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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Hastings City Council Regular Meeting – November 10, 2025

City Council — Monday, November 10, 2025

BodyHastings, Nebraska

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, November 10, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

4:14

Anderson.

4:17

Larry Consbruck.

Speaker 2

4:53

Can we get a motion to adopt the current agenda?

Unassigned speaker

5:00

Motion by Huntley, second by Fong, please vote.

Speaker 2

5:15

That passes seven to one.

5:18

Public notice.

5:20

Official notice of the regular meeting was published in the Hastings Tribune on Friday, November 7th, 2025.

5:27

Pursuant to Nebraska revised statute section 84-1412.

5:31

The public is advised

Unassigned speaker

5:32

that

Speaker 2

5:33

a copy of today's agenda and all reproducible written material, which will be discussed at today's meeting, is available for public review, and a current copy of the Nebraska open meetings acts is posted and accessible to members of the public.

Unassigned speaker

5:46

Let's

Speaker 2

5:47

move to council communications to my left.

Speaker 3

5:52

Thanks to everybody who attended the library's trunk or treat event.

5:58

Close to 1,500 people attended.

6:00

So well done to the Hastings Public Library.

6:03

Big thanks to uh to Kevin Kubo and Eric Nielsen for uh for their

Unassigned speaker

6:07

work

Speaker 3

6:08

in uh helping to orchestrate and put together such a successful event.

6:12

Uh a few things working on uh planning already for next year.

6:16

Halloween comes around each year, so uh make sure that uh there's some uh plans for the year ahead.

6:22

So kind of streamlining some traffic flow, making sure that uh perhaps there's some additional uh business partnerships and those type of things.

6:29

So uh so lots of uh continued great things at the Hastings Public Library.

6:33

So kudos.

Speaker 4

6:37

Yeah, uh we're gonna plan Matt and myself have planned for a ward meeting on uh November 18th at 6 o'clock.

6:45

It is at the Wilson Center at Hastings College.

6:48

So please come and give us your input.

6:50

We've got a couple of topics that we're gonna put out there for people to have uh good discussion

Unassigned speaker

6:54

on to

Speaker 2

6:59

my right, Steve.

7:00

Your mic's on, would you like

Speaker 5

7:02

to?

7:03

I see we're advertising for a certified local government or something like that community, and I guess everyone might want to know some more information about it.

Speaker 6

7:14

Um Chad Bunger has started the process to become a certified local government to create historic districts within the city of Hastings.

7:21

So this is part of the process for us to qualify for certified local government, and then we'll become available for grants to study the historic nature of our historic districts.

7:31

So these public meetings are for each ward.

7:34

People can come in and ask questions, um, tell us what historic structures they want to preserve, and then we put that into the process and help preserve those structures in those districts.

Speaker 5

7:44

Speaker 6

7:44

you remember when those are

Speaker 5

7:46

if you want to get a little free

Speaker 6

7:48

advertising?

7:53

So seven to five to seven every evening.

7:56

Um one is held at the Barrett Center on Hastings College campus, one at the Snazy building, one at the South Fire Station, and the other one is at Hawthorne School.

Unassigned speaker

8:08

So thank you.

Speaker 2

8:11

Anything else to my right?

Speaker 7

8:14

I just like to say thank you to those people who came out for our first cold meeting, and I appreciate you being here.

8:20

And I just like to say thank you to all of you who have communicated with the council.

8:24

We're here to answer your questions, so if you have them, send

Unassigned speaker

8:28

them.

Speaker 2

8:31

Okay.

8:33

Let's move on to citizen.

8:36

Well, let's see, citizen communication.

8:39

Only for agenda items not related to public hearing, but we have nobody signed up.

8:44

That would be a first for a while.

8:46

Uh would anybody like uh to have a last chance to get up and speak about anything if you didn't get your name written

Unassigned speaker

8:52

down.

Speaker 2

8:54

Looks like no one.

8:55

So we'll move right on to mayor's communications, which includes some service anniversaries.

9:05

Looks like we've got Scott Rust,

Unassigned speaker

9:08

has

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Transportation Safety███████████████████████████████31%

Procedural██████████████14%

Zoning Code███████████11%

Public Health█████████9%

Public Engagement█████████9%

Contracts and Procurement██████6%

Water And Wastewater Management████4%

Engineering And Infrastructure████4%

Comprehensive Planning████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Hastings City Council Regular Meeting – November 10, 2025

The Hastings City Council met on Monday, November 10, 2025, at 6:00 PM at the Hastings Municipal Airport. All eight council members were present. The agenda was adopted by a vote of 7 to 1. Council members provided updates on the Library Trunk-or-Treat event (approximately 1,500 attendees), an upcoming Ward 4 Town Hall on November 18th, and open houses for the Certified Local Government program. The meeting adjourned at 6:35 PM.

Consent Calendar

The council voted unanimously (8-0) to approve the Consent Agenda, including minutes from October 20 and 27, claims and payroll, four utility work orders, and a liquor license manager application for The Listening Room.

Public Comments & Testimony

None.

Discussion Items

Community Health Improvement Plan: Michele Bever, Director of the South Heartland District Health Department, presented the six-year plan for Adams, Clay, Nuckolls, and Webster Counties. The priorities, drawn from community input, are mental wellbeing, chronic disease conditions, and senior health. Bever suggested the city could partner through parks programming, employee wellness policies, and transportation assessments. When asked, she confirmed the plan added to citizen priorities but did not subtract any.
K & K and Nebraskan Mobile Parks Fire Main Contract: Councilmember Rowan expressed a concern about the quality of the low bidder, asserting that the lowest bid is not always the best choice. Director of Engineering Lee Vrooman assured the council that staff would not recommend a bidder they did not believe could perform, and would alert the council to such situations.
Ponderosa Park Subdivision Final Plat: Director Kevin Kubo confirmed that a TIF plan was approved for Lot 1. Councilmember Rowan and Mayor Beckby discussed with Kubo that the developer could potentially return for additional TIF approvals for Lots 2 and 3, as the site lies within a blighted redevelopment district.
Ordinance No. 4815 (E-Scooters, E-Bikes, Hoverboards): The council discussed outreach strategies for the new rules. Police Chief Adam Story outlined plans for social media, media interviews, and school programs. Councilmember Hoffman requested including Hastings College. City Attorney Jesse Oswald noted a map of restricted areas was created by Engineering. Mayor Beckby and Councilmember Anderson promoted education and juvenile diversion over impoundment. City Administrator Mark Funkey said staff would collaborate with the Public Information Manager to produce an informational video.

Key Outcomes

Approval of Agreement with The Diamond Engineering Co.: The council unanimously approved (8-0) a $274,222.45 contract for fire main installation in K & K and Nebraskan Mobile Parks. The project is fully funded by a CDBG grant and a match from park owner Lone Vista, LLC, at no cost to the city.
Approval of Ponderosa Park Subdivision Final Plat: The council unanimously approved (8-0) the final plat, enabling the development of a medical facility on Lot 1.
Approval of Resolution No. 2025-42 (NDOT Traffic Signals): The council unanimously approved (8-0) an agreement defining maintenance for the final three traffic signals on U.S. Highway 34/Burlington Avenue.
Passage of Ordinance No. 4815 (E-Scooters, E-Bikes, Hoverboards): The ordinance was approved on second reading (8-0) and advanced to final reading by a unanimous vote to suspend the rules (8-0). It enacts usage rules, prohibits use on a portion of 2nd Street, mandates a 'safe and reasonable' speed on trails, and exempts mobility devices. The ordinance will take effect 15 days after approval.

Meeting Transcript

Anderson. Larry Consbruck. Can we get a motion to adopt the current agenda? Motion by Huntley, second by Fong, please vote. That passes seven to one. Public notice. Official notice of the regular meeting was published in the Hastings Tribune on Friday, November 7th, 2025. Pursuant to Nebraska revised statute section 84-1412. The public is advised that a copy of today's agenda and all reproducible written material, which will be discussed at today's meeting, is available for public review, and a current copy of the Nebraska open meetings acts is posted and accessible to members of the public. Let's move to council communications to my left. Thanks to everybody who attended the library's trunk or treat event. Close to 1,500 people attended. So well done to the Hastings Public Library. Big thanks to uh to Kevin Kubo and Eric Nielsen for uh for their work in uh helping to orchestrate and put together such a successful event. Uh a few things working on uh planning already for next year. Halloween comes around each year, so uh make sure that uh there's some uh plans for the year ahead. So kind of streamlining some traffic flow, making sure that uh perhaps there's some additional uh business partnerships and those type of things. So uh so lots of uh continued great things at the Hastings Public Library. So kudos. Yeah, uh we're gonna plan Matt and myself have planned for a ward meeting on uh November 18th at 6 o'clock. It is at the Wilson Center at Hastings College. So please come and give us your input. We've got a couple of topics that we're gonna put out there for people to have uh good discussion on to my right, Steve. Your mic's on, would you like to? I see we're advertising for a certified local government or something like that community, and I guess everyone might want to know some more information about it. Um Chad Bunger has started the process to become a certified local government to create historic districts within the city of Hastings. So this is part of the process for us to qualify for certified local government, and then we'll become available for grants to study the historic nature of our historic districts. So these public meetings are for each ward. People can come in and ask questions, um, tell us what historic structures they want to preserve, and then we put that into the process and help preserve those structures in those districts. Do you remember when those are if you want to get a little free advertising? So seven to five to seven every evening. Um one is held at the Barrett Center on Hastings College campus, one at the Snazy building, one at the South Fire Station, and the other one is at Hawthorne School. So thank you. Anything else to my right? I just like to say thank you to those people who came out for our first cold meeting, and I appreciate you being here. And I just like to say thank you to all of you who have communicated with the council. We're here to answer your questions, so if you have them, send them. Okay.

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Hastings City Council Regular Meeting – November 10, 2025

Consent Calendar

The council voted unanimously (8-0) to approve the Consent Agenda, including minutes from October 20 and 27, claims and payroll, four utility work orders, and a liquor license manager application for The Listening Room.

Public Comments & Testimony

None.

Discussion Items

Community Health Improvement Plan: Michele Bever, Director of the South Heartland District Health Department, presented the six-year plan for Adams, Clay, Nuckolls, and Webster Counties. The priorities, drawn from community input, are mental wellbeing, chronic disease conditions, and senior health. Bever suggested the city could partner through parks programming, employee wellness policies, and transportation assessments. When asked, she confirmed the plan added to citizen priorities but did not subtract any.

K & K and Nebraskan Mobile Parks Fire Main Contract: Councilmember Rowan expressed a concern about the quality of the low bidder, asserting that the lowest bid is not always the best choice. Director of Engineering Lee Vrooman assured the council that staff would not recommend a bidder they did not believe could perform, and would alert the council to such situations.

Ponderosa Park Subdivision Final Plat: Director Kevin Kubo confirmed that a TIF plan was approved for Lot 1. Councilmember Rowan and Mayor Beckby discussed with Kubo that the developer could potentially return for additional TIF approvals for Lots 2 and 3, as the site lies within a blighted redevelopment district.

Ordinance No. 4815 (E-Scooters, E-Bikes, Hoverboards): The council discussed outreach strategies for the new rules. Police Chief Adam Story outlined plans for social media, media interviews, and school programs. Councilmember Hoffman requested including Hastings College. City Attorney Jesse Oswald noted a map of restricted areas was created by Engineering. Mayor Beckby and Councilmember Anderson promoted education and juvenile diversion over impoundment. City Administrator Mark Funkey said staff would collaborate with the Public Information Manager to produce an informational video.

Key Outcomes

Approval of Agreement with The Diamond Engineering Co.: The council unanimously approved (8-0) a $274,222.45 contract for fire main installation in K & K and Nebraskan Mobile Parks. The project is fully funded by a CDBG grant and a match from park owner Lone Vista, LLC, at no cost to the city.

Approval of Ponderosa Park Subdivision Final Plat: The council unanimously approved (8-0) the final plat, enabling the development of a medical facility on Lot 1.

Approval of Resolution No. 2025-42 (NDOT Traffic Signals): The council unanimously approved (8-0) an agreement defining maintenance for the final three traffic signals on U.S. Highway 34/Burlington Avenue.

Passage of Ordinance No. 4815 (E-Scooters, E-Bikes, Hoverboards): The ordinance was approved on second reading (8-0) and advanced to final reading by a unanimous vote to suspend the rules (8-0). It enacts usage rules, prohibits use on a portion of 2nd Street, mandates a 'safe and reasonable' speed on trails, and exempts mobility devices. The ordinance will take effect 15 days after approval.

Meeting Transcript