The Broken Bow City Council met in regular session Tuesday evening, July 14. Broken Bow Mayor Rod Sonnichsen called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers of the Broken Bow Municipal Building. All members of the Council were present for the Tuesday meeting.
Data Center Moratorium Established
In a quick action, the Council approved a moratorium on the approval of applications for data center construction within the Broken Bow city limits.
City Zoning Administrator Jacob Holcomb told the Council that that while the City is off to a good start on the creation of rules around high-capacity data processing facilities, the additional time of the moratorium will allow for further research and careful consideration of any eventual regulations put in place.
At the same time Sonnichsen urged the Council to enact the moratorium as as soon as possible, saying, “I think this is the only way to protect the citizens and our infrastructure…because time is an issue right now, and we have nothing on the books.”
The initial moratorium will be in place for six months, with the ability to extend for another 12 months beyond that. The moratorium will cease to be in effect if a data center ordinance is approved by the Council before that time.
Addition Public Comment Heard on E-Bike Rules
A revised version of the ordinance regulating the use of e-bikes in Broken Bow was presented for public comment at Tuesday’s meeting. The updated policy makes changes requested the last time the ordinance was reviewed by the Council, including allowing youth with an operators permit or license to ride on streets in the business district and reiteration of other rules of the road. The current version of the ordinance can be found with the Broken Bow City Council Agenda.
A group of youth led by 12-year-old Deacon Johnk provided a statement urging the council to consider lighter restrictions on riders, stating it wasn’t fair that the actions of a few were going to result in what felt like a punishment for those who were not riding in a dangerous, disrespectful or unsafe manner. Rather, Johnk noted that he had saved to purchase his e-bike himself and enjoyed the independence it allowed him to visit friends and travel to activities on his own.
Broken Bow resident Spencer Olson also spoke against the severity of the currently proposed restrictions, noting safe crossings between the north and south sides of town were rare outside of the business district. Olson advocated a safe riding class that might help provide younger riders more freedom to travel on their e-bikes.
Board President Russ Smith noted that the Council was not looking to punish anyone. Rather, “we want to protect these kids. If we have to go back and amend [the ordinance], we will. But at this time, we don’t we don’t want you to think we’re punishing the the kids at all. That’s that’s not that’s not our purpose. We’re we’re trying to just make it safe so everybody goes home at night.”
In the end, the Council elected to continue the consideration of the ordinance into future meetings, allowing for more discussion and potential revisions to the proposed e-bike rules.
Other Council Actions
City Treasurer LeeAnn Morgan noted a minor update to the recently approved financial audit. Information regarding proceeds from the power plant insurance settlement were revised.
The Council approved an ordinance confirming the sale of the Armory Building at the corner of South 1st Ave and Industrial Park Road to Becton, Dickinson and Company for $900,000. City Administrator Dave Schmidt indicated all statutory requirements had been met for the sale. Council Member Travis Kleeb abstained from the action.
The Council renewed its insurance policy with the League Association of Risk Management for a three year term in order to maintain a 5% discount on the policy. Schmidt noted that while the policy was previously approved only a year ago, the discount decreases annually unless a continued three-year renewal occurs. City staff stated their support for the renewal, stating the organization is “really helpful across the board with all departments”.
The Council approved the ongoing Interlocal Agreement with the Broken Bow Airport Authority. Schmidt noted no changes from prior versions of the agreement.
June 24 will see the return of the Custer County Tractor Drive in Broken Bow. Up to 40 tractors are expected, and will drive by local retirement homes, allowing the residents a chance to view the parade of equipment. The drive will end up at the City Square – the Council approved closure of the streets around the square from 2:30 – 4:30 PM.
The Broken Bow City Council entered executive session to discuss the annual performance review of City Administrator Schmidt at 6:42 PM. With no further action before the Council, the meeting effectively ended at that time. The next meeting of the Broken Bow City Council is scheduled for 6:00 PM, Tuesday, July 28, in the Broken Bow Municipal Building.
