12/11/2001 Minutes (2)
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OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS
CITY OF GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA
MINUTES OF CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
December 11, 2001
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
December 11, 2001. Notice of the meeting was given in the Grand Island Independent on
December 5, 2001.
Mayor Ken Gnadt called the meeting to order at 7:20 p.m. The following members were present:
Councilmembers Ward, Seifert, Larson, Hornady, Whitesides, Haase, Murray, Walker and
Sorensen. Councilmember Pielstick was absent. The following City Officials were present: City
Administrator MarIan Ferguson, City Clerk RaNae Edwards, City Attorney Charlie Cuypers and
Finance Director David Springer.
Year End Update by the Finance Department. David Springer, Finance Director, updated the
Council on the City's fiscal year, completed September 30, 2001. In light of the upcoming
Council Retreat, decisions for funding operations and projects will need to be decided on.
Reviewed were the operating summary, revenue summary, expenditure summary, year-end fund
cash balances, and general fund appropriations report.
Councilmember Seifert asked Mr. Springer to explain the reason for the reserves. Mr. Springer
explained that the reserves are used in emergency situations such as tornadoes, economic
disasters, etc. He also explained that this year we are further ahead than in other years. Mr.
Ferguson, City Administrator, stated that Grand Island is the envy of other cities in Nebraska.
Discussion Concerning Commercial V ehicles Parkin~ in Residential Districts. Charlie Cuypers,
City Attorney, reported that this issue had been looked at two years ago with a truck parking
ordinance amended on March 23, 1998. Currently City Code prohibits trucks which have a listed
gross vehicle weight (GVW) of six tons or more parking in residential areas.
Councilmember Walker stated that he received a complaint of a truck parked in a residential
district and was concerned about the height of the trucks and the visibility factors in residential
areas. Mr. Cuypers requested direction from the Council on this issue. Lewis Kent, 624 East
Meves, requested that he would like to see trucks of 112 ton or larger banned from parking in
residential districts.
Councilmember Larson stated he did not have concerns of having some kind of measurement,
but was concerned about those people who did not have a place to park their vehicle and how to
handle that. Discussed was the number of vehicles throughout the city where this was a problem.
Mr. Cuypers stated that he would look into this matter and how other cities are handling these
problems and bring his findings back to the Council.
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Page 2, City Council Study Session, November 13,2001
Review of Building Codes. Craig Lewis, Building Department Director, reviewed the building
code regulations. Mr. Lewis explained building code regulations were written by three different
national organizations. Codes work on occupancy, type of construction, performance code,
prescriptive code, etc. Mr. Lewis stated Council has total control of amending codes and making
changes, but suggested following the national guidelines as in depth studies have been done.
Zoning regulations were discussed with emphasis on building set backs and detached garages.
Councilmember Larson asked if the building department had looked at other cities to see what
they are doing with their building codes. Mr. Lewis stated their department has contact with
other cities daily. Discussed were the purposes of regulations and how important they are for the
City. The Zoning Board of Adjustment was mentioned.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
'Q)~. (L.u~.rJ1-
RaN ae Edwards
City Clerk