Buffalo County Courthouse (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The Buffalo County Commissioners moved to table proposed zoning and subdivision regulations due to concerns with five sections during their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
A public hearing was held to discuss the proposed regulations which would be part of the county’s comprehensive plan.
Commissioner Dan Lynch spoke during the hearing and thanked the planning commission for their work in putting together the zoning and subdivision regulations but there were a few concerns regarding agricultural setbacks and classifications – mainly regarding livestock.
Lynch said there were five specific sections they wished to amend or refine before they approved the regulations.
There were questions from the community regarding specifics about subdivision acre sized and specifics about paved roads.
In the end, the commissioners decided to table a decision on the proposed regulations until they could get further information. A new public hearing was set for Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Also concerning the planning commission, the commissioners accepted the resignation of planning and zoning commission member Francis Biehl and appointed Jeremy Sedlacek to a three year term.
During the regular agenda section, the commissioners discussed sending a letter to the Nebraska Department of Transportation regarding various concerns about a speed limit and engine braking.
Last month, the commissioners had received correspondence from residents regarding two issues, one being the speed limit from Kearney to Keystone Road, with residents asking for it to be lowered.
The other was residents near Glenwood Corner asking for engine breaking signs to be installed near the neighborhood.
Chairman Ivan Klein said they would send a letter to the NDOT with the resident’s concerns included. Klein said the letter was purely informational and would not include the commissioners’ views, as the concerns regard state property.
During the vote, Commissioner Bill Maendele was the sole dissenting vote against the motion.
After the meeting, Maendele said that he voted no because he felt lowering the speed limit from Kearney to Keystone Road could create bottlenecks and lead to an increase in traffic accidents in the area.
During the facilities update, Steve Gaasch, Facilities Director, said that the Western Inn-Midtown will be demolished after Thanksgiving, once an asbestos abatement process is completed.
Another item discussed during the zoning portion of the meet regarded a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant for flood mitigation assistance.
Dennise Daniels, Zoning Administrator, appeared and spoke about the grant, saying that it is for flood resilience or flood proofing of “repetitive loss properties,” one which was identified in the county.
She said the grant includes a 75 percent federal cost share. The commissioners approved Daniels applying for the grant.
During the meeting, Savannah Lyon, Executive Director of the United Way of the Kearney Area, appeared to provide an update for the commissioners.
During her remarks, Lyon noted that they currently do not have any representation from the City of Kearney or Buffalo County on the board and were interested in having their viewpoint represented.
Lynch expressed interest in sitting on the board.
During the road department section of the meeting, bids were opened that had been received for two different projects in the county.
The first was an asphalt overlay project for Gibbon Road from Highway 30 north 100th Road and 85th Road form Gibbon Road west 6,200 feet west to the edge of Gibbon Cemetery and on Keystone Road from Highway 30 going south to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.
The second was two bridge projects, one south east of Kearney on Sweetwater Ave. south of 11th St. and the other on Sodtown Road south of Elm Island Road.
There were three bids received for the asphalt project and five for the bridge projects. The commissioners would take the bids under advisement and set their approval date for Nov. 26.
