BROKEN BOW, NE – Broken Bow City Council met for a meeting that took less than 30 minutes on Tuesday night. Councilman Paul Holland was the lone absence.
An amendment application for a class I liquor license was approved unanimously for Sylvester’s Bar & Lounge on the East side of Broken Bow. The amendment removes the square footage of the bowling alley from the license.
The “substantial completion” milestone date for the Eagle Crest subdivision project was moved from December 31, 2024 to May 1, 2025. City Administrator Dave Schmidt stated that it was known going in that the original date was an aggressive goal when it came to the pavement part of the project. He added that the moving of the concrete portion would alleviate concerns about strength and quality. The project completion date will not change.
Water and sewer rates were back on the agenda, with the reading of each ordinance again not being waived as they were at the last council meeting. Schmidt told those in attendance he had received a question about the city’s reserve funds and their utilization.
“The Eagle Crest project, although it could have qualified for the use of those funds, we did not allocate any of the reserve utility funds for Eagle Crest. Those funds are being taken from the sales tax infrastructure funds,” Schmidt explained “With that said, we are in a very good position with our reserve funds. There’s over $1 million in reserves, but we’re not currently able to build funds on the water and sewer side. The water side more or less cancels out where the sewer side is falling short.”
Schmidt closed by saying the city would like to build the funds between 7% to 10% each year so that when a big project comes up, it doesn’t have to be leveraged as much. No decision was made on the water and sewer rates and the last potential readings of the ordinances will take place at the next City Council meeting on December 10.
At the close of Tuesday night’s meeting, approved unanimously was the cancelation of the December 24 meeting as well as the authorization to pay regular bills that would have been paid at that meeting.
During mayor and council comments, the city bathrooms on the square were brought up. Schmidt said that they are finishing up odds and ends (like paper towel holders and similar items) to get them to “100%” but they should be open for the Festival of Lights parade on Monday.
