BROKEN BOW— Safety was the number one concern at the Broken Bow City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 8. Two of the items on the agenda dealt with South 19th Ave. and safety concerns that Broken Bow Fire and EMS Coordinator Andy Holland and EMS Captain Shane Fiorelli have with that area.
According to Holland, during Junk Jaunt vehicles were parked on both sides of South 19th Ave. and would have prevented any of the larger emergency vehicles from leaving without causing damage to the parked cars. Holland noted that this was a huge safety concern and asked the council to pass an ordinance that would prevent any parking on the east side of South 19th Ave.
As there is currently no signage on that street, Fiorelli, who is also a Broken Bow Police Officer, informed the council that there is nothing that Broken Bow PD can do to move the vehicles. The council agreed and passed Ordinance 1212 which will prevent any parking on the east side of South 19th Ave.
Another topic that was brought up by Holland was the possibility of placing a yield sign at the Dollar General Parking Lot. Holland informed the council that there had been numerous cases where vehicles have pulled out of the parking lot without looking to see if anyone was traveling down South 19th Ave. and had nearly caused a major accident.
While the board was in agreeance with placing a sign at the intersection, it was agreed upon that there should be a stop sign instead of a yield sign. Council President Rod Sonnichsen noted that it should be a stop sign as people are more likely to roll through a yield sign than a stop sign. The board voted unanimously to place a stop sign at the Dollar General Parking Lot.
Electrical rates were also discussed to increase in Broken Bow for large industries only. Electrical Superintendent Jeremy Tarr informed the council that the Utility Board had suggested raising the rate by 1% after discussions with Becton Dickinson (BD).
It was suggested by BD that the increase be in smaller increments as to prevent “rate shock” with a 3% increase at one time. Tarr noted that while a 1% increase may not seem like much, when you are dealing will millions of dollars, even a small increase can add up. Following the public hearing the board voted to not waive the readings of Ordinance 1214, which will now have at least two more readings before being voted on by the council.
One other approval was the decision to create a new position in the Park Department. The Park Board had discussed the position and the job description during the Park Board meeting on Monday, October 7 and decided that a Park Foreman would work best for the city. The board voted unanimously to approve the Park Foreman position.
