Von Seggern Honored, Equipment Purchases Approved at City Council Meeting

SIDNEY--The City of Sidney Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, with several agenda items deliberated, as well as other important business concerning the city. Councilman Brock Buckner was not in attendance at this meeting. After approving the minutes from the previous meeting, Mayor Brad Sherman opened the floor to public comments, and there were none for this meeting.

The first item on the agenda concerned the awarding of the Community Forestry Award to Tom Von Seggern. These awards are presented to individuals and groups demonstrating their commitment to community forests. University of Nebraska Community Forestry Specialist Chrissy Land presented Von Seggern with a plaque and read from the award proclamation to the councilmen and those in attendance.

"Recently retired Parks Director Tom Von Seggern has been awarded a Community Forestry Award for 24 years of service with the City of Sidney Parks Department. During that time, Tom was also active with the tree board, organized an annual tree giveaway, and cared for street and park trees throughout town. Tom also completed a tree inventory of Sidney that will be a powerful management tool for years to come. The Nebraska Community Forestry Council and the Nebraska Forest Service congratulate Tom Von Seggern on his award and thank him for his dedication to resilient community forests for Nebraskans," said Land.

Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce Director Joe McCarn delivered his quarterly report to the council. He said Chamber membership has increased to 242 members over the past few months. He noted new features on the Chamber's website, including expanding job postings and the listing of available commercial properties. He said he's already visited about 60% of chamber member businesses, and also said the recent ribbon cuttings at SRMC and the "Dancing with the Stars" event were very successful. He also said the annual Chamber Banquet was scheduled for January 18, 2025.

City of Sidney Human Resources Director Autumn Ramirez then told the councilmen that the term of Civil Service Commission member Gary Hawkins was expiring and that he would like to be re-appointed for another term. The council approved the re-appointment 4 to 0.

Melissa Norgard of the Cheyenne County E3 organization gave an update on her first quarter as a Grant and technical writer for the E3 organization.

She said since July 29 she had assisted 10 local businesses with business plans and financial statements. She noted that they were able to use an online program called "Live Form" which enables the business owner to enter basic information into the program and then it is converted into a document format. Norgard then assists the business owner in completing the business plan and adding financial information with existing templates. She also noted that she has been in contact with six additional business owners who have shown interest in creating business plans but have not started yet. Norgard also talked about the Heartland Business Builder Grant through the USDA. She noted that the grants range from $5000 to $50,000 in midwestern states. The first round of applications was due October 15 and she said nine applications were submitted. She also said that she had 10 more applications that she was working on and they would be submitted in the next round which opens early next year. The applications for the next round are due in June. She also said that there were other grants available, such as the Grow Nebraska Grants, which are designed to promote tourism. These grants are accessible through the state's Historic Preservation Office and are available to commercial building owners in the Historic District. She also said T-Mobile has a grant for up to $50,000 available for "Placemaking", meaning any space or area designed as a place where people would congregate. Norgard said that she and E3 Navigator Alicia Juelfs are available at WNCC at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center and are always willing to meet with any small business owner looking for help accessing grants or writing business plans. Her position is funded by a USDA Grant, and as part of the funding agreement, she gives regular updates on the efforts of the E3 Group and gives information concerning the availability of grants and business improvement programs.

Brandy Stone, City of Sidney Economic Development Director, addressed the council concerning LB840 money totaling $127,400 over four years to be directed to the Cheyenne County Community Center to fund 15 employees for a Child Care Center. Mayor Sherman and Councilman Radcliffe noted that a lack of childcare facilities in Sidney is a serious issue, and recommended passage. The council approved, 4 to 0.

A second part of the proposal involved remodeling the facility to provide care for up to 80 children. The project involves a 3% interest loan provided by the City of Sidney. The council approved the measure 4 to 0.