09/08/2025 Minutes CITY OF GRAND ISLAND,NEBRASKA
MINUTES OF CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
September 8, 2025
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a Special Meeting 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 September 3, 2024. Notice of the meeting was given in The Grand Island Independent
on August 28, 2024.
Mayor Roger G. Steele called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The following City
Councilmembers were present: Jack Sheard, Mark Stelk, Jason Conley, Mitch Nickerson, Doug
Brown, Chuck Haase, Ryan O'Neill, Mike Paulick and Doug Lanfear. Maggie Mendoza was
absent. The following City Officials were present: City Administrator Laura McAloon, City
Clerk Jill Granere, City Attorney Kari Fisk, Assistant City Administrator/CFO Patrick Brown
and Public Works Director Keith Kurz.
The PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was said.
PUBLIC HEARINGS:
Public Hearing on FY 2025-2026 Annual Single City Budget and the Annual Appropriations
Bill. Assistant City Administrator/CFO Patrick Brown reported that the following was a
comparison of the fiscal year 2026 proposed budget to the FY2025 adopted budget:
• The FY2026 proposed budget disbursements and transfers was 8.3% or $25,977,290
higher than the FY2025 adopted budget. The difference was mainly due to using General
Fund excess cash reserves and bond proceeds for several parks' projects, Good Life
District disbursements, and a Grants placeholder (in order to have appropriation
authority).
• All Funds Revenue projections for FY2026 increased 1.2% or $3,474,824 over FY2025
budget.
• 2025 Valuations for the City of Grand Island increased over the 2024 valuation by
$378,866,891 or 8.1%. If the City applied the FY2025 mill levy of 0.2781 to the new
valuation of$5,055,209,483, the City's Property Tax revenue would be$14,060,290, a tax
increase of $1,053,760 over the prior year. The City and Community Redevelopment
Authority tax ask for FY2026 is $13,006,530.
• The City was requesting the same property tax ask that was in FY2024-2025. Property
Tax Ask of$12,207,540 to the new valuation decreased the mill levy to 0.241484. CRA
property tax ask was $798,990 which was the same tax ask in the prior year. The CRA
mill levy would decrease from 0.017086 to 0.015805.
• Total Sales Tax revenue was forecasted at $29,720,296 for FY2026. It was a 2.0% or
$582,751 increase over FY2025 budget. The increase was in line with the recent trend in
sales tax for Grand Island but slightly lower than forecasted inflationary data.
• All other revenue sources in the General Fund account for $35,419,984. A decrease over
FY2025 budget of$55,281 or -0.2%. The decrease was in line with the recent trend for
Grand Island.
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• A decrease in Transfers FY2026 by $10,468,936 to $15,476,565 over FY2025 was due to
the $9million increase in FY2025 budget. It was now in line with normal transfer
amounts that had been made in the past.
Reviewed were the additional FTE's and reclassifications along with Capital Improvement
Projects.
Reviewed were the Capital Improvement Projects and Equipment Purchases for FY2026:
• Building: $35,000.00
• Electric Utility: $15,735,545.00
• Emergency Management: $607,400.00
• Fire: $2,870,650.00
• Heartland Public Shooting Park: $695,924.00
• Jackrabbit Run Golf Course: $100,000.00
• Library: $140,000.00
• Parks & Recreation: $24,013,000.00
• Parks Capital Equipment: $183,700.00
• Police: $3,329,500.00
• Public Works: $21,256,450.00
• Solid Waste: $9,798,000.00
• Streets: $1,186,363.85
• Water Utility: $2,130,000.00
Total: $82,081,532.85
Public Hearing on FY 2025-2026 General Property and Community Redevelopment Authority
(CRA) Tax Request. Assistant City Administrator/CFO Patrick Brown reported that the 2025
Valuations for the City of Grand Island increased over the 2024 valuation by $378,866,891 or
8.1%. If the City applied the FY2024-2025 mill levy of 0.278135 to the new valuation of
$5,055,209,483, the City's Property Tax revenue would be $14,060,290, a tax increase of
$1,053,760 over the prior year. The City and Community Redevelopment Authority tax ask for
FY2026 was $13,006,530.
If the City applied the FY2024-2025 Property Tax Ask of$12,207,540 to the new valuation there
would be no tax increase and the mill levy would decrease to 0.241484. The CRA property tax
ask was $798,990 which was the same as last year. The CRA mill levy would decrease from
0.017086 to 0.015805.
The following is a breakdown of mill levies for City General and CRA property tax request.
Entity 25 Mill Levy 26 Proposed Mill Levy
• City General Property Tax Levy 0.261049 0.241484
• For CRA 0.017086 0.015805
• Total Property Tax Levy 0.278135 0.257290
Public Hearing on FY 2025-2026 Annual Budget for Parking District #2 (Ramp) Tax Request.
Assistant City Administrator/CFO Patrick Brown reported that the 2025 Valuations for the
Downtown Improvement District#2 (Ramp) increased over the 2024 valuation by $6,784,316 or
Page 3,City Council Special Meeting,September 8,2024
7.8%. The Downtown Improvement District #2 (Ramp) was not requesting an increase in
I Property Tax thereby decreasing the mill levy from 0.010470 to 0.009711. The Downtown
Improvement District #2 (Ramp) Property Tax revenue request was $9,898. No public testimony
was heard.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:19 p.m.
Gr
Ji Granere
City Clerk