second.

We have a motion to include the Westfield edition into the corporate city limits. Anyone any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 7D2, resolution number R25-153, approving the final plot development agreement and bringing set addition into the corporate city limits. Mr. Mayor, I move the resolution number R25-153 be adopted. Second.

We have a motion and a second to approve resolution number R25-153. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes. Item 7E, public hearing application from Advanced Consulting Engineering Services Incorporated for final platin development agreed agreement of Hidden Meadows Addition, which is the southeast corner of 3rd Avenue and 38th Street. This public hearing will be continued to January 19th. Do we need a motion to do so? Yes, please. So moved. Second.

We have a motion and a second to uh move this public hearing to January 19th, 2026. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Yes.

Motion passes. Item 7E1, public hearing, determine whether Hidden Meadows addition should be included within the corporate city limits. This public hearing will also be continued to January 19th, 2026. Mr. The mayor move to continue the public hearing to January 19th, 2026. Second. We have a motion and a second to continue this public hearing to January 19th, 2026. Any discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 7F, public hearing application from Cottonwood Heights LLC for final Platin development agreement of H Heartland Crossing Edition, which is the southwest corner of 38th Street and East 6th Avenue. The public hearing is being requested to be uh continued to January 19th, 2026. Mr. Mayor, I move the public hearing be continued to 6 p.m. on January 19th, 2026.

Second. We have a motion and a second to continue this public hearing to January 19th, 2026. Any discussion?

Motion passes. Item 7 F1, public hearing, determine whether H Heartland Crossing Edition should be included within the corporate city limits. Again, this public hearing is being requested to be continued to January 19th, 2026. Mr. Mayor, I move that the hearing be continued to January 19th, 2026. Second. We have a motion and a second to continue this public hearing to January 19th, 2026. Any discussion? We've already filled up the agenda for January 19th, 2026. It's okay. Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes. Just a quick question. How many street miles have we added in tonight to the to the corporate city limits? Yeah, a lot. Some [laughter] would have been more had those not been Yeah, it would have been more. It'll be it'll be more January 19th apparently. Yeah. [laughter] How about January 19th having a little figure for us just to give us Would you do that? It's good. I could do that for you. Good information. Thanks. All right, we move on to another another vehicle for snow removal, right? [laughter] No. No. No. [laughter]

And you paid him how much to say that? Okay. I'm sorry. All right. Let's move on to uh updates from city offices. A 9A is update on the Nebraska Department of Transportation Loop River Bridges project. Rick Bogus.

Well, it's go it's going fine. Uh obviously the weather's uh even though it's cold, they can do a whole lot. So, uh if you you know, if you drive past there, you can see that they're working on the peers under the river like we've talked about. Some of the peers you can see up and done and some of them um have caps yet to be poured in some of the bases, but they're on schedule um for what they need to get done. Uh pretty soon they will start working on the uh north abutment, which is another thing they need to get done. Um so they can stay out of the river. Remember that environmental purposes need to be out can be in the river now. Need to be out during kind of the spring and the summer. And then if everything goes as planned um they might have some girders even being put up uh next month. So we'll see. That's kind of exciting. And so they're working, like I said, on schedule. Everything's good.

And they will continue working as long as the weather's allowing them to be working because they're there, right? Absolutely. Yeah, they will. Just in very bad weather cases or something, they will not. But um otherwise, they're going to be there. Yeah. Awesome. We haven't had any traffic issues, any problems with No, state hasn't uh noted any traffic concerns or issues um or no issues with the river or anything either. So,

good. Good. Thank Well, I think it's good to report. I know I was contacted and then through our police chief got in touch with the county sheriff. They worked together with when some farmers wanted to bring some uh implement equipment across that they just have a procedure of getting in touch with uh with one another and talking, you know, then they coordinate getting it done. So, again, it's that working together to to help make it make it better. Great. Okay. All right. Let's move on to reports of council committee.

Item 10A, public property safety and works committee of December 15th, 2025. Item 10 A1, permanent parking and [clears throat] sidewalk easement located on lots 1 2 3 and four of block 60 capital addition to the city of Columbus Plat County, Nebraska, lying north of Howard Boulevard. This is the southwest corner of 16th Street and 37th Avenue. The committee recommends approval. Mr. Mayor, I move the report be adopted. Second. We have a motion and a second to adopt this committee report. Uh any discussion? Would you somebody just give a brief

update on what this is? Is that triangle that sits off of Howard B Howard Boulevard. It's been empty for as long as I've ever been around Columbus and it's finally looking like it's going to get developed. Just explain a little bit what we've got here, please. Sure. um it is that property and of course that triangle uh you know makes it uh harder to fit on u buildings and needed parking amounts and and sidewalks and such. So what this is is an easement for sidewalks and parking to allow that property to be built on and meet all the code requirements and we were fine with doing all that. Yeah, everything's good.

Amazing. I I hear from some I hear from some people we're not too easy to work with and here we're awful good to make things like this happen. Will that be a one or twotory structure? That's going to be a one-story structure. They went through a variance to get away from their parking on site so they get to make the building fit on the lot. So, okay. It'll be just a one one uh story wood structure frame building. Very good. Thanks. And by being here, they can probably get moving and get started or is that kind of the process? Good. Good. All right. Any um we need to have a motion and a second to adopt this committee report. I move the resolution number R25-154 be adopted. No, no, no. We're just adopting a committee report.

We've already had a motion in a second. Yep. We just need to vote. Just need to vote. I think they already It's open. Oh, it did. All right. We need to vote. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. passed. Motion passes. Brings us up to new business. Item 13A, quote from Forte, in the amount of $26,112 for renewal of support service agreement for the audio video equipment within the Columbus Community Building. Move the quote from Forte for renewal and of support service agreement for audiovisisual equipment be accepted.

Second. We have a motion and a second to accept the quote from Forte for support service agreement for audiovisisual equipment in the community building. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 13B purchased from Sheiffer Signs Incorporated in the amount of $12,475.75 for donor donor wall signage located in the Columbus Community Building in the library. The full amount to be reimbursed by the Columbus Library Foundation.

Anybody move the purchase of Sheiffer Signs Incorporated for donor wall signage be approved? Second. Have a motion and a second to approve. the amount to sheer signs for the donor wall. Any discussion? Is this the current wall that's already up that we're paying for or is this something new? No, this would be the wall that got donated that cut the ribbon on like a month, six weeks, six now. Yep. Okay. Thank you. And I think it's again it's it's mentioned in this in this resol or in this new business, but

it's the city's paying for it, but the library foundation is reimbursing the city for it. And if anybody in the public hasn't seen this or wants to see it, it's a neat looking wall. So, please, you know, when you get the opportunity, take a look. They did a They did a nice job with it. All right, we have a motion and a second to approve this. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes.

Item 13C, comments from the mayor and city council members in compliance with the open meetings act. No discussion may be held on this item. Any council members with comments this evening? I have only to say, I'm sure, and I can speak for everybody sitting up here, we wish everyone in our community a very merry Christmas as we're getting close to that and looking forward to 206 26 in a new year. So, all right, move on to resolutions. Item 14A, resolution number R25-154, approving and accepting the permanent parking and sidewalk easement located on lots 1 2 3 and four, block 60, Capital Addition to the City of Columbus, Plat County, Nebraska, lying north of Howard Boulevard, the southwest corner of 16th Street and 37th Avenue.

Mr. Mayor, I move resolution number R25-154 be adopted. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve resolution number R25-154. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes. Item 14B, resolution number R25-155, approving the professional engineering services agreement with Kirk and Michael and Associates for design, bidding, construction, and closeoutphase services in the amount of $84,250.81 for the precision approach path indicator and beacon replacement project for the Columbus Municipal Airport. This is CIP number 26-15. Mr. Mayor, I move resolution number R25-155 be adopted. Second. We have a motion and a second to adopt resolution number R25-155. Any discussion?

I'm just assuming this helps planes not land on the highway and land on the runway. Lights, yes, are important. Good. All right, we have a motion and a second. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 14 C, resolution number R25-156, approving the professional services agreement with JO Consulting Group Incorporated an amount not to exceed $45,200 for the Columbus Park facilities tree inventory. This is CIP20-47. Mr. Mayor, I move that resolution number R25-156 be adopted.

Second. There's one. It's four. Oh, no. That's I'm sorry. We have a motion and a second to adopt resolution number R25-156. Any discussion? Could we have somebody speak to this? Seems like an excessive amount of money to check on trees. I I asked Betsy if she would or somebody I think Betsy is going to do it for us because it is uh it's something that we need to understand what we're doing here. Yeah. So, this is 100% funded through the Nebraska Forestry Service and um that

one of the reasons why we are doing this is because in the future it will help us get additional funding for things like trees. Um a little bit when you hear tree inventory, you think it's just counting trees. It's a little bit more than just doing that. You are counting trees, but you're also identifying breed, age, and health of those trees. We are also through the system going to be able to GIS map our trees and then at the end of this we will get a report telling us um which of our trees are need immediate attention whether they are they're dead unhealthy um which ones we need to keep an eye on and then um which trees are really really good. And so we will be able to keep this process up um from when this is over through our staff being able to um update remove. It also helps us um be able to continue to get grants for some of the trees that are too big for us to remove on our own to help get that paid for. Um, and then it is also going to give us um, as far as the breeds, just some um, expansion on the breeds that we currently have in our park system. We don't want to be super saturated with one breed of tree because if a disease were to come through, then that would destroy our whole canopy. So, it gives us uh some suggestions for what we should be planting, especially since um as many of you know, most of Ponyie Park area is sandy. So, we would need to do certain trees there as opposed to other areas of town. Um, and then the why is just that it continues to give us a platform to be able to work from with our staff to be able to continue to get funding to increase our canopy throughout the years.

So, I can have input on a couple of trees at Quail Run that I'd like to have taken down. Uh, possibly. Yep. Yep. [laughter] Thank you. Well, and I think it was important to get an explanation because I'll be honest with you, I would be hardressed to tell the Columbus taxpayer that we're spending $45,000 to count trees. I know we're doing more than counting trees. Well, I think but this is and this is grant money. Yeah, we should have been in the in the resolution that should we should have had that upfront because it sounds like it's in the budget, but it's really a grant item. I mean, because it's a grant item, it makes a lot of sense because that money's there. we don't take it, other people are going to take it. It's there. But I I I'm, you know, thank you for the explanation and I'm fine with it because of all that. Yep.

All right. Any other comments or concerns? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Item 14D, resolution number R25-157, designating the office of the mayor, city administrator, city clerk, and finance director as authorized users on all city bank accounts. Mr. Jolinski.

Oh, I don't have any paperwork here. Uh, Mr. Mayor, move for the resolution R25-157 be adopted. Oh, there it is. It's not the right one. hiding. We have a motion and a second to adopt resolution number R25-157. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes. Item 14E, resolution number R25-158, amending the personnel manual with regard to policies and procedures for filing of grievances [snorts] and to add the director of general services as an exempt position. Mr. Mayor, I move resolution number R25-158 be adopted.

Second. We have a motion and a second to adopt resolution number R25-158. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Moves us up to ordinances on their first reading.

Item 15A, ordinance number 25-20, approving the purchase agreement with Dale L. and Patricia K. lobbins in the amount of $200 for city-owned property described as lot one block 74 original city of Columbus plaque county Nebraska lying south of the Union Pacific Railroad rightway and adjacent vacated alley lying south of said lot one and adjacent west 1/2 of vacated street lying east of said lot one northwest of 12th street and 15th Avenue move that the rules be suspended in ordinance number 25- -20 be read by number only. Second.

We have a motion and a second to read to suspend the rules and read ordinance number 25-20 [clears throat] by number only. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Ordinance number 25-20. Mr. Mayor move the ordinance number 25-20 be adopted. Second.

We have a motion and a second to adopt ordinance number 25-20. Any discussion? Boy, this one and the next one are really highriced pieces of city property, aren't they? [laughter] All right. No, no discussion. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes.

Item 15B, ordinance number 25-21, approving the purchase agreement with Michael L. and Kimberly A. Langan in the amount of $315 for city-owned property described as lots 2, three, and four, block 74, original City of Columbus, Plaque County, Nebraska, lying south of Union Pacific Railroad rightway and adjacent vacated alley lying south of said lots. This is northeast of 12th Street and 16th Avenue. Mr. Mayor, I move the rules be suspended. Ordinance number 25-21 be read by number only. Second. We have a motion and a second to suspend the rules and read ordinance number 25-21 by number only. Any discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Ordinance number 25-21. Mr. Ber, I move ordinance number 25-21 be adopted. Second. We have a motion and a second to adopt ordinance number 25-21. Any discussion? Uh these are properties we got stuck with when we were trying to build a vi. Yeah, they're remnant properties of the old uh Binton Northern and BP land in there and they're actually landlocked. So, we spent a lot of money doing maintenance on them. This is this is just something to just the public needs to know that Yeah.

the value is what it is and Yeah. And there's a lot of restrictions on those, so you can't do a whole lot if anything on them, but we were kind of hamstrung with those. And then and this was public. Uh it was put out on on Yeah, we followed all of our procedures of the state statute and city. Yep. Yep. How many biders did you have? Uh I think there was just one bidder for each property because, you know, you cannot create a landlock lot when you buy it. So it's a little bit limited that way. Okay.

All right. Any other comments or questions, concerns? Seeing none, we have a motion and a second. All those in favor signify by I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and we'll see you in 2026. Meeting adjourns.