A public hearing and an update on the city of Wayne's financial health were among the items on the agenda when the Wayne City Council met in regular session on Tuesday.
During the public hearing, council members listened to the proposed plan for the one and six street improvements for the city.
City Planner Joel Hansen presented information on the three projects listed on the one year plan. These include the work on Seventh Street from Haas Avenue to Pheasant Run; work on the extension of Thomas Drive and Vintage Hill Drive and work in the Sawyer Addition south of Fairgrounds Avenue.
Hansen talked about projects included in the plan that could possibly take place in 2028, including the widening of Centennial Road. The city would likely try to obtain federal grants for the projects and work with the county in regard to funding.
Following the public hearing, Resolution 2025-7 was approved. It will be submitted to the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) to be eligible for approximately $645,000 in NDOT Highway Allocation funds for Wayne.
Also on Tuesday's agenda was a presentation on the fiscal year 2023-2024 audit.
Marcy Luth of AMGL spoke to the council via Zoom and shared with the council a brief summary of what was included in the 105 page report.
She said several of the benchmarks in the audit compared the city of Wayne with other cities and also showed trends in city spending and revenue over the last several years.
"While the city's debt has increased over the past year, Wayne is in the 'Good' category," Luth told the council. There has been consistency in city expenses in recent years.
She talked about areas within the audit she would like to see changed, including having more money in the city's reserves.
Resolution 2025-8 was also approved. It will authorize city staff to request and apply to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development for an extension of the completion date to April 18, 2026.
Ordinance 2025-2 received first reading approval and the three readings waived. It will amend the city code in regard to restricted parking from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on certain streets.
The change will involve Douglas Street from Third Street to Fourth Street and parking will now be restricted from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The council also approved Ordinance 2025-3 and waived the three readings. It will amend the city code in regard to parking on Sherman Street between Third and Fourth Street. Parking will now be restricted from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. in this block.
Both of these changes came about after a request from the Wayne Community Schools to restrict parking on the paved terrace area on the north side of Wayne Elementary School.
In other action, the council approved a pay application #15 to Otte Construction Company, LLC for $218,267 for work on the Wayne City Hall & Police Relocation Project and pay application #5 in the amount of $54,333 to Otte Construction Company LLC for the Wayne Parks and Rec Maintenance Building Project.
Keith Moje with Otte Construction was present at the meeting to give an update on both projects.
He told the council that "we have come a long way in the last month on the City Hall project. We are still waiting on some cabinets and still hopeful for a March 1 occupancy."
When questioned about the delays, Otte said there was considerable time spent determining a paint color and he was "frustrated with the situation."
In regard to the maintenance building, he said he was pleased with the work done in the last two weeks, noting that the roof is on and work is being done on the electrical portion of the project.
Council members approved a resolution which will allow city staff to request an extension for completion of the work on West Seventh Street in regard to Community Development Block Grant No. 22-PW-008 for Public Works. Due to a number of delays, the city is requesting an extension until April 18, 2026.
Mayoral appointments included Austyn Houser to the Audit Committee; Brittany Webber as a council representative to the Wayne America Board.
The final item on the agenda was an executive session with Dave Peterson with JEO Consulting in regard to proposals submitted for Southwest Power Pool Market participation duties.
The Wayne City Council will next meet in regular session on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers.
