Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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At Monday's meeting the county commissioners agreed to move forward in an attempt to sell properties the county obtained through foreclosure. "We have acquired several properties through foreclosure," said county attorney Paul Schaub. "There is a process we can follow to sell those properties." After the county holds a public meeting to decide whether or not to sell the properties, then it can set fair market value and begin to receive bids for each property. "I would recommend moving forward just to see if anyone's interested in purchasing...
Hundreds of workers will travel to Sidney this summer to labor on the many construction projects soon to be underway. Both Chief of Police B.J. Wilkinson and City Manager Gary Person acknowledge that the presence of so many additional people in the community could pose some problems. Projects set for construction this summer include the new Sidney Regional Medical Center, many streets for new developments in the Interstate 80 area, as well as work on Fort Sidney Rd, Greenwood Rd and Toledo St., Cabela’s corporate expansion, The Ranch s...
Nebraska's current attorney general, Jon Bruning, believes he can make a seamless transition into the role of governor next year, if elected to that position. "I think this has been a very well run state under governors Heineman and Johanns," Bruning said during a stop in Sidney last week. "And I've worked right alongside both governors in my 12 years as attorney general. Experience matters. I will not need on the job training and I think that's very important in a state where Nebraskans are...
An external audit of the last fiscal year proved that the city is in good financial shape. Robert Rauner, from Rauner & Associates, the company which performed the audit, spoke to the city council at Tuesday’s meeting. As of Sept. 30, 2013, the end of Sidney’s 2012-2013 fiscal year, the city’s assets outpaced its liabilities by around $57 million. Governmental expenses decreased by around $450,000 from the previous year and revenue increased by $429,000. Expenses for business activities, which include the utilities that the city provides to the...
The final plat for the first phase of The Ranch, Cabela's housing subdivision on the east side of town was approved at Tuesday's city council meeting. This phase will include 92 of the 750 lots which will eventually exist inside the development. This is what the company considers phase 1A, which includes only land which lies outside the flood plain. The company must wait for government approval before continuing with phase 1B, featuring land in the flood plain. This could take six to eight months. The subdivision will be located between Old Pos...
A request from the city to landowners for extra right of way for the first phases of improvements on Greenwood Rd. and Toledo St. has received multiple denials. Although the city did not receive any objections for creation of the street improvement districts for either of the roads, John Hehnke estimates that around 75 percent of landowners on the east side of Greenwood Rd. denied the city’s request for seven extra feet of right of way. Toledo St. and Greenwood Rd. were originally built along county section lines. At that time law mandated t...
As of this month, the city of Sidney will finally receive one year of advanced notification before the state takes refunds out of the city’s local sales taxes. In the past, if companies qualified for sales tax refunds on projects, they would file an application from the state. The city received no information on this. Every month retailers collect sales tax and send it to the department of revenue in Lincoln. Then, each month the department of revenue sends a check for local sales tax to Sidney, sometimes with large refunds subtracted from the...
The Sidney Police Department sorely needs a news headquarters, according to a recent feasibility study. Chief of Police B.J. Wilkinson agreed that the police station’s current location wasn’t ideal for the growing community. “Geographically, it’s probably not gonna be a great place anymore,” Wilkinson said. “It’s not centrally located, it won’t be in the new Sidney.” Sidney Police, in collaboration with Carlson West Povondra Architects (police facility designers), Baker & Associates (local architects and engineers) and Voorhis & Associa...
On Monday the U.S. Senate passed the Victims Protection Act, unanimously. This bill, which was introduced by Sen. Claire McCaskill and sponsored by Nebraskan Sen. Deb Fischer, as well as Sen. Kelly Ayotte, strives to put an end to sexual assault in the military, bolster victims’ rights and make offenders more accountable for their actions. This legislation allows the victims of sexual assault to decide whether they’d rather have their cases tried in military or civilian courts. A bill which would have made more drastic changes to the way tha...
Proposed work which would add-on to the irrigation and improvement projects currently underway at Hillside Golf Course was cause for some debate at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Work on a new reservoir, new building construction, a new irrigation system and pump station started last fall and is slated to begin again this week. The city hopes the work will be completed by the end of May or beginning of June. The price tag for work currently approved on the course is around $1.5 million. City staff, along with those at the golf course, asked t...
John Hehnke, soon-to-be chair person of the Public Alliance for Community Energy-or ACE-presented the city with a refund check from the group at Tuesday's city council meeting. ACE is a community owned natural gas supplier. "I would like to take this moment to return some money back to the community," Hehnke said. ACE returned a total of $100,000 to all its member communities this year. Sidney received almost $7,000 of this money. Past refunds have been used for various community betterment...
Proponents of tax increment financing say the tool has contributed to Sidney’s nearly tripled valuation over the past 20 years. Others are skeptical about its benefits. TIF is designed to finance the public costs associated with private development projects. It uses the expected future increase in property taxes that result from higher valuations after a project is finished to repay public costs associated with the project. Under the current law, TIF can only be used on land with a blighted or substandard designation and can only be utilized if...
Although the city hasn't made any final decisions, an analysis of possible operations costs compared with revenue indicates that building an indoor and outdoor pool won't be possible unless a benefactor steps in with a sizable donation. "The initial feasibility study showed what a challenge it would be to have an indoor/outdoor combination," said city manager Gary Person. "It's just reality." Salaries for full time employees and year-round operating costs would make an indoor pool a very expensive endeavor. "It just becomes extraordinarily...
Sales tax collections from the new half percent tax that Sidney voters approved in July 2013 are coming in at a rate that seems higher than expected. Although the city predicted that yearly revenue over the 10 years that the sales tax will be collected would average $1 million per year, the city thought the tax would bring in a lower amount for first few years. After tracking the first five months of revenue, city manager Gary Person now believes the city will reach the $1 million per year mark sooner than expected. “The thing with sales tax is...
Jarred Neuhalfen told the court he was sorry for his actions before being sentenced on Wednesday to five years of intensive supervised probation for theft by receiving stolen property, a class four felony. “I just want to apologize to the community,” Neuhalfen said. He added that Sidney was a good place to live and he didn’t mean to sully the reputation of outsiders. This was an amended charge, which was dropped in exchange for a plea agreement. The 20-year-old Sidney resident was originally charged with one count of theft by receiving stole...
Michael Livingstone, age 22 of Potter, was sentenced to 5 years intensive supervised probation on Wednesday for attempted distribution of marijuana, a class four felony. He was given credit for 93 days served in jail. Livingstone was originally charged with distribution of marijuana in a school zone, a class two felony. The defendant entered into a plea agreement with the state in exchange for the charge reduction. Deputy Cheyenne County attorney Jonathon Stellar told the court that pursuant to the plea agreement, the state had no qualms with a...
Monica Gehrig, age 30 of Sidney, was sentenced on Wednesday to 48 months of probation for two counts of possession of oxycodone, class four felonies. Gehrig entered into a plea agreement with the state in exchange for a reduction from her original charge of distribution of marijuana in a school zone. She was given credit for 39 days served. The state, represented by deputy Cheyenne County attorney Jonathon Stellar acknowledged that the circumstances surrounding this event occurred two years ago and that Gehrig has maintained employment when...
Jason Cagle, of Sidney, was sentenced to 270 days in Cheyenne County jail on Wednesday for a charge of attempted delivery of marijuana, a class four felony. Cagle was initially charged with delivery of marijuana, a class three felony. He pled guilty to the lesser charge of attempted delivery of marijuana on Jan. 23 in a plea agreement with the state. Cagle’s other pending case of terroristic threats was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Steve Elmshaeuser, representing the defense, reminded the court that Cagle was charged for the p...
Nathan Pohl, 29, was arraigned Wednesday on one count of burglary, a class three felony, one count of escape, a class four felony and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, a class three felony as well. Pohl entered a plea of not guilty. Both class three felonies carry a maximum of a 20 year sentence and up to a $25,000 fine. The escape charge comes with a maximum of five years imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine. Pohl could also be responsible for restitution for items taken in the burglary charge if found guilty. The charges...
I’m sure we’ve all seen a news clip in which a neighbor or casual acquaintance of a rapist or murderer spoke about how nice and normal the person seemed to be. It happens all the time. Of course, a person can’t really tell much about neighbors by pleasantries exchanged while getting the newspaper or taking out the garbage. If you think you can, you’re sorely mistaken. Most anyone who says they act the same way in public as they do in private is lying. But I often wonder how many people are out there who keep their true feelings, impulse...
Last week Cheyenne County District court ordered Pine Bluffs Gravel & Excavation to cease all gravel mining operations at property owned by Raymond and Teresa Kuehn on County Rd. 99 about seven miles west of Sidney. The gravel firm and the county have been at odds for around a year now over the company’s work on agriculturally zoned land where it operates a gravel mine. The case of Cheyenne County vs. Pine Bluffs Gravel & Excavating Inc. was tried on Jan. 16. The court issued its judgment on Feb. 28. In this civil case, Cheyenne County sought t...
Gubernatorial candidate Bryan Slone thinks his experience with tax reform and passion for small town Nebraska make him stand out from the crowd of Republican candidates hoping to succeed current Gov. Dave Heineman. "We need fundamental tax reform," Slone said. "I have the background and experience to make that happen." Slone decided to run because knows that his constituents are most concerned about tax reform. Slone worked in the Reagan administration for two years, laboring to draft Reagan's...
Those who attend the 24th annual Pheasants Forever banquet on March 7 will learn that the organization is about more than hunting. Pheasants Forever is a national grassroots, nonprofit organization devoted to conservation and habitat. Last year's banquet was such a success that those planning the event including the local chapter's president, Brad Lines are prepared for a packed house again this year. "If I were to say one thing to people it would be, hey, we're ready this year, we're ready for...
The city council this week approved changes to drainage plans for the Greenwood Rd. box culvert. Don Dye of M.C. Shaff explained to the council that his company had planned to outlet the storm sewer into Lodgepole Creek just to the east of the box culvert. After further consideration, the company decided to tie the pipe into the box culvert instead. This will allow the company to avoid using energy dissipators in order to prevent erosion. “This will handle that and save money in the long run,” Dye said. “We decided the best time to do this...
At Tuesday's meeting the city council approved engineering services in the amount of almost $200,000 to M.C. Shaff and Associates for state contracted work on 10th Ave. from Illinois St. to Osage St. Werner Construction is planning for a March 31 proposed starting date and plan to start no later than May 12 to ensure that work will be finished by Oktoberfest. This is a federal aid project so 80 percent is funded by the federal government with a 20 percent local match. The total cost of the project including engineering, inspection and...
