The Broken Bow City Council met in regular session Tuesday evening, August 25. A number of items were on the agenda before the Council when Mayor Rod Sonnichsen called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers in the Broken Bow Municipal Building. All members of the Council were present.
Electric, Water and Emergency Management Highlight Another Year of Success
The City continued hearing from various departments, with the Electric, Water and Sewer and Emergency Services Departments providing updates.
Electric Superintendent Blake Waldow noted work is ongoing at the Eagle Crest subdivision, with all light poles now set. Work on the Thompson Addition will be taken up soon as well, upgrading service wiring nearing the end of its 60 year life expectancy.
Water/Wastewater Superintendent Ryan Jones highlighted the completion of water main construction along Highway 2 through the winter, including the installation of 5 new fire hydrants. The Sewer Department will also make use of a former ambulance to provide a base for pipe inspection and maintenance. Jones stated that using their own equipment will save the city up to $41,000 per year in contracted labor.
City Administrator Dave Schmidt commended Jones for his comprehensive inspection and preventative maintenance activities, indicating he thought the work would really pay off in the future.
City Emergency Services Department Head Dave Baltz and Broken Bow Paramedic Mason Holmes provided a detailed overview of EMS activities since January. Baltz stated that in that period, the department had responded to 362 service requests, on pace for 575 calls for 2026 overall. This continues the trend of 10% increase in calls annually.
The department is continuing to increase its paramedic coverage, with three members currently in training to provide advanced life-saving services. When the training is complete, Broken Bow will boast 3 of just 25 Critical Care Paramedics across the entire state of Nebraska.
This is just one way the Broken Bow EMS team is working on the leading edge of care. Other programs noted by Baltz and Holmes were a consolidation of city documentation to a single application. Holmes noted this would help the city improve its ISO rating, resulting in lower insurance rates for all Broken Bow Residents.
Broken Bow is also the only Resuscitation Academy host outside of the city of Lincoln, providing training in central and western Nebraska that gives cardiac arrest patients the best chance of survival.
Fundraising activities include an upcoming 5- and 10-K on October 4th. With the help of a tourism grant, the department purchased an electronic tracking system for runners, making race times “official”, and likely to bring in runners from further afield.
“The theme behind all of this,” said Holmes, “is that the Broken Bow Ambulance Service is not standing still. We’re doing everything that we can to be there for our patients, and we’re so happy and proud of the city that we live in, and for all of your support and all the trust that you’ve placed in us to do what we’re doing.”
North Park Inclusive Playground Moving Forward
In Public Comments, Scotti Ross and Jessica Gibbons announced the North Park Inclusive Playground Project had nearly raised enough funding to move forward with installation of the Pre‑K playground structure. The Project had thus far raised $143,633, leaving a little over $62,000 in needed funds remaining.
Schmidt then announced that as a part of investing the $900,000 of surplus funds gained from sale of the Armory Building to Becton Dickinson, $30,000 was being set aside to support the project. Schmidt stated Broken Bow Public Schools will match that number, bringing the Playground Project to within a few thousand dollars of completion.
The new playground, designed for children of all abilities, will be installed on the north east side of North Park Elementary School in the late spring to summer of 2027, replacing the 15-year old equipment currently on the site. Although installed on school grounds, the playground will be designated as a park open to the public.
Block Grant Sought for Planning, Wheel Loader Bid Approved, Other Council Activities
The Council approved moving forward with a Community Development Block Grant in collaboration with the Central Nebraska Economic Development (CNED) District. The $63,000 federal grant would allow the city to update its now outdated Comprehensive Plan, along with paying CNED for administration costs.
The Comprehensive Plan, last completed in 2018, provides guidance to zoning and city land use, and is a critical first step to many additional grant requests for city improvements.
A second reading of Ordinance 1317, providing strict regulations for data centers within Broken Bow was held. There were no public comments on the data center rules, and the Council elected to continue making the draft available for public review and comment at future meetings before final approval.
The Council accepted a bid and will purchase a John Deere wheel loader from Murphy Tractor & Equipment Co., Inc. for $279,966. While not the lowest bid provided, Schmidt explained that it was the only equipment that met all requirements in the original request.
Other bids were provided by Road Builders Machinery and Supply Co for $244,759, Titan Machinery at $262,916, and Nebraska Machinery Company for $283,800.
The new loader will replace aging equipment used for road and park maintenance, snow removal and other public works activities.
September 8 was designated as a Special City Event in association with the celebration of 35 years of the Custer County Foundation. The designation allows the city to waive certain rules for events held on the Broken Bow City Square.
The Council approved a lot split in south-east Broken Bow, and the combination of two lots into a single parcel in the Wilson Administrative Subdivision just east of the golf course.
Bids were opened for excess office equipment, with only one bid for pink office chair, being accepted. The other bid received was rejected due to an inaccurate description of the television being bid on.
With no further business to conduct, the Broken Bow City Council adjourned at 7:19 PM. The next meeting of the City Council is scheduled for September 8 at 6:00 PM in the Broken Bow Municipal Building.
