OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kearney City Council Regular Meeting - March 10, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, March 10, 2026
BodyKearney, Nebraska
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

All right, please join me when the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:15

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and the visible with liberty and justice for all.

0:31

In accordance with section 841412 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes, a current copy of the Open Meetings Act is available for view and is posted on the council chambers.

0:39

Peggy, please take a roll.

0:40

Mayor Nicolette.

0:45

I hear.

0:45

Is that what you just said?

0:46

That's very grammatically there.

0:50

So yeah.

0:52

I hear too.

0:54

Schmidt.

0:55

Here.

0:56

Stratman.

0:57

Here.

0:59

Sorry.

1:00

Sorry.

1:01

Re uh re resetting here.

1:04

Well, today we have something right off the bat that I'm very excited about.

1:08

We're gonna honor someone who's served Carney for a very long time in a distinguished way.

1:12

And Stan Dart, if you would please come to the podium.

1:17

You gonna be on the other side of the desk.

1:20

Yeah, that's true.

1:23

I know you've a lot of serves you well.

1:26

They can say how you scared me when I was your student.

1:28

So turn about spare appelling.

1:35

Bees get degrees, as you pointed out to me.

1:38

C's class.

1:40

I was an over-achiever though.

1:42

I was not.

1:43

Stan I'm gonna read something brief and then uh talk about that and have a little comments, and we'd love to hear from you about your time in in serving our city.

1:51

So just for folks in the room who don't know Stan, um we will begin this evening recognizing longtime planning commissioner, commission member chairperson Stan Dart.

2:01

Chairperson Dart has served on the planning commission for 34 years, which makes him the longest serving planning commissioner.

2:08

In 2003, he was elected vice chairman, vice chairperson.

2:12

And in 2012, he was elected chairperson.

2:15

And his time as a commissioner, he has been part of two comprehensive planning efforts, housing studies, code changes, and various projects that have led to tremendous development throughout the city.

2:26

Stan was a leading light on the planning commission.

2:29

His guidance, expertise, and knowledge will be greatly missed, and wish him nothing but the best in his retirement from the board.

2:36

And uh we have a plaque here, and um I know our council um I I'll start and just saying how appreciative I am of all you did over the years, and and not a lot of people know this, but I was a 28-year-old or 29-year-old, and and the council at the time had the misfortune or fortune of appointing me to the board of adjustment, and uh I didn't know what that was all about, and I I didn't know Stan, and I called him up and we went to uh out to eat next to UNK.

3:03

I can't remember which restaurant it was at the time and the the old Saxes Pizza Building or whatever that was.

3:08

And and we sit down and you treated a 29-year-old young guy very respectably, honorably, and and help guide me and learn things about the city and how things work.

3:18

And I'll never forget that.

3:19

You're one of the first people that you know invested time into me as I was growing in my leadership role in the city, and I'm always be grateful for that.

3:27

So thank you.

3:28

You're fun to work with.

3:30

Okay.

3:33

Well, uh, we go back to when I was in high s and college, and uh I remember distinctly just in that environment, um, the the respect you gave me just as a lowly college student, with the exception of one time we had to go to your office and uh we walked by your staff and you said this is Daryl and his other brother Daryl.

3:53

I do remember that.

3:55

I get that joke.

3:56

Yeah, yeah.

3:57

You're of a certain age, you have to be of a certain age to get that joke, which was a solid joke back then, even more so than today.

4:03

Uh and uh just with our relationship over the years with you being on the planning commission.

4:10

If Stan Dart ever thought that there was a problem with uh something that was coming through the planning commission, you pay attention to it.

4:16

Um and your your eye-free detail, I've always appreciated over the years and and uh just your leadership and you're willing to do what you've done for so long.

4:24

I want to say thanks.

4:26

Thank you very much.

4:27

And my introduction to you was over probably about 30 years ago too at UNK.

4:32

I was told not to go on those university committees until I was tenured and I didn't listen.

4:37

And so I served with you, I think on general studies and writing intensive and things like that.

4:42

But the one thing I'll always remember is the phone call I got whenever you said, hey, have you ever thought about being on the planning commission?

4:49

And it took me a place.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████37%
Zoning and Land Use███████████████████████23%
Parks and Recreation██████████████████████22%
Public Safety██████████10%
Community Engagement████4%
Public Engagement██2%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Kearney City Council Regular Meeting - March 10, 2026

The Kearney City Council convened on March 10, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. The meeting featured recognition of a long-serving planning commissioner, a proclamation for Nebraska Senior Games Week, a public comment on immigration enforcement and police transparency, public hearings on a zoning change, approval of multiple consent items, and action on open account claims. All substantive votes were unanimous with minor abstentions.

Recognition and Proclamations

  • Recognition of Stan Dart: The Council honored Planning Commission Chairperson Stan Dart for 34 years of service, the longest-tenured planning commissioner. Council members and staff praised his leadership in comprehensive plans, housing studies, and code revisions. Mr. Dart shared anecdotes from his tenure, including work on signage codes and a Walmart building design.
  • Proclamation for Nebraska Senior Games Week: The Council proclaimed March 16–22, 2026, as Nebraska Senior Games Week. A parks department representative noted that over 600 athletes from 69 Nebraska communities and 27 states participated in the 2024 games; registration for 2026 opens May 15.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Brad Stephen for Kearney Indivisible: Mr. Stephen presented an open letter signed by over 512 residents urging the Council to reject any 287(g) agreement with ICE and to adopt a policy requiring law enforcement officers to display identification and refrain from wearing masks (except SWAT). He argued that 287(g) agreements increase fear and racial profiling and that masked officers undermine accountability. Council members thanked him for sharing his views.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of the February 24, 2026, regular meeting.
  • Approved the Claims.
  • Approved Resolution No. 2026-24 for NorthWestern Energy funds for Banks Wraps & Signs expansion.
  • Approved plans and specifications for the Kearney Regional Airport Rehabilitation Apron and Taxilanes Project and set bid opening for April 2, 2026.
  • Adopted Resolution No. 2026-25 accepting public improvements for Saadi First Addition.
  • Adopted Resolution No. 2026-26 approving payment of $76,808.70 to Midlands Contracting, Inc. for the 2025 Part 4 Improvements (Box Butte).
  • Adopted Resolution No. 2026-27 for purchase of a Case Backhoe Loader for $210,605.55.
  • Adopted Resolution No. 2026-28 for purchase of a 150 Kw Propane Generator for $81,490.00.
  • Accepted bids for 2026 Parks Concrete Projects: awarded to Dan Roeder Concrete, Tri City Concrete, and Dandee Concrete with total amounts of $10,790.10, $11,200.00, and $5,875.00 respectively.

Discussion Items

  • Public Hearings 1 & 2 – 860 East 1st Street Land Use and Rezoning: Craig Bennett of Miller & Associates presented on behalf of owner Merilyn J. Macomber. The 6.93-acre lot (Lot 2, Abood Addition) is currently zoned RR-1 (Rural Residential) and designated as General Commercial and Urban Reserve on the Future Land Use Map. The request was to amend the Future Land Use Map to General Commercial and rezone the property to C-3 (General Commercial). The Planning Commission recommended approval. Council clarified that future commercial development would need to connect to city water and sewer, and the applicant would pay connection fees. No public testimony was offered.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution No. 2026-23 (Future Land Use Map amendment for 860 East 1st Street): Adopted unanimously (5-0).
  • Ordinance No. 8783 (Rezoning to C-3 for 860 East 1st Street): Passed unanimously on final reading with suspension of the three-reading rule (5-0).
  • Consent Agenda Ordinances 8784–8786 (Paving, Water, and Sanitary Sewer Improvement Districts for Oldfather First Addition and Brookestone Gardens Addition): Passed unanimously on first reading and final passage (5-0 each).
  • Open Account Claim – Antelope ($160.00): Approved with Council members Stratman and Moore abstaining (voting record incomplete in transcript).
  • Open Account Claim – Jonathan Nikkila ($328.45): Approved 4-1, with Mayor Nikkila abstaining.
  • Reports: Council members congratulated the Kearney High girls basketball team and wished the UNK wrestling team success at the national championship.

Meeting Transcript

All right, please join me when the Pledge of Allegiance. And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and the visible with liberty and justice for all. In accordance with section 841412 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes, a current copy of the Open Meetings Act is available for view and is posted on the council chambers. Peggy, please take a roll. Mayor Nicolette. I hear. Is that what you just said? That's very grammatically there. So yeah. I hear too. Schmidt. Here. Stratman. Here. Sorry. Sorry. Re uh re resetting here. Well, today we have something right off the bat that I'm very excited about. We're gonna honor someone who's served Carney for a very long time in a distinguished way. And Stan Dart, if you would please come to the podium. You gonna be on the other side of the desk. Yeah, that's true. I know you've a lot of serves you well. They can say how you scared me when I was your student. So turn about spare appelling. Bees get degrees, as you pointed out to me. C's class. I was an over-achiever though. I was not. Stan I'm gonna read something brief and then uh talk about that and have a little comments, and we'd love to hear from you about your time in in serving our city. So just for folks in the room who don't know Stan, um we will begin this evening recognizing longtime planning commissioner, commission member chairperson Stan Dart. Chairperson Dart has served on the planning commission for 34 years, which makes him the longest serving planning commissioner. In 2003, he was elected vice chairman, vice chairperson. And in 2012, he was elected chairperson. And his time as a commissioner, he has been part of two comprehensive planning efforts, housing studies, code changes, and various projects that have led to tremendous development throughout the city. Stan was a leading light on the planning commission. His guidance, expertise, and knowledge will be greatly missed, and wish him nothing but the best in his retirement from the board. And uh we have a plaque here, and um I know our council um I I'll start and just saying how appreciative I am of all you did over the years, and and not a lot of people know this, but I was a 28-year-old or 29-year-old, and and the council at the time had the misfortune or fortune of appointing me to the board of adjustment, and uh I didn't know what that was all about, and I I didn't know Stan, and I called him up and we went to uh out to eat next to UNK. I can't remember which restaurant it was at the time and the the old Saxes Pizza Building or whatever that was. And and we sit down and you treated a 29-year-old young guy very respectably, honorably, and and help guide me and learn things about the city and how things work. And I'll never forget that. You're one of the first people that you know invested time into me as I was growing in my leadership role in the city, and I'm always be grateful for that. So thank you. You're fun to work with. Okay. Well, uh, we go back to when I was in high s and college, and uh I remember distinctly just in that environment, um, the the respect you gave me just as a lowly college student, with the exception of one time we had to go to your office and uh we walked by your staff and you said this is Daryl and his other brother Daryl. I do remember that. I get that joke. Yeah, yeah. You're of a certain age, you have to be of a certain age to get that joke, which was a solid joke back then, even more so than today.

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