Scottsbluff City Council Regular Meeting - January 5, 2026

The Scottsbluff City Council met in regular session at 6:00 PM on January 5, 2026, in the City Hall Council Chambers at 2525 Circle Drive. All council members were present for roll call. The Council did not enter closed session. It approved consent items, held two public hearings, and made several unanimous decisions.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the December 15, 2025 regular meeting.
• Acknowledged and took receipt of the liability claim from Robert Scott, 2027 Avenue E, Scottsbluff; the claim will be withdrawn and forwarded to the City's insurance carrier.
• Approved the appointment of Jennifer Urdiales to the LB840 Application Review Committee.
• Approved the claims of the City after separate discussion. Staff said the claims were current bills that needed to be paid. A council member asked about a Riverside Discovery item, and staff confirmed the $75,000 payment was included in the claims packet and was scheduled for January payment.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No unscheduled citizen business was brought forward.
• Liquor license hearing: The applicants for Green & Tangled, LLC, d/b/a The Tangled Tumbleweed spoke. Ronetta Green said she is the proposed Liquor License Manager and her family members are the owners. The applicants plan to reopen 1823 Avenue A as a wine bar, cocktail bar, and small-plates restaurant, keeping the Tangled Tumbleweed name, refreshing the menu and interior, starting at three or four days per week, and expanding in the summer. They described plans for TIPS training for owners and staff, carding every customer, locking alcohol when not on display, and using security cameras and an alarm system. Ronetta Green said the business had no violations in five or six years when she previously operated it. Police Chief Chris reported that the applicants' criminal histories were not remarkable, that prior minor traffic and misdemeanor records were disclosed, that there were no disqualifiers, and that the liquor license holders board had given a positive recommendation.
• Zoning text amendment hearing: Staff reported that the Planning Commission recommended approval of changes to Chapter 6 and Chapter 25 to rename special permits and special use permits as conditional use permits, add an expiration date for inactive permits, and fix formatting and consistency issues to match state statutes. A council member noted that some special permits for parking and planned unit developments remain. No opponents testified.

Resolutions & Ordinances

• The Council held the first reading of the zoning text amendment ordinance; no final adoption vote was taken.
• The Council unanimously waived the three readings and adopted the ordinance repealing Chapter 6, Article 2, Section 15, which had authorized combining and merging the offices of City Manager and Chief of Police.
• The Council unanimously approved the amended Final Plat of Lots 1 and 2A, Block 2, Clemens-Reinhardt Subdivision and authorized the Mayor to sign the resolution. Staff said the driveway for the Chili's property is now located entirely on that property, and the plat dedicates a utility easement for a gas line. A June 2026 completion timeline was mentioned.

Reports, Boards & Commissions

• The Council approved termination of the contract and memorandum of contract involving Krishna Management Inc., OTB-Scottsbluff, LLC, and CP Land Group, L.C., and authorized the Mayor to sign the termination agreement. Staff stated the public improvement obligations had been satisfied and the contract had effectively expired.
• The Council authorized the Mayor to sign the Year 2025 Certificate of Compliance under Maintenance Agreement No. 22 with the Nebraska Department of Transportation, certifying required mowing and sweeping on state highways through Scottsbluff.
• The Council approved the interlocal agreement with Scotts Bluff County for Pictometry services through Pictometry International Corp. for 2027-2029 and authorized the Mayor to sign. Staff described Pictometry as the base layer of the City's GIS map and noted budgeted cost increases for expanded and higher-resolution coverage.
• The Council approved the Economic Development Assistance Agreement with Gardner Technologies, LLC, and authorized the City Manager to sign. The LB840 application requests $220,000, with $20,000 for a Crestron partnership and demonstration equipment and $200,000 to pay off high-interest company debt. Job-creation credits will apply to full-time employees; the company currently has a workforce of six. Jerry Gardner described the company's computer repair, networking, managed services, low-voltage, and business phone system work, plus a planned publicly rentable high-technology meeting room. The LB840 Application Review Committee gave a positive recommendation.

Council Reports

• Council members acknowledged Jennifer Urdiales' appointment to the LB840 Application Review Committee and thanked her for serving. Urdiales said she and her husband had used microTIF and owned The Dugout.
• A council member reported on zoo updates, including an inside-area construction project, a winter lights event with 683 attendees, a packed Santa Claus/Kiwanis event, plans for a larger professional light display next year, and a $50,000 grant application for a bear encounter expansion supported by city letters.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimously recommended approval of the Class CK liquor license for Green & Tangled, LLC, d/b/a The Tangled Tumbleweed to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, naming Ronetta Green as Liquor License Manager.
• Conducted the first reading of the zoning text amendment ordinance without a final adoption vote.
• Unanimously waived the three readings and adopted the ordinance repealing the authorization to merge the offices of City Manager and Chief of Police.
• Unanimously approved the amended Final Plat, the contract termination, the NDOT Certificate of Compliance, the Pictometry interlocal agreement, and the Gardner Technologies Economic Development Assistance Agreement.