The Kearney City Council met on October 25, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. The meeting included a ceremonial oath of office for a new police officer, two public hearings on a rezoning and final plat for Freedom Hill Estates, a consent agenda with 11 items, a staff update on Meadowlark Hills Golf Course, an open account claim to NPPD, and council reports. All votes were unanimous with Mayor Jonathan Nikkila absent.
Note: Mayor Jonathan Nikkila was absent for the entire meeting. Council Vice-President Randy Buschkoetter presided. Roll call votes showed all present council members voting aye on each item.
Thank you. We will now have the presentation of the colors by the Carnegie Police Department honor guard, and then we'll follow that with the Pledge of Allegiance. And we do have some scouts in the audience. I assume they're they'll come up and uh they'll leave us in the pledge. Please, yeah. Please join me 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. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Tonight we welcome our newest. You may be seated. Tonight we welcome our newest police officer with the Carnival Police Department. To begin the ceremony, members of the Carney Police Department Honor Guard have presented the colors and uh posted colors. Members of the KPT Honor Guard include Lieutenant Dennis Byrne and Officers Alex Payton, Tracy Sucklin, and Nathan Dennis. And now in accordance with uh section eighty-four fourteen of the Nebraska revised statutes, a current copy of the Open Meetings Act is available for review and is posted at the wall of the council chambers. Do we please call roll? Mayor Klaus, absent Bushcutter. Here Lear President Nicola Moore. Here uh at this time we'd like to invite Police Chief Wall and Police Officer Joshua Stokey for a few remarks, followed by the interim city clerk administering the oath of office and pinning the badge on our newest officer. Thank you, uh Council Member Bush Gutter and City Council, City Manager, and all of our staff in here. I've got members of our federal service commission here today, as well as the Ann Burdy, as well as Jason Sharp. Thank you so much for being here. We have a great uh opportunity, Joshua Stokey. You're the start of the show, you're so it's my privilege to uh introduce you to our the newest member of R. Key and the Carney Police Department, Mr. Joshua Stoehy, born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. I attended Lincoln Christian High School, uh went on to uh attend Southeast Unity College in Lincoln, uh graduated from associate degree. They spent the previous three years uh with the Lincoln Police Department, police officer with a lateral police officer hire uh marrying Bride Laura, who's here with us and her parents are here as well, Laura from Carney, uh they decided to relocate to Carney uh a couple months ago, been here a couple months. And um just a quick story about Joshua I've not known him very long, but the first time we met, he reached out to a couple members of our staff, and Kathy Young's over there as well. Uh somewhere there, yes, very uh friends of the family as well about uh the potential opportunity to join the Carney Police Department. Uh and for me, that's a big deal. That's like a lot, and uh so we kind of correspond a little bit and invited you to stop by the police station. And he did. I wasn't sure if you would. Uh and he did, and that's kind of how police recruiting goes today when when when there's talented young men and women out there that want to serve our community, we want to get to know, and that's what we did. Uh and then here we are today. So it's it's really uh uh about our family, your family coming together to serve this community uh in a way that's professional uh and will mean the high expectations of not only our department, but more importantly, our community. So with that, I would invite uh our city clerk, that guy had a job to uh present for two admitted to the open clock. We've got to make them official. Okay, please raise your right hand and then you can hear me. I do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States. And the Constitution of the State of Nebraska. Constitution of the state of Nebraska. Against all enemies foreign and domestic against all enemies foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith. And allegiance to the same. That I take this obligation freely. Without any mental reservation. Without any mental reservation. Or for purpose of evasion. Or for purpose of evasion.