BROKEN BOW – The Broken Bow City Council held its first meeting of May on Tuesday evening. All members were present, including a new face.
Russ Smith was unanimously chosen by the council to fill David Schmidt’s vacancy in Broken Bow’s East Ward; the City Administrator himself delivered the oath of office.
A less-publicized vacancy left by Schmidt’s promotion was the Council President’s seat. Using the roughly 19 years’ experience between them, the 4 councilmen and Mayor Sonnichsen nominated, and unanimously approved, David Baltz to fill the seat.
Emergency Manager Mark Rempe, on behalf of the Anselmo Fire Department, appeared before the council to commend Broken Bow EMS Director Andy Holland for his volunteer collaboration with the Anselmo department in the aftermath of the Cooksley Complex Fire.
“The Anselmo department never had a chance to write a report as to the exact details of the fire. Andy volunteered to sit down with those guys and write the report. Andy gave about 4 hours of his time and helped those guys out a lot.”
City Administrator Schmidt presented his updates; the citywide cleanup was a success as over 200 people utilized the tree dump’s services in the first weekend alone, the city has received 15 zoning permit requests since mid-April, and a flood plain maintenance plan is in its infancy.
The Mud Creek Levee Restoration, a long-term project, is going to be a delicate operation through all phases, Schmidt said, as the city isn’t the only bullfrog on the bank.
“It’s a little more complicated than normal because of where the levee needs repair is right along the railroad tracks, so we’re going to have to work very closely with the railroad, and that will bring some extra challenges.”
Additionally, the administrator said that construction on the new council chambers is moving right along and hopes to see phases of construction begin in the near future.
A Memorandum of Understanding between Jennie M. Melham Medical Center and the city was approved unanimously, as was Ordinance 1269; the memorandum formalizes a year-long agreement between the city and hospital for mutual aid provisions during times of disaster, and Ordinance 1269 puts city wages in compliance with state minimum wage, which is $10.50 as of January 1.
The meeting adjourned at 6:21 p.m., with the next scheduled for Tuesday, May 23.
