Mill levy decline offset by rise in property valuations

When members of the Superior City Council met Monday evening the budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 was set as were the rates that will be charged for city utility services.

Some adjustment in utility rates were approved but the raises were less than has sometimes been the case.

There will be no changed in the rates charged for electricity. The current Superior rate is among the lowest 10 in the State of Nebraska and it is expected to remain one of the lowest. In July the average residential electric use of 1,148 KWH. It falls to 934 KWH in January.

Residential water rates will be going up. The summer rate will increase approximately 1.75 percent, The winter rate will increase approximately 1.35 percent, The commercial rate will raise 3.96 percent for the summer and 3.84 percent for the winter months. The average winter residential water use is 7,000 gallons per month. The average commercial winter water use is 12,000 gallons.

For waste water, the residential rate is expected to increase 1.57 percent and the commercial rate 3.08 percent. The average residential customer discharged into the sewer system about 7,000

A 25 percent increase in the natural gas transportation costs by the operator of the line serving Superior is being blamed for a raise in the retail price of natural gas. For residential customers the winter rate is expected to increase about 0.62 percent. The winter rate will increase about 1.14 percent.

The average residential customer uses 103 CCF of gas per month in the winter and 23 CCF of gas per month in summer.

Monday evening members of the council approved the budget for the fiscal year which begins Oct. 1. It is projected the levy will decrease from the current .405515 to .371521, however, thanks to a valuation increase the levy in going down though spending is projected to go up.

The valuation of property within the city has increased 14 percent. The current valuation of $82,689,928 has increased to $94,062,077.

The amount of money to be contributed to the budget from local taxes is $349, 460 which is up about 4 percent over the $335,320 request in the current fiscal year.

The projected budget expenditure is going up from about $15 million to $18 million.

The budget includes two major expenditures that may come to be. Those items are a new water treatment plant and a new fire station. Grant funds are being sought to help fund both of those projects.

Monday evening the five members of the council present for the meeting voted unanimously to elevate Wilbur Young, the current acting police chief, to the chief’s position with an annual salary of $65,915.20 per year.

Four people applied for the job and three were interviewed.

Four people have also applied to fill other vacancies within the police department and positions have been offered to two of the four. One of the four has accepted and his hiring was confirmed by the council after waiving a nepotism rule. The city is waiting to hear from the other candidate.

A nephew of the new police chief, Trevor Young, was hired. Currently living in Hebron, he has been an over-the-road truck driver for nine years. As this is his first law enforcement job, he will have to attend the Nebraska Law Enforcement Academy. His beginning salary with be $21.05 per hour.

Andrew Brittenham reported a portion of East Fourth Street from Bloom Street to the Casey’s north entrance was opened last Wednesday. Work on the Fourth and Dakota intersection has been at a standstill because the contractor is waiting on the delivery of the pipe needed to complete the storm sewer.

A request will be submitted for an extension of the completion time on the sidewalk project along the west side of Idaho Street. That work was to have started earlier this month but it has been delayed because of a delay in a Nebraska Department of Roads highway improvement project. Two projects can not be underway in the same area at the same time and the highway project takes precedence.

Patching of Highway 14 within the city is winding down and the work is shifting to that portion of the highway from the city limits north to the south junction of U.S. Highway 136.

Milling and resurfacing will probably not start until the patching is completed.

Motorists traveling within Superior will soon have to deal with two one-way streets. The council approved converting one block of Eleventh Street between Idaho and Washington the one-way going east and one block of Washington Street from Eleventh to Twelfth to one-way going north. Also speed bumps will be installed on Eleventh Street.

The changes were thought to be necessary because of traffic flow along the north side of the Brodstone Healthcare clinic and hospital.

With the relocation of the hospital’s emergency room entrance, ambulances will turn off Idaho Street onto Tenth, proceed east to the former Washington Street and turn north to enter the enclosed emergency unloading area. The ambulances will then exit onto Washington Street and turn west on Twelfth to return to highway.

Visitors to the hospital and medical center will turn off Highway 14 (Idaho Street) onto Eleventh and proceed east. They will exit the parking lot via Washington Street.

Regulations governing curb cuts were changed Monday night with the goal of making the process easier for Superior property owners.

Previously any curb or sidewalk change had to be approved by the utility superintendent, the municipal engineer and the city council. The change adopted Monday gives the utility superintendent the authority to approve the request. If the superintendent denies the request, that decision may be appealed to the city council.

Five bids ranging from $5,000 to $15,275 were submitted for the cleaning the former Flatwater Bar and Grill property and prepare if for potential sale. The low bid of $5,000 from Debbie Klein Cleaning was accepted.