September 2, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Beatrice Regular City Council Meeting

Discussion:  Alex left at 6:02 pm.

Mayor presented to Dee, Don & ________.  
Dee thanks for recognizing special day for  Beatri e & Gage - year 7 over $2 mill funds stay here 
DOn - president Gage county foundation - honor & privilege, 7 years $2 mill grass roots campaign, encourage all to contact everyone to contribute remember your roots.

Discussion:  N & P clarification

N - asbestos removal - $144,000 asking for portion of payment 3 weeks remaining
P- how often?  interior & exterior?  TT - Both, similar to prior agreement with Utiility Service
Q - Hydo - date correct?  TT -  2026,want to make sure NDOT approves prior to January to advertise
 

Discussion:  Hannah Bell, Finance Director, FY26 & FY27 - partnered with ClearGov last year to publish budget pulls in graphs & better visual aid.  presented few ways - more in depth,extended version on website.

Mayor - recorded so they need to watch

page 4 -consolidated fund balances - good place to see anticipated fund balances - all funds & pg 5  - summary pages 
page 7 - on website more detail taxes - sales, property, occupation taxes - general fund at the end tonight intergovernmental revenue - county or partnering city & federal dollars - decrease in 911 - Crete & Richardson County no longer - Decrease of Victim assistance agrant.  SS4A, LIghting, Tourism? - ending  CHarges for services - administration/CDD/PP/Library/Police - big change is proposing increase to ambulance rates - last in FY24
Ted - ambulance fees?  National standard?  TT - insurance & medicare/cade reimbursements are.  Ted - charging norm or what we can get away with? or what makes us even?  TT - closer to reimbursement rate, which still doesn't cover our costs

page 8 - personal services - labor - health ins, retirement - big changes - unions increase 2.5% to 3-4% increase labor cost; also have increases in health insurance for set dollar $ per employee since self funded.  increase in set retirement for fire & police - also includes part time PP employee.  TT - changes in retirement,state statute.  HB - also change in how retirement calculated.  Other services - big change setting up IT fund, in past lived in each fund, now makes sense to have their own fund, each fund wil pay for portion of IT labor.  contractual services - federal grants that are ending-  SS4A, lighting, tourism
General Administration - includes all interfund transfers - HYDO - patrol suppression? Fire, communications 911, ambulance - 4 of top 5 are protection services - hope citizens happier with taxes due to those services

page 11 - general fund balance - assigned - lodging & ems reserve fund; committed in past - CARES; restricted - gas plant; unassigned fund target levels - cash reserve policy - tried to add note what we are proposing for the policy & how our ending $ - where we would want that. page 12 - overall graph  Hydo - what do you say about that?  TT - can see where COVID-19   HB - not comfortable with where FY27 ends, will have conversations.  TT _will have communications to provide services that people enjoy today  TT - have identified some areas to work on.    Mayor - plug, cash reserve, as you think of 3-6 months, need to have policy to put in to place for years to come.  not immune to what businesses are going to have to make changes to.

page 15 - revenues general fund - sales tax, inter - federal, highway allocations for street.  5th STreet & Ella STreet - in FY25, which is why the decrease in FY26 - back in FY27 with raise.   Misc - FY25 - school's portion of 33rd & Lnk - not typical to have $ there.  OTher - bond issuance for school sites

Page Street - Union wages 2.5% & HI increase, IT expenses; interfund transfer in FY25 - M&O was budgeted in Street - it is a CDBG grant   
Page 17 - fund balances - 25-50% operating expenses for reserve target level

page AIrport - FY25 taxiway & FY26 hanger project; page 20 - revenue from charges & misc - hangar rents, farm leases, notice - taxes fall off in 23 - no longer have property taxes - intergovernmental revenue - current projects usually 90/10 -other charges - depreciation was not set up correctly last year, within other financing sources backing out depreciation to show actual cash.  TF - federal funding sources for Airport?  his understanding was this - aviation fuel - his understanding from pilot, why do we not get that?  TT - receive allocation from State, they hold funding until ___________. page 21 expenses - 2.5% personnel & HI - had 2 retirmenets,additional payout with sick & vacation - FY25 decrease i fuel - due to taxiway project.  FY25 & FY26 - taxiway & t hanger ; fund reserve 25-50% total operating expenses

Sanitation pg 24 - charges for services - in town,out of town, villages - no rate increase for FY26 or FY27 - misc revenues - fund for possible sale of current mars site.  will lease old mars site use proceeds to pay off their debt.  other financing - show revenue adjustment for depreciation - page 26 0 expenses 2.5% & HI, other large change debt service - large increase Fy27 if sell mars site & pay off bonds pg 27 fund reserve 15-30% total operating + capital expenses.  Hydo - FY26 really low?  HB - higher capital - purchasing 2 trucks TT - 11 yard truck & ________

BPW - fund reserve target levels - page 29 - revenues by fund - depreciation change, electric FY25 - $3.5 mill in bond proceeds & data mining sites.  FY26 implementation fee - not sure if it will be $____ will bring in $840,000; FY27 increase to generate $840,000 as well annually.  TT - JK here next meeting to discuss rate study   Water - vac truck bond $138,000 -FY26 infra fee of $2.00/month  WPC - grant $2 mill - bulk in FY26; infra structure Fee $2/mo??? or $3???  PG 31-32 - depreciation fix; all 3 funds el spend down of bond procedes.  high in FY25 for electric FY26 come out FY27 additional expenses for power generation.  no big changes for water; WPC FY25 & FY26 total project grit $5.2 million    ESKRA - are we able o continue to bite off little pieces?  TT _ yes 5 year permit, year 3.  no changes at this time with effluent, continue to make changes that will be viable moving forward.  TED - are we patching or building for future?  TT - building for future, pumps, de-watering, grit, not patching as go, building to handle growth.  TED - life expectancy?  TT _ depends upon  Grit - original since early 80s Dewatering put 2 in, long term investments to be used with new plant if needed.

other funds - pg 34  - EBA fund - steady increase health insurance continues to rise.  self funded - each employee has annual cost, each fund funds per employee.  keno - FY27 trail project not sure how much of the cost will be seen  CDBG - FY25 wrapping up M&O, DTR, OOR, comp plan ubdgetd.  FY27 TBD  TED - comp plan in 2001?  revised in 2016?  what will $ do - revise?  TT - will be a new plan.  Grant cover $50,000 city for $10-20,000.  TED - have responsibitiy to set a road map.  Debt service - fire station bonds, sales tax bonds trending a little ahead & also airport bonds start next year.  

Page 40 - IT - better account for funds - employees,other services - diode.  Hydo - how funding?  HB- each fund funnel into IT, will see all expenses out of IT, but will also see  Worked on spreadsheets to determine who pays for what,based on each employee for time spent -one is with BPW 100%; helpdesk - all funds pay for him; calculations to determine this.  Mayor - smart move by consolidating know how to standardize & really paid huge dividends,think this will help bring in consistency across city & bpw.  HB - road map, think it may change but starting somewhere

NorcrossCorner Fund ? - need to figure out what to do with this - TED - get hold of Maureen,20 years ago
page 43?  paving projects in FY22 - assessments 10 & 12 years  will go back to street dpet
economic develipent - no changes in funding - changes to expenses - budget for $1 mill in revenue/expenditures - used to purchase schwartzkopf land  911 surcharge - state funding is increasing in 26 & 27 - most go into general fund for a portion of dispatch labor  CRA - tif projects - $931,000 back to TIF developers in Fy26   TED - any to fall off?  TT - hatchery 5 years off?  significant size yes.

capital projects -list can be hard to see -much better online - general fund - $200,000 FY26 & FY27 for demo at demisters for 5 total years; Homestaed trail - city share $310,000 not sure how will look on our book; heritage & stoddard playground grant - RCRP ; field 8 FY26 - RCRP revenue & lodging taxes & donation from GIrls Softball, Grant from Tourism & sponsorship; proposed Pickleball/RC grant - LWCF - set aside to match either or to fit in budget; FY26 duck pond; trail project on 27th - general fund, possible grant.  FY27 - new fire engine originally in FY23 or FY24 - proposing to use sales tax portion on fire engine, without will have to bond $ & not pay off bond as fast.  ambulance Fy26 - will cover 12 of $450,000 & cares funds.  TED - demisters $1 million over 5 years doesn't do what everyone wants to do, is that the plan to just pay over next 20 years, TT _ not sure if we do local funding, not sur how we can proceed, will look for other opportunities to excel the demo, otherwise in current budget not good way to get it all done.  TED -homestead trail & that is our share?  TT - part of share state says how much we owe depending upon bids & homestead will also pay a portion.80/20.  80/20 with federal, as project increases our portion will increase - not what happened with pioneer trail, state did pay the additional cost.   TED - fire engine & ambulance - does this leave any money in overpayments?  HB - debt service ending FY26 with $3 million - TED - why not use over payment to pay ambulance as well.  TT -could look at other cares dollars -   Mayor- hope the $835 is corect...unfortunately TED _ cant just go buy one.  TT _ great consolidation, reduced # of engines produced & increased price.  ESKRA - did not receive brownfield grant this year?  TED - Correct, ESRKA - possilbity we can reapply?  TT -yes, will reapply.  the issue is max for each site $5 mill possibly, only 1x per site.  Application due in November.  TED - used ot look at 8 diff pieces, now we will own all of it. $3.1 million & didn't get any, look at who got it, not communities our size.  

Electric - electric generation facility $1 FY26 $2 mill FY27 - start budgeting something.  Hdyo - if happens  TT _ correct, that is why HDR is doing study at this time.  need to put on as possiblitiy.  2 trucks - carried forward since Fy23; substation 7, 2, & 9 improvements & industrial park- bonds

Water - watermain; valve & control valve at well field - all out of infrastructure fund.  Hyod  - how do they work?  TT - labeled infrastructure must be used for infrastructure.  Hydo - how much per month $6/mo incrase

WPC _ grit  & LS #1 design  WPC cash takes dip & wipes out infrastructure fund. hoping for construction in Fy28 - oer FY27 build up enough cash for LS1 construction

Airport - T Hnager & Runway REpairs - TT - part of Senator Fischer funds  pap lights -lights as land.  BASWA _ landfill closure i FY27 - BASWA at next meeting - also have C&D site construction in FY28  TED - why not close it?  TT - state will make you close.  TED -do we always own? or can we sell?  TT -  propbaly capable for 

Street FY26 & FY27 Raise grant; HH & CC FY26 bond issuance FY27 future street project budgeted based on cash flow & how projects popup - nothing set at this time - James & Jason will determine - 7th STree Fy26

Sanitation - heavy in FY roll off & 11 yard truck - REar loader in FY27

HYDO - good job on capital projects TT _ dept heads do a good job     

PG 64 - property taxes & Genral Fund - page 65 - shows sales tax history  portion of property taxes can be used for debt services - general fund issued for taxiway - will be paid by sales tax - looking atFY27 or FY28 - __________
page 66 - breakdown of levy
page 67 68 & 70 - give general fund & debt levy & total levy have been for FY26 back to FY20 - valuation 68 increase; pg70 gives back to 2000 general tax request  TED - increase is what proposing & FY00 - $190.00, want ppl to understand this is how much we have raised, matter of $15-20/mo.  not asking for much

page 69 - new state budget form  to calculate property tax ask - as long as within $0.45-0.50 - going forward it limits how much we can ask for.  growth value was $3.8 mill / .39% in growth.  inflation % that we can take based on federal inflation of local governments provided by state - %5 additional $174,000  biggest thing to take away -definately on horizon - Growth was $13,000 - largest cost annually increases 2.5% is a limitation that we need to continue to look at in the future.  TT - growth rate,not increase of your valuation of house.  growth is new construction - if new garage, etc., simply assessed at higher rate.  Mike - TIF?   TT - when rolls off, then will be growth 10 year etc., Hydo - what does state say how to keep up?  Personnel?  TT - correct, state increased retirement etc., however, limiting your ask.  Hydo - what does legislative say?  TT -cut property taxes. TED -unfunded mandate.  GB - Nebraska city had to cut into cash reserves, 7,000 population.  HB - think growth rate  TT _ next year approximately 2%.  can take approved bonds,didn't take al lot of other.  left$31 on table  HB - years past had unused authority & it grew nomatter what by 2% - so you had available - if we don't take inflation amount,it is not available again.  had great inflation rate this year, however, as trickles down, you have to ask for it, it used to just be available. 

TED - page 24 - selling MARS to pay off bonds, why can we pay that off early?  TT - paying off sanitation bond it is sanitation asset, used to pay off sanitation debt
TED - cash reserve policy - can we do without being so aggressive?  TT - most are where we anticipate they will be.  TT - crash not coming from cash reserve policy, at what point do you panic.  Mayor - in background - emergency fund covered for 3-6 months for the CIty.  percentage throws off a bit, but have cities near us will be huritng.  90% projecst are infrastructure  great planning tool to plan 8 years out.  FY27 forecast - not budged - will work diligently to make sure FY27 is ________.  TT _ later projects keeping in mind that may be able to move forward with grant funding.

Mike - great job did great job explaining



 

Discussion:  Application - COmp plan based of 2001, revised in 2016 -nothing substantial - long term plan  proposing CDBG Grant PH said $50,000 grant with $10,000 -it is $15,000 match for City.  close to $60-70,000 will submit & see if awarded & will move forward.

Discussion:  replat 10th & Dorsey - combining 2 parcels she currently owns.

Discussion:  Jan Nider, 398 South 25th Street, compliment grand niece Hannah.  thank council for all you do & now understand more about the budget
post online - naming of development - Heritage Heights & Corral Crossing - hard to deterime - think better if named Lincoln Place/Paddock Place - would like to see renamed
House on Jackson Street engulfed in trees, not sure what part can take care of this
hwy 77 to 1 lane does not seem like a good idea, can't image what will be like
Street Dept pat on back - hole in road, within couple days hole was fixed.