Kearney City Council Meeting June 27, 2023: TIF Approval, Fire Department Ceremony, Consent Agenda
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Kearney City Council Meeting - June 27, 2023
The Kearney City Council met on June 27, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The meeting included a volunteer fire department officer pinning ceremony, approval of an eight-item consent agenda, a tax increment financing (TIF) redevelopment project for a mixed-use development on 11th Avenue, and approval of an open account claim to NPPD. The SportsPlex user fee presentation was postponed to July 11, 2023.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of June 13, 2023: Approved.
- Claims: Approved.
- Planning Commission Recommendations: Received, setting a public hearing for July 11, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
- Resolution No. 2023-96: Approved payment of $1,974,365.84 to John T. Jones Construction Co. for WWTP Phase II Improvements (Water Resource Recovery Facility).
- Liquor License Manager Application (Blazin Wings, Inc. dba Buffalo Wild Wings #584): Authorized the Vice-President to send a letter of no recommendation to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission for Mitchell Young.
- Resolution No. 2023-97: Approved Developer Constructed Infrastructure Agreement for Sun West Fifth Addition, Lot 2 (water main for fire hydrant) between the City and Mike Lewis/Old Towne Enterprises, LLC.
- Resolution No. 2023-98: Approved Developer Constructed Infrastructure Agreement for Younes Center – 11th Avenue (water, sanitary sewer, paving, storm sewer) between the City and Paul Younes/SEDO Hospitality, Inc.
- Addendum Item – Police Vehicle Purchase: Approved purchase of marked police vehicles using donated funds not to exceed $1.8 million from Anderson Ford (Lincoln, NE) under the Nebraska Administrative Services – Material Division for the Uniform Patrol Bureau.
Recognition & Ceremony
- Kearney Volunteer Fire Department Officer Pinning: Fire Administrator/Deputy Chief Jason Whalen presented newly elected officers. Aaron Jameson was sworn in as the 28th Fire Chief of the KVFD, the largest volunteer fire department in Nebraska. Other officers recognized included deputy chief, battalion chiefs (Dave Krueger, John Ceto, Max Ginsler), captains (including newly promoted Lonnie Reeder), lieutenants, and corporate officers. The council thanked the department for its 140 years of service and volunteer dedication.
Discussion Items
- Regular Agenda Item 1 – TIF Redevelopment Project (MJ Development LLC / Younes Landing LLC): Director of Finance Kayleigh James presented Resolution No. 2023-99 for Redevelopment Area #8, located south of Talmadge Street on 11th Avenue. Two steel-and-wood two-story buildings (each 36,501 sq. ft.) on 6.28 acres will contain restaurants, retail, and second-floor apartments. The current valuation is $96,415; new valuation estimated at $10,788,080 with incremental value of $10,691,665. Annual increment in real estate taxes estimated at $199,002. The Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA) recommended 95% of the annual increment not to exceed the lesser of $2,836,068 or certified eligible project costs over 15 years starting tax year 2024. Developer Paul Younes described extensive landscaping, trail connections, a rooftop bar, seafood restaurant, and outdoor event space. Seven tenants are committed for the first building. The council unanimously approved the finding that the project would not be economically feasible without TIF and adopted the resolution.
- Regular Agenda Item 2 – SportsPlex User Fees: Postponed to the July 11, 2023 council meeting.
- Regular Agenda Item 3 – Open Account Claim to NPPD: Claim in the amount of $109,054.88 was approved.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: All eight items approved unanimously (roll call: Mayor absent, Buschkoetter aye, absent, Nicola aye – remaining members aye).
- TIF Resolution (No. 2023-99): Approved unanimously on a motion stating the project is not economically feasible without TIF, granting 95% annual increment not to exceed $2,836,068 or certified eligible costs over 15 years starting 2024, and authorizing negotiation of a redevelopment contract with Younes Landing LLC.
- NPPD Claim: Approved unanimously.
- Council Reports: Members noted enjoyment of the city’s 150th birthday celebrations and anticipated the time capsule excavation on June 30.
- Adjournment: Meeting adjourned after unanimous vote.
Meeting Transcript
No. All right, good evening, and uh welcome to our regularly scheduled uh city council meeting. Uh we have some slackers, I mean some folks that could make it today. Uh but we'll begin uh with a moment of silence and then we'll have the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand. Thank you. Would you please join us for the pledge? I pledge to the fly of the United States of America and to the Republic for race and standards, one nation undervisible with liberty and justice route. In accordance with uh section eighty-four-fourteen twelve of the Nebraska Revised Statutes, a current copy of the Open Meetings Act is available for review and posted on the wall of the council chambers. Uh Peggy, please call rule. Mayor Klaus, absent bushcutter. Here. Lear absent Nicola. Here. All right, and we have uh special guests, and uh, we're really excited about uh inviting fire administrator and deputy fire chief Jason Whalen up to the podium for some important promotion. Very good. Council members, city manager, uh I want to thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to speak to you tonight and celebrate the accomplishments of our volunteer members who have been nominated and voted into leadership positions by their peers. As you are aware of the Carney Volunteer Fire Department holds officer elections every April. Uh this is not an exciting, or this is an exciting time for our department and its officers. Not only is election night exciting for those who are voted into these coveted officer positions, it is exciting for the entire department to see members be rewarded for their hard work and dedication to training, emergency response to our community, and most of all each other. The officers that are elected each year are not elected by accident. These officers have been put have put in the time to be confident and capable of handling any emergency uh incident that they may be called to. These officers give countless hours of their time each month to ensure that department that our department is always ready. The Carney Fire Department has served with this community for 140 years and is now the largest volunteer fire department in the state of Nebraska. In that 140 years, there have been over a thousand volunteer members on this department. Only 27 of those members have been voted to the fire chief position. It is my honor to present it to you the 28th fire chief of the Kearney Volunteer Department, uh Aaron Jameson. Aaron served on the KVFD for one year before moving to Lincoln and served and then began serving on Lincoln Southwest Fire and Rescue for five years. Aaron and his family then moved back to Kearney in 2010, where he rejoined our depart department and has continuously moved up the ranks from captain to battalion chief, and now he has been elected as the fire chief. I would like to invite Aaron and his family forward to receive his chief's badge. Joining Aaron tonight is his wife Emily, their children, Kayla, Zachary, Alyssa, and Olivia. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for sharing it. Thank you. Good evening, members of the council, city staff, members of the public. I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to conduct our uh badge pinning entry meeting, and I'm the proud to be the City of Carney Fire Department's 28th Fire Chief. I'd like to thank Jeremy Fuse Fusener and the 26 other chiefs who have accepted the call as chief of the fire department in our 140 year history. I hope to honor that tradition and continue to lead this department to best serve our community. In order for our organization to run effectively, our officer structure is built to maintain this proper span of control walls, splitting responsibilities as equally as possible on each officer level. We utilize the officer positions of chief, deputy chief, battalion chief, captain, and lieutenant. Tonight I would like to recognize uh Jason Whalen, Deputy Chief, who is also the fire administer, uh fire administrator for the city of Kearney. Our department votes each year to elect the fire administrator Wayland as our deputy chief. Next, we have our battalion chiefs. Each battalion chief oversees at least one company, some oversee specialty operations and oversee important functions such as training, ARF, equipment, and apparatus. What each battalion chief's responsibility is depends on that particular election's personnel. They are then assigned what best utilizes their strengths, certifications, and interests. Re-elected battalion chiefs this year are Battalion Chief One, Dave Krueger, and Battalion Chief Two, John Ceto, both in attendance tonight. Thank you guys.
openpublica.com