City Council Approves Grant Requests and New Pay Grid

MIKE MOTZ

Sidney Sun-Telegraph

SIDNEY--Sidney's City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, and a discussion over the City of Sidney's Pay Grid and grant proposals were the main topics of the session.

Only three of the five council members attended the meeting, with Vice-Mayor Paul Strommen and Councilman Burke Radcliffe absent. After approving the minutes from the last meeting on June 25, and the minutes from the Strategic Planning session on July 2, the council proceeded to the items on the agenda.

First, City Manager David Scott discussed modifying the city's Pay Grid to comply with new minimum wage requirements, both federal and state. Sidney had made these adjustments over the past few years, but they had mainly been on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, there was very little consistency in the pay scale, and a new categorization must be implemented to comply with minimum wage requirements. The City of Sidney had given out raises over the past few years to many workers, but many were not uniform. This modification of the Pay Grid will put all the wages and salaries into conforming "grids" that will comply with all laws and regulations. The good news is that since Sidney has been raising pay rates over the past few years, this action will be more of an accounting and categorization exercise, rather than a large increase in workers' compensations, like in many other municipalities in Nebraska that did not adjust their pay rates over the past few years, and will have to do it all at once. The council approved the Pay Grid plan, 3-0.

Sarah Sinnett and Melissa Norgard of E3 next addressed the council about the status of a Rural Development Grant the group has applied for. They were requesting a letter from the council in support of the grant. They also applied for another grant to hire Melissa Norgard as the technical grant writer. They also talked about looking for another grant to help offset the cost of "gap financing" that several small businesses in the area have been struggling to obtain. David Scott added that many businesses could be helped by these grants but often struggle to get through the grant-writing process. The council approved the support request and moved forward with the grant process 3-0. Sinnett made it clear that none of these grants would be coming from the City of Sidney, and that the city government is used just a "pass-through" to satisfy grant requirements.

City Manager David Scott next gave an update on the progress of a grant request made to Nebraska Game & Parks. He said that concept drawings will be done by Brickyard Consulting, an architecture and civil engineering firm out of Hooper, NE, which has been operating since 2019. Their concept rendition will give a possible view as to what the North Side Park project may look like upon completion, and it will be submitted along with the grant request. Scott said that he also needed a letter in support of the project from the city council to include in the grant application. The council approved the request 3-0.

City Finance Director Kegan Carwin then informed the council that a few fees the city charges, for example at the Golf Course, needed to be raised a small amount to comply with state mandates. The request was approved 3-0. Carwin then continued and gave a budget report, noting that June was a good month for revenues for the city. He said that property tax revenues are up $62,800 over the prior year, Sales and Occupancy taxes were up $13,500 over the previous year and the General Fund is up $158,000 over last year. Fees for Service were down dramatically over last year, by approximately $75,000. Carwin explained this was due to all of the building permits required in 2023 for all the expansion work at the hospital. The council approved the report 3-0.

David Scott then gave the City Manager's Report, saying that the Forrest Street project is on schedule, and work is now being done on water lines and curbs. The Solar project is moving forward, and many solar panels have been delivered and are being staged for installation. Scott then said that he would be traveling with David Palmer and Jay Leef to meet with representatives from MEAN (Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska) to work out an agreement. Scott also noted he was recently informed that the City of Sidney received a $260,000 charge-back from a business in Sidney that received funding through the Nebraska Advantage Act. He did not yet know the details of the issue and said he would be investigating the issue as soon as possible.

City Clerk Lori Borchert spoke and said that 33 vendors were participating at the Saturday morning Farmer's Market at Hickory Square, although not all 33 would be present every Saturday. On July 20, the Farmer's Market will focus on small businesses participating in the event.

Tom Von Seggern then thanked the public for their cooperation in preparing for the upcoming round of chip-sealing and also stated that mosquito spraying will be starting on July 21. He also mentioned that repaving the parking lot next to Memorial Gardens will be starting by the end of July.

Amanda EaStin of the Sidney Public Library said they have had 263 sign-ups for the Summer Reading program. The library staff will have a wrap-up party on July 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Legion Park, and the library will be closed during those hours.