The Broken Bow City Council met in regular session Tuesday evening, March 10. Mayor Rod Sonnichsen called the meeting to order at the Broken Bow Municipal Building at 6:00 PM.
Bills were approved during the Consent Agenda unanimously, with the exception of a series of items reimbursing the individual Council members for costs incurred during their recent trip to Lincoln for a meeting of the League of Nebraska Municipalities. Each of the Council members were paid between $255 and $282 for parking and mileage during the trip, and abstained from voting on their own reimbursement.
Broken Bow Fire Chief Provides Annual Update
Broken Bow Fire Chief Dustin Watson provided an update on the Department’s activities over the last year. Watson reported a total of 119 calls for the department in 2025, including 13 structure fires, 31 grass or bale fires, 19 vehicle accidents with 4 vehicle fires, 1 elevator entrapment, and a variety of other calls for alarms.
Watson also provided the Council with an update on how burn permits are received and approved by the Broken Bow department. He stated that previously, residents wishing to complete a burn permit would need to visit the station to complete a paper permit. The Department is now rolling out an online permit that is receiving “a lot of positive feedback”, allowing Watson or a designee to approve the permit within minutes. The link to access the burn permit burn is currently near the top of the City’s web page.
However, Watson also noted that with dry and windy conditions continuing in the area only a limited number of controlled burns would be approved, and no permits for brush or tree piles until conditions improve.
“We’re really looking for the right day to get it. Today we have lighter winds so we could burn. Come Thursday again, we’re in a red flag,” Watson said. “We want to keep everything cooled off. A tree pile may burn three weeks to a month depending on the size of wood that they burn. I’m holding on to them. Hopefully the wind and the weather gives us some cooperation here.”
At the end of the meeting, Sonnichsen thanked Watson and the department for their ongoing hard work.
Other Council Business
In other council business, City Administrator David Schmidt opened bids for two surplus vehicles the City was offering for sale. There were two bids for a 2007 Ford Expedition. Aubrey Patton had the high bid for that vehicle at $1,100. Julie Toline was the high bid of 3 offers for a 2011 Chevrolet Impala at $800.
Schmidt also requested a temporary street closure in conjunction with the upcoming April 3 Easter Egg Hunt on the Broken Bow Square. While the Easter Egg Hunt is an annual event, this year, Schmidt and Broken Bow Chamber of Commerce Director Stephanie Grafel are proposing to close South D Street along the north side of the Square, between South 8th and 10th Avenues from 1:00 – 3:00 PM.
Citing the experience of heavy traffic and numerous children crossing the street during last year’s Trunk or Treat event, Schmidt noted it was quite a task to keep everyone safe.
The Council agreed, and unanimously approved the closure.
At the end of the meeting, Council President Russ Smith noted he had recently spent time at Melham Park and noted several groups using the StoryWalk that was installed in the fall by the Broken Bow Library and Parks Department. Smith stated it was “heartwarming” to see the youth using the StoryWalk, and hoped that the Council could continue working on similar projects to better the Broken Bow Community.
With no further business before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 6:15 PM. The next meeting of the Broken Bow City Council is scheduled for 6:00 PM on March 24, in the Broken Bow Municipal Building.
