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.
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.