The Kearney City Council met on November 22, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. The meeting covered routine consent items, a resolution to fund the Rural Health Education Building at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), a staff update on park projects, and an open account claim to Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). All items were approved with one abstention noted on the claim.
Hello, I'm Connor Henderson, and I am um first classroom chip 158. Can we go to the district? Please join us in the book allegiance to the flight of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God in individual with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, guys. In accordance with section 841412, the Nebraska revised statutes, a current copy of the open meetings act is available to you as possible to all the council chambers. Uh take roll, please, big mayor class. Here Bush Kennetter Nicolas Moore. And that was probably the shortest moment of hours. I mean, it was just a moment. Shorter than a council meeting. That's why we're going for a regular tonight. We have no oral communications and no unfinished business and no public hearings. So we'll move right in consent agenda items one through 13. And any item on the consent agenda made by a council member be removed. Okay, do we have a motion? I move to approve items one through 13 of the consent agenda. Second. Mayor class. We are Nicolas. More. Hi. Bush Catter. Thank you. We have no consent agenda ordinances, so we'll move right into regular agenda item one, and that pertains to authorizing proposed funding to support the construction of the rural health education building at the University of Alaska Kearney campus. And to consider resolution number 2022-261. Michael? Can't keep up with you tonight. Um so this resolution is in response to uh Chancellor Christianson was here a while ago and talked about the rural health education building. I would note this is really the second phase of the rural health initiative. The first phase was the Allied Health Building, that $19 million building, which was completed a few years ago and has been very successful uh in supporting the community in several areas in nursing and uh and other allied health issues. Uh this building uh has received uh uh funding from the legislature of $15 million, an additional 10 million dollars uh in technology improvements uh with an understanding 35 million dollars additionally would needed to be raised to support the the entire project, which would be 85 million plus the uh technology updates. So what staff has prepared for you is a resolution of support for your consideration. Uh funding consists of uh special sales tax funds, two-thirds of the dollars, and then one third would be utility as this will generate houses as well as its own utility infrastructure needs. So we felt that was appropriate over 15 years starting in uh 2025, a total of five million dollars. I would also point out too if uh that uh the Wendell and Kayla have put together to ensure that the funding within the special sales tax meets all your other goals that are currently in there, including debt and and ratios and then fund balances as well, and it does that. And then the other uh point of consideration uh that I got asked about at some point in the future. Um hopefully we we fully expect Compute North to be operational in January, and uh as we've done since the beginning, all those funds have not been set aside for any um specific project. It's supported the airport. You certainly, if if you move forward with this in some in the funding arrangement, you could it uh as compute north funds are available, designate those funds to go toward it in lieu of the special sales tax if you chose to do that. So I think we have some visitors, the retired unretired uh individual, uh some other folks, and uh the new the newly not retired, and then uh Mr. Watts, and I think they're available to answer any questions uh that you may have. The other thing I need to point out is rarely uh is this done, but uh Senator Lowe was successful and the legislature did also approve. I think if I misspoke, correct me guys, uh $15 million in annual operating funds that would be indexed as the project moves forward. So uh that is extremely rare that you see, and then the start date and the amount over the 15 years uh was very acceptable to the university and they would borrow internally uh as the the building would be constructed first, and that's acceptable to them as well. So uh I can try to answer any questions our representatives from UNK can as well. Okay, thank you. Uh any questions of the council. It was an interesting presentation uh when the chancellor was here and that answered a lot of questions. Yeah.