Council Summaries - April 1 and 15, 2025

Individuals and media outlets are encouraged to contact the City Administrator for additional details or clarification on the following material. Regular meetings of the Crete City Council are held on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall; Council Standing Committees may meet prior. View a list of City Officials and current council and committee meeting agendas.

The next Crete City Council regular meeting will be on Tuesday, May 6

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, April 15
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments.

Council member Dale Strehle was absent.

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: City Council April 1, Finance Committee April 1, Legislative/Community Development Committee April 1
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City
• Building Permit Log 

The Council voted 5-0 to approve the Arbor Day Proclamation read and signed by Mayor Dave Bauer.

The Council held a Public Hearing on the existing Department of Economic Development (DED) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project awarded to the City of Crete. 

• City Administrator Tom Ourada explained this is a required second hearing for 2020 DTR (downtown revitalization) projects; the city had about $48,000 they moved to have included in next DTR program grant. The program met objectives and addressed blighted buildings with projects completed and utilized by 16 businesses for a little over $1 million; 80 percent came from federal funds.
• Mayor Bauer said Crete has been very fortunate with DTR projects downtown which have accomplished a lot of work that property owners would not have had the opportunity to otherwise do; We are still identifying projects for the next round of funding.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve the Application for Prohibited Animal Exception PA25-01 from Wranglers 4- Club. Council member Dan Papik said this horse club practice takes place every year at the arena in Tuxedo Park from May through August, including the county fair.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve the Application for Special Event SE25-03 from the Crete Chamber of Commerce for the Cinco de Mayo Celebration.

• Ourada said this has become an annual celebration organized by the Chamber using areas in and around City Park.
• Mayor Bauer clarified the chamber makes an application for the celebration because they are asking for street closings and other city resources. The same thing is done for county parade events, pumpkin festival, and similar events in town.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve authorizing Parks and Recreation to apply for the Exmark Big Rock Project grant. Parks and Recreation Director Liz Cody said the department has already applied for a mower grant; this grant asks for up to $25,000, which could be applied to any park.

The Council voted 4-0 (Papik abstained) to approve approving the claims from Crete Ace Hardware in the amount of $2,852.17.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve the second reading of Ordinance 2242 Sale of 1209 and 1211 Main Ave. Ourada explained the city has proposed to enter into a purchase agreement for city property, and by state statute, there is a 30-day remonstrance period; the city has not received any official protest to the proposed sale agreement, but has had two inquiries.

The Council voted 5-0 to approve the LB840 Program Report. 

• Ourada explained this is the last year of a 15-year program and it will be up for renewal by public vote. Recently the city has carried $1.2 million; there are some obligations coming up, though not all are firm: one is $250,000 as a city match for a housing trust fund grant that needs to be approved. There will be about $600,000 left if all these obligations are filled. A program report is required.
• Ashley Newmyer, Legislative and Economic Development Committee chair, said they discussed and reviewed the report and recommended approval.

The Council voted 5-0 to waive required readings and adopt Ordinance 2243 Amending late fee for business registrations. Newmyer said the aim is to improve compliance among businesses registering with the city.

Petition - Communication - Citizen Concern:

Officer Reports:

Reports may be given by Officers, Departments, Committees, or Council members concerning the current operations of the City. No action can be taken on matters presented under this title except to answer any questions or to refer the matter for further action.

• Gary Young, Police Chief:
  • nuisance properties - as of today there are 52 cases and of those, 29 have been voluntarily resolved; as letters go out and attorneys get involved, more property owners comply and we will get close to a higher percentage; the rest will be adjudicated;
  • April 9 house fire comments - this was an exceptional effort by fire first responders and our officers; the fire marshal’s office is still investigating and will continue to work with our fire department and sheriff’s office; thank you also to Wilber Fire Department for their help;
• Liz Cody, Parks and Recreation Director: 
  • I will be at the library providing information to families on recreation programming, swim team parent meeting, and additional opportunities;
  • T-ball, Micro t-ball, Swim team registrations are open until May 2;
  • we’ll be onboarding pool staff soon, and summer parks staff, mowing will start;
  • construction starting in City Park this week on new ADA equipment;
• Trent Griffin, Building Inspector
  • nuisance structures - have 16 open cases and have closed 2;
  • over 100 building permits open and are utilizing the Mygov software system; 2 single family houses currently, waiting on another, a 4-plex
  • next couple weeks for playground and park inspections;
  • Mayor Bauer said he asked Trent to put figures together for the last 5 years: 100 new houses went up, 3-multi-family dwellings, a few businesses. I’m proud of that and those figures tell me that people are wanting to live here or move back to Crete.
• Council member Tom Crisman said the April 9 house fire was a block away from his house and he knew the family; he commended the Crete and Wilber fire departments for their response time and turnout, the Saline County sheriff and Crete Police Department; this was a tragic incident but all those departments did everything they could.
• Council member Kyle Frans also said everyone did a great job in a tough situation for those residents.
• Council member Ashley Newmyer:
  • she appreciated all the first responders here and those in the surrounding communities;
  • paramedic contract with CAMC - we have one and asked about the status of the second one; Mayor Bauer said they have met with several parties and are close to bringing that back to the council;
• Council member Anthony Fitzgerald:
  • thanked Ourada for the street department project list and asked about the status of the road graders, noting there are two unusable according to the street department; Ourada said they are looking at trading two graders for one and trying to figure out affordability after just buying the street sweeper;
  • asked if the city can show lists of city officials and employees - emails, cell phones, etc.; other communities are providing that information and he has received comments that we are slow to respond - we should be more accessible; Mayor Bauer said for certain contact information it’s important; for others, he doesn’t think citizens should be contacting certain employees directly, on weekends and after-hours; they can contact dispatch and they know who to call; Ourada said we have an answering service and weekdays as an example, Water Department Superintendent Jesse Yager is rarely in his office and we contact someone who can get information to him.
• Marilyn Schacht - Community Assistance Director:Latino Leaders in Motion group has had sessions with city, county, state government; she brought two guests to the council meeting for the conclusion of that unit; next is school government and the group will later take a trip to the capital.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • sales tax is down 3.8%; the city has given out about $25,000 in refunds;
  • general fund is lagging on revenue - some not coming in with any regularity; spending is on track;
  • we hired a power plant operator who has a degree in energy generation and power plant significant experience; there is an opening in the street department;
  •  it was fun meeting with Marilyn’s group, they had a lot of good questions and a good back and forth discussion;
  • I’ve asked department heads to go to one of each city board or commission meetings. Their responses across the board were that they were unaware of all the city has to do to operate. I have now asked department heads to pass down to each of their staff to go to these meetings now as well;
  • water department is extending the water main further into Tuxedo Park to fix water flow issues in bathrooms;
• Mayor Dave Bauer:
  • I want to thank everyone involved last Wednesday in responding to the house fire; we have all the people in all the right places;
  • Marilyn’s group is a good way to talk to people about how to get involved; we have a lot of committees that work within the city, if you have an interest, we can get you involved in some way;
  • LB840 program renewal will come up for a vote in November; it has done a lot of good things in the community and if you know someone who would like more information and a speaking program, please let us know. I (Mayor Bauer) would be happy to meet with, and speak to these groups.

Meeting adjourned.

Summary for Crete City Council regular meeting - Tuesday, April 1
View this Meeting Agenda and attachments.

The council approved the Consent Agenda items:

• Minutes of the following meetings: Planning Commission Feb. 26, Airport Advisory Feb. 13, City Council March 18, Public Works Committee March 4, March 18, Legislative/Community Development Committee March 18
• Treasurer’s Report
• Payment of claims against the City 

The Council voted 6-0 to waive three readings and adopt Ordinance 2241- After-hours reconnection fee. City Administrator Tom Ourada said this recognizes a different rate to cover the cost for after-hours utility reconnections.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the in-kind parking services agreement with SCAT. Ashley Newmyer, Legislative/Community Development Committee chair, said the city provides indoor parking, valued at $100 a month, for a Saline County Area Transit vehicle.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve amendment 1 for adding the paving of the alley of Block 143 to the 2024 Street and Alley Improvements project. 

The Council voted 6-0 to approve on its first reading Ordinance 2242 Sale of 1209 and 1211 Main Ave and setting the 30-day remonstrance period.

• Newmyer said good points were made in the committee meetings on financial details of this sale.
• Council member Kyle Frans posed if this item could be approved on the first reading and let people see this before it’s voted on for final passage.
• Ourada said the remonstrance period still starts at this reading, whether waiving all three or approving on the first reading.
• Council member Anthony Fitzgerald said the council should let the general populace know the space is available and about the city’s situation in it financially.
• Mayor Dave Bauer explained that when the city has sold some land in the past they said whether or not the buyer could apply for LB840 economic development funds. With this building, the city is taking a loss at this price due to lack of other interested parties after a long period of advertisement. If it had sold to another buyer for more, those buyers could turn around and apply for LB840 money from the city and we would be in a similar cost situation.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve amending the Master Fee Schedule to change the cost of a variance request from $150 to $300.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Crete Carrier Room Grant Application from Apace Choir Crete for a spring concert on April 23 at 1:30 p.m. Mayor Bauer, who sponsored this application, said last year Jay Gilbert put together two concerts for the Apace Choir; kids and adults involved love this event. The concert is open to the public.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the Dittmer Acres Administrative Subdivision. Ourada explained this is a minor administrative subdivision for the southeast corner of the former Juricek property on County Road 2400 and conforms to city and state statute.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the LB840 Application from Crete Youth Cabin Association for $105,000. Ourada said the association wants to build a multipurpose building with bathrooms and shower available to groups using the cabin and grounds. The LB840 statute allows for projects outside of city limits if it can be shown it results in additional tourism. The cabin is located within the city’s two-mile jurisdiction and the association also presented numbers to the LB840 Advisory Board on the amount of people from outside Saline County who use this facility annually.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the LB840 Application from Kathy's Cardinal Kids Learning Center for $8,000. Ourada said this is a cost-share to purchase a large van to transport kids to and from this child care center. He also mentioned in the Legislative/Community Development Committee meeting on the need for dependable child care in Crete.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the LB840 Application from the City of Crete for local share for the Community Development Block Grant Program 20DTR002 for $100,000. Ourada said this is for $100,000 towards a new round of downtown revitalization; the city has already been awarded the DTR grant and needs a match.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the LB840 Application from the City of Crete for match for housing grant application for $250,000. Ourada said the city has submitted a grant application to the housing trust fund for $750,000 based on match ratio, although a match is not required. The city aims to construct six houses, with basements, over three years.

The Council voted 6-0 to approve the LB840 Application from Rotary International District 5650 Foundation for $53,580. Ourada said playground equipment in Rotary Park is on city property and state law says  the city can’t apply; however, the program does not prohibit a private group in this case that wants to replace a 40-year-old wooded structure with modern equipment.

Petition - Communication - Citizen Concern:

Officer Reports:

Reports may be given by Officers, Departments, Committees, or Council members concerning the current operations of the City. No action can be taken on matters presented under this title except to answer any questions or to refer the matter for further action.

• Gary Young, Police Chief:
  • The city has successfully switched over to Saline County Communications; they have donated personnel to transition the police department’s records management system as well and we couldn’t have asked for better help. We have fixed some software bugs and are up and running with additional thanks to the city’s Mike Kalkwarf and Emerson Aschoff. We did postpone the 911 switch one day due to weather and are still tweaking tornado sirens - the tones should be steady.
• Jessica Wilkinson, Library Director:
  • March report: 3,239 checkouts; library checkouts saved patrons $74,604; computer use 103; 2,555 attendance; 138 new cards; 57 used drive thru; 56 meeting room bookings; 
  • new programs - Whispered Pages Club (silent book club), first Spanish-speaking crochet class, adult craft night making door hangers; 23 programs last month with 319 participating;
• Liz Cody, Parks and Recreation Director: 
  • we are making sure parks can open with campgrounds at Tuxedo Park and are addressing maintenance issues;
  • Youth Soccer has 19 teams and Micro Soccer had 18 teams with about 6-10 players per team; 
  • we’re updating the certified arborist list and making sure they have a business registration with the city;
  • registration is open for t-ball, micro t-ball, and swim team with online registration for fields and pool parties; 
  • Wednesday, April 16 - event for recreation programs; also the swim team parent meeting;
  • Doane student volunteer with Recreation will help with Doane Equity Program information;
  • Dog Park - replacing gazebos; Rotary Park - updating concession and bathroom building; City Park - working on the future site of new equipment; large project in TuxedoPark to expand water lines;
  • we had some tree and limb issues from recent weather;
  • Fitzgerald asked about the City Park sprinkler system and if there is any ability to improve grass fields at Armory Park; Cody said they did troubleshoot sprinkler issues in City Park and are exploring watering options at Armory Park;
  • Council member Dan Papik said issues with the dog park gazebos damaged in the wind were addressed immediately.
• Council member Tom Crisman:
  • asked about any further annexations on the east side of town; Ourada said the city did not pursue Lothrop’s etc. due to the estimated cost benefit; state statute says they city would have to be able to serve the annexed property within a year.
  • Crisman also asked about progress on railroad crossings; Ourada said the railroad continues to be difficult to deal with; they want the city to help with it but they don’t want the city on their property. City Attorney Anna Burge said she talked to a federal railroad official who submitted a report to BNSF, which states federal officials feel the wooden crossing on Main Ave was not sufficient.
• Council member Anthony Fitzgerald asked if the council could see a potential list of spring/summer street maintenance projects; Ourada said he will look into that.
• Tom Ourada, City Administrator:
  • Legislative and Economic Development Committee and Council did great things tonight with visible economic development projects as LB840 will be up for renewal; the city needs to start writing some things and getting that out there to promote the program;
  • sales tax is flat, 4% below for the year compared to where we have been in past years, which is a concern;
  • we are looking at electric rates and will see projections in May;
  • the city has $2.8M in CDs due at various times; he talked investment strategies with the Finance Committee as Wells Fargo will not continue municipal business; the city talked with local banks on CDs and will divide it between local banks for CDs at 6, 12, and 18 months to always roll over and have some liquidity;
  • we are working on the Wanek Community Center: the parking area in the back now has new poured concrete and rollup doors; the Mayor and I talked with Foodnet volunteers about serving out of the back area to create more operational space up front for seniors, rental opportunities, etc.;
  • the city did not get a CCCFF grant (Civic and Community Center Financing Fund) from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development) for a new pavilion and bathroom in City Park; together the two projects were about $500k, just the bathroom may be doable moving forward;
  • Tuxedo Park bathrooms - we are extending the water main further into Tuxedo Park, which will enhance water service in the softball bathrooms;
  • reminder - 10/11 News is coming towards the end of the month for Our Town Crete; they want a sit-down with Mayor Bauer on the 15th to highlight key topics;

Meeting adjourned.