4 of 6 Grant City Council candidates to advance
QUESTIONS
1. What qualifications do you have that would effectively serve and benefit the City of Grant if you are elected to this position?
2. What sets you apart from your opponents?
3. What is your main concern about the city and how would you address that issue if elected?
4. Where do you see the City of Grant in 10 years?
5. Do you support the pool and bathhouse project? If so, how do you foresee it being financed?
* Candidates appear in the order they filed and appear on the ballot.
Andrea Brueggeman
1. I am currently serving on the Grant City Council, having started my most recent term in 2014. I previously served on the Grant City Council from 2002-2006. After my term ended in 2006, I was also appointed by the mayor of Grant to fill a six-month vacancy for a council member who moved away from Grant.
I have worked in the banking industry for 23 years where I am still currently employed. I also serve on many different boards where I work on preparing budgets and then staying within those budgets. I am also actively involved with numerous boards and organizations within our community to include those boards which I am assigned to as a city council member liason.
2. My current and past service as a council member. I have also served as the president of chamber of commerce as well as a board member. I have run the Perkins County soccer program in Perkins County for the last 15 years.
I am actively involved in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts programs. I currently serve as a board member and treasurer of the Southwest Nebraska Community Betterment Corporation. I am also an actively participating member of the Perkins County Pool Project committee.
3. Housing - I will work with the Community Redevelopment Authority Board to bring new housing opportunities to our town by acquiring vacated properties that need torn down, working to build affordable homes on those empty lots after clearing, and with time work to develop the land purchased east of town for future housing development to accommodate all income levels.
4. In 10 years I would like to see the city having adequate housing for all income levels. I would like to see economic development working with new and existing businesses, and to see our main street revitalized.
I would also like to continue to see the City of Grant maintain and improve upon our existing infrastructure, such as electrical, water, streets, sewer, garbage. I also believe it is important to maintain a strong park and recreation program for our youth while maintaining the excellent condition of our city park.
5. Yes, I do support the pool and bathhouse project. I believe we need to look toward the future of Grant with plans to repair the aging recreation equipment and facilities to include building a new swimming pool to replace our existing pool which is over a half century old.
I foresee the pool and bathhouse project being financed through one-half of the city sales tax that has been going towards the project since 2012; this allocation was previously voted on and approved by the citizens of Grant.
Once the city contracts with a company for the pool, we would have a better perspective on what the total cost will be. The city can borrow against its own cash reserves or get a loan in the amount needed to fund the pool and bathhouse project. In either case you would use the yearly sales tax dollars to pay back the loan. This would add no extra taxes or cost to the citizens of Grant other than what is already in place.
Once a contract is in place there will also be opportunities to apply for grant funds that can be used to help pay for the cost of the pool and bathhouse. Any grant funds received will help offset the cost of the pool and bathhouse and will allow the city to pay back any loans prior to the payoff date.
Darrell Pierce
1. I will have served two terms on the Grant City Council, so I have that experience of how local government is supposed to work for the residents of the community. I have served as council president for four years.
In the past seven years I have missed one meeting. The different jobs that I have had in the past 55 years were working with the public and helping them have a better life. I have been an active member of my church and served on various boards, Optimist Club board member, Thrivent Financial board member, Orphan Grain Train volunteer and helped coach little league baseball when my boys were young.
2. I spent 38 years working in banking and finance, that has helped me appreciate the value of a dollar. I realize there are a lot of hard working people that struggle from paycheck to paycheck to pay their bills and we have a large number of retired people on a fixed income.
I own my home and don’t enjoy paying taxes anymore than the rest of the Grant home owners.
3. A short time after I moved to Grant in 2001 there was a public meeting and the big item was the lack of housing. This is still true in 2018, but we have finally purchased some land on the east edge of Grant.
We have a CRA committee set up to look at ways to finance infrastructure and hopefully in the near future we can begin selling lots and people can build some new homes. The city will have to put some money into the project because a large investor won’t buy a tract of land and start building spec homes like they do in large cities.
4. This is an important election because whoever we elect as mayor will have more effect on the city in the future than the members of city council. I think Adam Uehling and Mike Wyatt have done a good job leading the city the past 12 years.
The finances of Grant are in a lot better condition today than they were 12 years ago when I first served on the city council. If the new mayor takes us down a different path we may have higher taxes and utility bills or be bankrupt.
Building new homes will be important so people who work in Grant can find housing and not drive from Ogallala or other nearby towns.
5. I do not have a problem with the pool project and have attended some of the fundraisers to help the pool committee. The residents of Grant have put money toward the pool as follows: 2013- $88,339; 2014- $94,462; 2015 -$98,738; 2016- $92,021; and 2017- $87,608.
They will continue giving one half of the 1 percent city sales tax for the next 15 years. This amount will vary from year to year depending on the agriculture economy. Any money above this should come from donations and grants.
Anyone listening to the news today hears about how high real estate taxes are in Nebraska and I don’t think people will vote for a tax increase to build a swimming pool. The bath house is in bad condition and needs to be replaced in the very near future.
Chase Sauder
1. My career in agriculture and the roles that I have had will help me find the best solutions to serve the citizens of Grant. With my career I am constantly helping customers find solutions to problems and ultimately be the most successful. The best way to find solutions to any problem is to listen, gather as many facts as you can before you decide on a solution and that is what I plan on doing.
I hear that citizens are worried about housing. I’ve built a structure inside city limits and am currently building a house in Grant. The city should not be a hurdle in this process and I would hope to change that and partner with citizens who are willing to make a lifelong investment in the community by building a new home.
2. Each candidate has raised their hand and said that they are willing to serve on city council. Not sure if each of us is crazy or each of us just wants to make the town a better place?
I would prefer not to compare myself to the other candidates so I will talk about my own qualifications. Each year I manage several different budgets at my job, home and on our farm. Budgets are pretty simple, you have this much money coming in and this much money going out. Do they balance? If they don’t, you have to find a way to cut something out so that they do.
If the citizens want a new pool and there is enough support behind it, the city administrator, the mayor and the council need to find a way to add it to the budget and make a plan to pay for it in a reasonable amount of time.
3. My main concern about the city is what will it look like when my children are looking for a place to call home later in life. Will it be a community that they are proud to call home? Will it be a place that they want to raise their family? Will there be opportunities for them to have professional careers here?
These are all questions that we need to be thinking about now. A city is just like the home that you live in. Without proper maintenance, care and continual investment, it will eventually wear out and lose value. I don’t think that is what anyone wants for our community so we need to find ways to continually invest in our community and partner with local businesses to make sure our children are happy to call Grant home, maybe move back here someday and raise their families.
4. My hope is that it is like it was 14 years ago when I moved here. It was a growing community with several young people moving back here to start their families. We had two restaurants on main street and I couldn’t find a house to live in.
My hope for 10 years from now is to have a community that has partnered with the businesses on main street, a vibrant economy that will help support the infrastructure and services that it will take to make this an attractive community for families to want to move to and call home.
5. I support the rebuilding of the bathhouse and the pool. When I attended the pool fundraiser banquet a year ago, I saw a community of people that were behind a vision to make our city a better place and a more attractive place for people to call home. I fully understand that it is a big investment for only a couple months of use each year, but it is one of those things that you really need to have to attract young families to a community and to keep them here.
We as citizens of Grant, passed a city sales tax several years ago to fund the rebuilding of the bathhouse/pool. From what I understand, we need to get it added to the city budget to get plans drawn up, and decide how much we are willing to spend on this. The Perkins County Pool Project committee is very active in raising funds and I know that they would like to start submitting for grants to help pay for this.
Will the city have to help out in some way? Absolutely we will. After all, the city budget is the citizens’ tax dollars that the city administrator, mayor and council are responsible for. If the community wants to spend their tax dollars on a new pool, the city government should support it and work together to make it happen.
Edward Dunn
1. My qualifications for this position are loyalty, honor, duty, and selflessness. I believe that the two greatest thing any citizen can do are service to your country and service to your community. I have always tried to put the needs of others first as long as it doesn’t interrupt with family.
2. What sets me apart is my drive and determination. I also enjoy problem solving and volunteering. My military background will give me the edge I need to come to a fast yet effective result when poised with any and all problems.
3. My main concern is lack of growth and lack of cohesion within the city government. I would like to work closely with the economic development committee and figure out a way to build the necessary housing for new families to move to our great town.
We have a state-of-the-art hospital, clinic, nursing home and world-class doctors and I think that is an opportunity for growth.
As far as the city government goes we need to take a look back at the golden rule (treat others as you would like to be treated.) There is no reason why anyone going to city hall should not come out of that building with an answer and a smile.
4. I see the City of Grant prospering and growing with a lively downtown and events that people come from all over to attend. Whether it’s at the museum, library, art gallery or for our great fair. I would like to see Grant become a place where our kids want to come back to live to start and raise a family.
5. I support the new pool and bathhouse. Anytime we can upgrade our activities for the kids we increase the chances that they will want to return to Grant. Also, it would be a selling point for new families looking to move to Grant. We need to invest in the future of Grant!!
I am unsure of how we can finance the remainder of the project but there is time to look at that with the pool committee to see if there are grants we can apply for or any other funding from the state or federally.
If anyone has any further questions or comments please call me at 308-414-1070 or email me at dunnedward25@gmail.com.
Kirk York
1. I believe my best qualification for serving on the city council is my past experience from serving on the council previously. I understand how the city government process works and functions. I also believe the council is the voice for the citizens of Grant and us as council members need to listen and take into account those feelings and concerns of our citizens.
2. What sets me apart from the others is my ability to be open minded! I’m not running for city council with a one or two item agenda. It takes many facets and ideas to run a city government, one must look at the whole picture and how those decisions will affect the city’s immediate and future needs of the city and its residence.
3. The main concern I have for the city right now is finding a way to improve and pay for the deteriorating infrastructure. I have noticed our streets have progressively gotten worse and the sewer has always had some issues. If we allow these problems to get worse the city will have a real problem and the cost trying to restore them will be greater.
The council needs to concentrate more on these areas to stay on top of them while trying to find a cost effective way to fund them with and stay within its budget.
4. In 10 years I would like to see Grant progress into a community where young people and families like to live here and raise their families. We see so many leaving town and not coming back, I would like to reverse this trend.
We as a community need to find ways to invite new business to come to town and help our existing business stay viable and competitive with the surrounding areas.
5. I’m a little bit undecided on the pool project right now. I hear things being said by others in town and candidates stating their opinions about the pool. When I was on the city council last time we had discussed and voted upon certain aspects of the pool projects.
Back then I supported rebuilding the bath house and bringing the facility in ADA compliance. My understanding from the study we had done that the tub was in good shape for a long time and the bath house needed redone.
My concern is now why are the people being told the pool was outdated a long time ago and we need to rebuild the whole thing for over 3 million dollars. Not what I voted for last time!!!!
Do I support the pool project? YES to the new bath house and updates. But NO to everything new and the large price tag that comes with it! The city of Grant has more important issues and repairs that need to be addressed and funded before a new 3 million dollar pool project.
Noel Bullock
1. Bachelor of Science degree in business, Army National Guard Supply Sergeant, manager and owner of General Motors dealership for over 50 years, treasurer of Grant Evangelical Free Church for more than 30 years, Westview board member for six years, property owner and taxpayer in the city.
2. Experience.
3. Improving public relations by having open and respectful communication. I am blessed to live in Grant and if elected I would do my best to serve the city.
4. Promoting new businesses and job opportunities, improving and supporting current businesses, pursuing affordable housing.
5. Yes. Pursue all available grants, using city sales tax, continue fundraisers.