Joe Whitt was sworn in as the newest member of the Wayne City Council during Monday's regular meeting of the council.
Whitt was appointed to serve as a representative to Ward 1 following the resignation of Clayton Bratcher at the council's last meeting. He will serve the remainder of Bratcher's term, which expires in 2026.
It was noted that Whitt grew up in Wayne and came back to the community recently, which was deemed a benefit to the city.
Council members approved the application of Joshua Doring, a Wayne High School senior, to the Wayne Volunteer Fire Department. Doring has served as a cadet on the department for two years and told the council he "wants to be able to serve in more areas on the department."
A request to close a one block section of Pearl Street for an upcoming Small Business Saturday Holiday Market was approved.
The event will be held Saturday, Nov. 29 and Pearl Street will be closed from the north end of the Second and Pearl Street intersection to the south end of the Third and Pearl Street intersection. This will allow east/west traffic through both Second and Third Streets.
The street will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.
Approval was given and terms set for an LB840 Revolving Loan Fund request.
Cara Taylor, owner of CG Taylor, LLC requested a loan in the amount of $74,250 for assistance with the purchase and renovation of a building at 318 Main Street.
She told the council she will use this building as a hair salon and owning a building would allow for more permanent roots in the community.
Council members discussed suggestions from the architectural committee in regard to having some type of fencing/barrier between the business and the house on the corner of the block that is part of the property.
The loan request was approved at a 2% fixed interest rate for 10 years.
Council members spent time discussing ordinances dealing with all terrain (ATV) and utility (UTV) vehicles and golf cars.
City Attorney Amy Miller drafted ordinances for these types of vehicles and noted that the definitions for ATVs and UTVs would be put together in an ordinance already in place. She talked about the changes she had made to the ordinance since the council discussed it several weeks ago. These include the hours of operation and the regulations for crossing a highway where there are no stop lights.
The ordinance received first reading approval and will be brought back to the next council meeting.
The ordinance dealing with golf cars was also discussed.
Miller again shared information on what is required under state statue and said "the city can be more strict, but can't be more lenient."
She talked about when these vehicles would be allowed to be driven on the sidewalks to get to a spot to cross the highway and noted that an ordinance "can't account for every single scenario."
Council member Matt Eischeid said he felt the ordinance was "very well written and gives the freedom of movement through the city."
He went on to say he did not feel golf cars should be driven to school for the safety to the students and the public. He advocated for the ordinance to state drivers must be 18 years of age to drive golf cars in the city.
Mayor Jill Brodersen urged council members to seek input from citizens in the city in regard to what age they felt was appropriate to be included in the ordinance.
Following first reading approval, the ordinance will be brought back at the next meeting.
Council members approved a resolution and corresponding ordinance for the sale of real estate to Ivan C. Heise and Kris M. Loberg for $4,000. The real estate in question abuts their property and they have been maintaining it for some time.
Joel Hansen was appointed Street Superintendent for the city of Wayne for the calendar year 2026 for the purpose of obtaining the 2026 Highway Incentive payment.
Resolution 2025-67 appoints JEO Consulting as the special engineer to be used on various projects for the city of Wayne in 2026. This action means the city does not have to procure an engineer for specific grants for projects in the city.
A resolution was also approved regarding the appointment and retainer agreement with Amy K. Miller as the city attorney for 2026 with a 2% pay increase.
Annual appointments included the following:
Betty McGuire, City Clerk; Beth Porter, Finance Director; Joel Hansen, Street and Planning Director; Marlen Chief, Police Chief; Lowell Heggemeyer, Parks and Recreation Director; Diane Bertrand, Senior Citizens Coordinator; Heather Headley, Library Director; Jeff Triggs, Electric Production Superintendent; Clayton Dredge, Electric Distribution Superintendent; Casey Junck, Water/Wastewater Superintendent and Luke Virgil, Economic Development Director.
The Wayne City Council will next meet in regular session on Monday, Dec. 1 at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers.
