05/19/2015 Minutes CITY OF GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA
MINUTES OF CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
May 19, 2015
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a Study Session of the City Council of the City of Grand
Island, Nebraska was conducted in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 100 East First Street, on
May 19, 2015. Notice of the meeting was given in the Grand Island Independent on May 13,
2015.
Mayor Jeremy L. Jensen called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The following Councilmembers
were present: Mitch Nickerson, Mark Stelk, Jeremy Jones, Chuck Haase, Julie Hehnke, Linna
Dee Donaldson, Michelle Fitzke, Vaughn Minton, Roger Steele, and Mike Paulick. The
following City Officials were present: City Administrator Marlan Ferguson, Assistant to the City
Administrator Nicki Stoltenberg, Interim Finance Director William Clingman, City Attorney
Robert Sivick, and Public Works Director John Collins.
INVOCATION was given by Community Youth Council member Huraiya Adhora followed by
the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
Presentation on Tax Increment Financing (TIF): Chad Nabity, Regional Planning Director,
introduced Mr. Michael Bacon. Mr. Bacon is an attorney with Bacon & Vinton Law Offices of
Gothenburg, Nebraska and has been advising the Grand Island Community Redevelopment
Authority on Tax Increment Financing projects since 2008.
The presentation answered questions such as What is it?; How does it work?; Why do we need
it?; How have we used it?; and What is the impact of using it?
There were many points highlighted in the presentation. A few of those included:
• the definition of`Blighted and Substandard";
• the process of which an area of the city is declared `blighted and substandard';
• the Redevelopment Authority and its purpose;
• the"But for Test";
• a Cost Benefit Analysis and its purpose;
• an explanation regarding the TIF Bond;
• TIF limitations and Enhanced Employment Area.
Mr. Nabity also provided Council with some examples of recent TIF projects and their economic
impact on the neighborhood.
Mr. Bacon stated that based on the 2014 report filed with the State of Nebraska Property Tax
Administrator, the CRA has entered into redevelopment contracts that have increased valuation
in Grand Island by$20,240,938.
Page 2,City Council Study Session,April 21,2015
Presentation on Proposed Wind Energy Project: Tim Luchsinger, Utilities Director, provided a
presentation on the project.
A few of the highlights included:
• a summary of the Clean Air Act;
• the Clean Power Plan;
• the NPPD Power Purchase Agreements;
• a graphical scenario of our current generation source ratio;
• the Prairie Breeze projects;
• and the details of the proposed Power Purchase Agreement.
Mr. Luchsinger mentioned that this information will be presented during a hearing of the
Nebraska Power Review Board on May 22, 2015.
Mayor Jensen took time to recognize the CYC students that were with us earlier this evening.
Huraiya Adhora is a junior at Grand Island Senior High. She will be Vice President of her senior
class and plans to study at UNL with the hopes of becoming a pediatric surgeon. She is currently
an athletic trainer at GISH. Maricela Paramo is a sophomore at Grand Island Senior High, is a
member student council, the forensics team and a member of the multicultural club.
ADJOURNMENT: The eeting was adjourned at 8:53 p.m.
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Nicki Stoltenberg
Assistant to the City Administrator