Mayor and wife speak at council
Mayor Mike Wyatt presided over the Grant City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 22. Due to failing health, this is the first meeting Wyatt has attended since water rates were passed on Nov. 28, 2017.
Wyatt opened the meeting by thanking everyone who chose to attend, reminding them that the proceedings were being recorded and the meeting would be conducted in a civil and professional manner.
He said slanderous statements, lies, defamation of character, harassment and the like would not be tolerated, and individuals responsible for such actions would be asked to leave the meeting and dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.
“Anyone, including council members, who choose to make slanderous statements, lie or defame an employee’s character or attack a city employee in any way at any time or at any location, will be violating the law and will be held accountable.
“The city does not deal in rumors and lies. We will not lower ourselves to respond to such, published or otherwise. And those who believe these sort of statements without having any first hand knowledge are just as guilty as those spreading the lies.
“The City of Grant employs qualified and capable people who have the right to perform their job duties free of harassment.
“In addition, any issues relating to the operations of the city should be addressed to city administrative office. I’d like to remind the council members that as with any citizen, general questions should be asked through the city office during working hours.
“Council meeting time is to be used for those items that the council needs to take action on. Council members and employees will not respond to public comments during this meeting. The public comment portion of the meeting are not for these types of issues, nor is it a time to badger the employees. Thank you,” said Wyatt.
The agenda for the meeting and previous meeting’s minutes passed with a 3-1 vote, with Councilman Matt Greenwood voting no.
Following the meeting, Greenwood commented he voted no to the agenda because Wyatt’s speech was not on the agenda. He voted no to minutes because City Superintendent Dana Harris is listed as “City Administrator”, and Greenwood said that is not her title, and the two should not be used interchangeably. He said will continue to vote no on approving the minutes until this is rectified.
Harris said that West Central Nebraska Development District (WCNDD) is moving forward with the abatement as planned on 740 Central Ave. The council went into executive session with CJ Poltack of WCNDD by the request of City Attorney Phil Pierce at the May 8 meeting to discuss the threat of litigation.
City Clerk/Treasurer Jessie Faber was recognized for 10 years of service to the city. See page 7 for more details.
Mayor’s wife offers thanks
Toni Wyatt, the wife of the mayor, spoke during public comment, thanking her husband, the city employees and councilmen.
“First off, thank you to Jessie Faber for your 10 years of outstanding service to the citizens of Grant. Your attention to detail is surpassed by none. You make sure that the records are correct, and you are one of the main reasons that our annual audit is always excellent. Thank you for your hard work and your dedication. We would be lost without you.
“Thank you to Dana Harris, for your five years of service. During your tenure, you’ve helped the city move forward with many, many projects and have helped the city become financially secure. We appreciate you.
“Thank you to all the city employees: Gary, Randy, Bill and all of the seasonal helpers. Your work behind the scenes often goes unnoticed, but believe me, if the little things don’t get done, people will notice and you will hear about it. You are the reason that our city and its utilities run smoothly.
“And I’m not sure who all was involved with the update of the city website, but great job. It is factual, and it is very informative, and if you haven’t read it, you really should. It is a great resource for people that want to know how the city actually operates and how things get done.
“Finally, thank you to my husband, Mike. Your leadership has helped keep the waters calm for over 10 years, and you’ve helped provide the city with common-sense leadership. You are one of the hardest working, you’re honest to a fault, and you’re fair to everyone that I know. Even when received hate mail, through the years, you remain calm and always try to be fair to both sides. You worked to do what was right for our community, and after all, that is what all of us are doing here. That’s the reason we are here, trying to do what is right and what is best for our community, both for today and for the future. It is not an easy job, and you must have tough skin to tolerate the heat of the fires.
“And I appreciate you councilmen. Thank you very much for your service. Without you, the city wouldn’t operate, and you represent the people. You’ve altered your community, your country and your family as well. Thank you very much. We appreciate you.”
Armor coat bids
Two bids were received for the armor coating of streets. B&H Paving Inc., of Scott City, Kansas bid $46,483 for 47,000 units of armor coat at $0.989 per unit. Figgins Construction of Red Cloud bid $50,290 at $1.070 per unit.
City Engineer Tom Werblow of TC Engineering in North Platte recommended awarding the bid to B&H.
He said with oil costs rising, additional streets could be added to the project if it was within budget since the unit price was favorable.
After discussion on purchasing additional units, Greenwood made the motion to accept the bid from B&H for $46,483, suggesting they not spend more than the original bid description of 47,000 units.
After more discussion, Councilman Bob Bounds made a motion to accept B&H’s bid of $0.989 per unit and ask them to extend it up to $68,000, with Councilman Darrell Pierce seconding.
Confusion then followed as to what motion was on the table, as no action had ever been taken on Greenwood’s motion.
It was determined that Greenwood’s motion died due to lack of a second, and Bounds motion passed with a 3-1 vote, Greenwood voting no.
Trouble hearing
During public comment, Ken Hightower said he hadn’t attended a meeting for several years, and part of the reason was due to his hearing. He said he struggled hearing throughout the meeting, mentioning the confusion of the motions due to lack of everyone in the room being able to hear.
Edward Dunn and Lisa Schmitt agreed this is an ongoing problem.
Wyatt said they would work on getting a PA system operating.