Welcome to our meeting.

The date is February 24, 2026.

The time is 7 p.m.

This is an open meeting of the Grand Island City Council.

The City of Grand Island abides by the Open Meetings Act in conducting business.

A copy of the Open Meetings Act is displayed in the back of this room as required by state law.

The City Council may vote to go into closed session on any agenda item as allowed by state law.

I ask that you stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

Councilmember Sheard.

Present.

Councilmember Stelk.

Present.

Councilmember Conley.

Present.

Councilmember Nickerson.

Present.

Councilmember Brown.

Present.

Councilmember Hazi will be absent.

Councilmember Mendoza present.

Council President O'Neill?

Present.

Councilmember Pollock will be absent.

Councilmember Lanfer.

Present.

And Mayor Still.

Present.

Individuals who have appropriate items for City Council consideration should complete the request for future agenda items form located at the information booth.

If the issue can be handled administratively without council action, notification will be provided.

If the item is scheduled for a meeting or study session, notification of the date will be given.

Seeing none, we shall continue.

A sign-up sheet was available in the lobby for individuals wishing to provide input on any of tonight's agenda items.

If you did not sign up to speak on an agenda item, please come forward, state your name, and the agenda topic on which you will be speaking.

No one has come forward, so we shall continue.

Mr.

O'Neill.

I move we approve the consent agenda items A through A.

Mr.

Lanfear.

Any discussion?

Please vote.

Motion adopted.

7A public hearing request from Bamboo Sports Bar LLC doing business as Bamboo Sports Bar 418 West 4th Street, Grand Island, Nebraska for a Class I liquor license.

Mrs.

Grenier.

An application for a Class I liquor license was filed with the Liquor Control Commission and received by the City on February 5th, 2026.

A notice to the general public of date, time and place of hearing was published on February 14th, 2026.

A notice to the applicant of date, time and place of hearing was mailed on February 5th, 2026, along with Chapter 4 City Code Alcoholic Beverages.

Departmental reports were received as required by City Code and recommendation is to approve upon final inspection.

Is there anyone that would like to speak on this item?

If not, public hearing is now closed.

Mr.

O'Neill.

I move we approve 2026-46.

Mr.

Brown.

I second that motion.

Any discussion.

Please vote.

Motion adopted.

7B public hearing request from Travelers Tap Room LLC doing business as Travelers Tap Trap Room 2230 Webb Road, Suite 124, Grand Island, Nebraska for a Class CG liquor license.

Mrs.

Granier.

An application for a Class CG liquor license was filed with the Liquor Control Commission and received by the City on February 5th, 2026.

A notice to the general public of date, time and place of hearing was published on February 14th, 2026.

A notice to the applicant of date, time and place of hearing was mailed on February 5th, 2026, along with Chapter 4 City Code Alcoholic Beverages.

Departmental reports were received as required by city code and recommendation is to approve upon final inspection.

Public hearing is now open.

Is there anyone that would like to speak on this item?

If not, public hearing is now closed.

Mr.

Brown.

Move we approve 2026 TAC 47.

And Mr.

O'Neill.

I second the motion.

Any discussion.

Please vote.

Motion adopted.

7C public hearing to consider an amendment to the future land use map for the City of Grand Island and its extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction.

Mr.

Navity.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

The item before you this evening is something that has been brought forward by the planning department staff.

This has gone to the planning commission.

Planning Commission did recommend approval of it after a public hearing at their last meeting.

What we're considering here is a couple of changes to the future land use map.

One around the airport, which would designate this area that's hatched around the airport as planned for manufacturing in the future.

What that does is protects the airport from residential encroachment and but it does not rezone that property immediately.

It is still currently zoned AG, either an AG 2 or an AG 1.

So if one of the farmhouses out there burns down, they can rebuild.

Public hearing is now open.

Is there anyone that would like to speak on this item?

If not, public hearing is now closed.

Mr.

Brown.

Move we approve 2026 TAC 48.

Mr.

Lanfear.

Discussion, Mr.

Sheard.

Thank you.

Chad, are there any developments that have already been talked about in any of these areas?

A light manufacturing zone, which this would be consistent with that.

And we also have another request just across into Merrick County that would be included in the southeast area to go to a large lot residential zone.

So that would be that would be contrary to the new plan.

Nothing that this would negate that's in the works.

Well, no, and the existing map, if we were to not change it, it shows it as agricultural around the airport.

So to go to a residential zone, we would have to change the map to allow residential and then go to that.

So what this does, quite frankly, is gives me more ammunition when people come in asking to change something around the airport, especially to say no, that's not the plan.

The group that's putting up uh residential area north of town.

I think it's further north than this.

Um about two and a half miles.

It's just outside the two-mile jurisdiction.

Okay.

So this would not does not impact them at all.

Okay.

I know one of the things that came up at the county meetings from some of the farmers was that if we allow these, we're gonna lose farmland and those types of things.

So changing this area that you're talking about, do you anticipate anybody being angry that we're gonna lose farmland for the same reasons?

Yes.

Okay.

I to be bluntly honest, yes, I do.

We have that regularly.

I don't believe you were on the council when the property around my house was up for rezoning and they wanted to go from a transitional ag to an R1 suburban residential.

This is just across the bike field from Westridge Middle School or bike path from Westridge Middle School.

And Mr.

Baxter with TE Cattle got up and said, you can't do this because you're gonna infringe on my operation.

We get that all the time.

I that's not going to change.

Would this protect us or at least give us that opportunity to say this is the long-term plan?

So it it certainly does around the airport, and then these other areas around the East Lakes and expanding some of that.

We've already got substantial residential development there.

It does give us the ability to say it's consistent if this is what they want to do.

The other protection that we have is within our subdivision regulations, we require if they're developing more than four lots along a county road, or if they're putting in a new street that they put in dry sewer and water lines.

That has been a requirement of the City of Grand Island since the late 1990s.

It has never happened.

The reason it's never happened is because the people thinking that they're going to develop it and make a quick buck realize that they're going to have a lot of money invested here, and their lots aren't going to be any cheaper than the lots that are being developed in town, and they're not going to have the services that the lots in town have.

So it's an economic disincentive that, in my opinion, helps them make a better decision for the long-term growth of Grand Island.

One last thing.

Today, Ryan and Doug and I were at the GMCO GMPO meeting.

And just so you guys all know, we approved the uh 2050 final plan for the long-range transportation plan uh for our area.

And in that, there was a conversation about the east bypass that would connect South Locust around some way, weaving through the lakes on the east side of town, uh, crossing the railroads and going through highway 30 on the east side and coming up and connecting to uh basically airport road, I believe.

Uh you've obviously seen that, and there was a lot in that plan about the future growth.

Everything you see here, this aligns with that.

This alignment this would align with that.

If that moves forward, I would anticipate that there would be changes to this future land use map based on the based on where that road alignment eventually ends up to allow more increased density residential and maybe commercial development along that corridor as opposed to residential development.

But it the reality is we're not going to see that for the next 15 years, and we're not going to know what the alignment is, probably for at least 10.

So at this point, this is a good intermediate.

I like the idea of the area there at least airport road would be covered.

Yep.

And I don't see in 15 years us going up with residential outside of that area that would protect us from people building homes that are then in the path of a bypass that would be ridiculous.

So just knowing that's on the radar and that this aligns with it, I think that's a good thing.

So thank you.

Appreciate it.

Mr.

Nickerson.

I understand the concern of the airport over the years of residential in their area in their fly zones.

Define light manufacturing.

Well, this is manufacturing, so it could be light or heavy manufacturing.

Um, any manufacturing district.

Light manufacturing typically is going to be warehousing storage, back office type of uses.

Heavy manufacturing is going to be more things like standard iron.

Um Case New Holland is actually in a light manufacturing zone where they are doing more assembly of parts that come in.

Um does that give you an idea?

Why would the airport be opposed to certain residential areas in their flight pattern, but they don't have any concern or major concern about manufacturing plants that may be operating 24 hours a day with 30, 40, 50 people on site all the time.

Their biggest issue is noise.

Residential uses tend to complain about the noise of the airport.

Manufacturing uses do not complain about the noise of the airport.

So while if a plane were to go down, there may be more people at a particular spot.

There may also be larger parking lots and things that they can hit without hitting two or three houses.

Noise is the primary reason.

Okay.

I just I didn't know if it was the people or but apparently not the people.

They're not concerned about the people as much as some of the issues that could come down from the airplanes are too noisy and all this stuff.

Exactly.

I see.

And especially as you start increasing the number of flights that you have every day, people get tired of the noise.

We you were around when we did quiet zones through downtown for the railroad.

The complaint really is noise.

Okay, very good.

Please vote.

Motion adopted.

Agenda item 8A, executive session to discuss strategy regarding purchase, sale, and contract negotiations of real estate.

Is there a motion to go into executive session?

Mr.

O'Neill.

I move to adjourn to executive session.

Mr.

Landfair.

Any discussion?

Please vote.

Motion adopted.

We are going into executive session at the actual statutory distance.

Can you set that further?

Yes, you could.

Well, if it was just east of Councilman O'Neill's house, there on Nebraska and Store Road, essentially.

If we extended that to a thousand feet, we would be notifying everybody to Mavis Bowl.

So the number of letters that we would be sending would be extensive.

It's just difficult to have.

One size does not fit all, but that's what we've got to work with.

But that's what we've got to work with, and we do have we put a sign out on the property so that people live in the area and drive by can see that there is a zoning action occurring that goes up at least 10 days prior to the meeting.

And we also publish in the newspaper as required by law.

So if you're reading the public notices, you would know that.

Notification is always difficult.

Okay, very good.

Thank you, Jen.

Please vote.

Motion adopted.

7C public hearing on request from Industrial Tower West for conditional use permit for a telecommunications tower site located at 1231 Allen Drive, south of West 13th Street, south of Target, on the west side of Balsaman's pump and pantry.

Good evening.

Evening.

Their property is on general business and within the general business, the towers are not allowed outright and has to be approved by council.

They are proposing a 50 foot light pole tower.

So it it will