The Kearney City Council met on May 26, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The meeting included a pinning ceremony for newly elected volunteer fire department officers, three public hearings, approval of a nine-item consent agenda, general public comments on data center regulations, and a report on Chicago flight schedule changes. Key actions included approval of a planned development for a 75-unit multifamily project, a catering endorsement for a local wine room, and the purchase of surplus state property.
All right, please join me at the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands one nation under God 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 review and is posted on the wall of the council chambers. Uh Peggy, please take role. Mayor Nicola Bush Cutter Moore, Absen Schmidt, Stratman. Here. First of all, we have an exciting uh event to kick off the meeting. We are going to invite those in attendance up to the front for the pinning ceremony for the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department's newly elected officers. And uh so who's who's in charge of that? Jason is okay. And then I'll let you give an introduction and then we can give up the podium so that you guys don't have us in your shots when you guys take pictures. Although we're good at photobombing. Yes, right. We can smile. Great. Mr. Mayor, Council, City Manager. Uh, thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk to you guys tonight. Um, it's it's truly a good time. We can celebrate uh the establishments of our volunteer firefighters who've been nominated and voted into these leadership leadership positions by their peers. Um, as you guys are aware, uh the Carney Volunteer Fire Department holds our officer elections every every April. Um, it's always an exciting time uh for our department and its officers. And not only is it just exciting for those who are voted into these coveted positions, but it's it's truly exciting for our whole department as we get to see our members be rewarded for their hard work and dedication in training emergency response uh to our community and most of all each other. Uh the officers that are elected each year, not it's not by accident that they're they're elected into these positions. Uh these guys have put in uh a ton of time to be confident and capable of handing it, handling any of the emergencies that we're called to. Um these officers have given countless hours of their time away from their families uh every month to ensure that our department's always ready. Um we've been serving this community for 143 years now. In that 140 years, um, there's been over a thousand volunteer firefighters, but only 28 of those have been nominated to the position of fire chief. So with that, it is my honor to present to you the 29th fire chief of the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department, Seth Lunberry. Seth has served on the KVFD for 16 years. He was um pretty much raised in Kearney. He moved to Kearney when he was 10 years old. Um, and he's now raising his own family here. Um Seth has risen through the officer ranks of lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, and now he's been elected as our fire chief. So I would like to invite Seth and his family forward to receive his chief's badge. Joining Seth tonight will be his wife Becca and their children Frankie and Christian. Okay, and we will move to the side and let you guys finish the Mr. Mayor, members of the council, city minister to Jensen, Deputy Chief Chief Whalen, members of the department, family, and friends. Thank you. First, I want to thank Deputy Chief Whalen for the words in introducing to me tonight. Also want to thank my family for being here and for the support that they've given me. Anyone who has served in the fire service knows of the commitment is not carried by one person alone. It takes support, especially at home, support from the department, and support from the community. Being elected the fire chief of the Carney Volunteer Fire Department is truly an honor. This department has a long history of service, but what makes us special is the people standing behind it today. The members of the department give their time, energy, and effort to serve others, often without anyone seeing the amount of work that happens behind the scenes. Tonight is not about one position. It's about recognizing the officers who have been selected by their peers to lead the department forward. These positions come with responsibility. At this time, I would like to recognize the newly elected officers of the Carney Volunteer Fire Department.