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'Pink postcard' hearing tonight
McCOOK, Neb. — McCook property taxpayers will have a chance to hear an explanation for the need to raise the city budget by more than 2% at a “pink postcard” hearing tonight.
The hearing will be 6 p.m. in the staff training room at the city municipal building.
Monday night, the city approved on final reading a budget that includes a nearly $1.9 million tax request, up 13% from about $1.7 million last year.
The tax levy will stay at 34 cents per $100 valuation, but property values are $556 million compared to $493 million last year.
Earlier in the meeting, Jay Hancock, Mark Wilcox, and Mike Daffer spoke on behalf of residents in the West 14th and Q Streets area about what is being done to help save their properties from flooding in the area.
“There are times throughout the year that I can’t even access the property,” Wilcox said, and “ the only way I can see a fix to this is to pave the streets. It’s a big area that expands beyond the boundaries because we get water runoff from the bowling alley and we are asking for help now.”
“We all have been paying taxes and it’s time that some of that goes to help us in that area. We can’t develop the area with all the runoff’.
“So basically you are saying that the water actually comes from a bigger area than just your property alone?” Councilman Gene Weedin inquired.
Greg Wolford of W Design Associates has been meeting with the business owners and landowners in that area to better understand what they are going through during heavy rains.
“I think to give the City council an example or a good view of how the process is around the area of West 14th, you look at the UPS building up there, you know they had cutouts in all their pavement that dumps water onto all their neighbors,” Wilcox said.
“I believe that was done in 1973 or 1974,” Wilcox said, “So you know this has been a problem for a long time. Daffers have probably lost three or four feet of ground in some areas because of erosion. The only thing up there now is a makeshift drainage ditch.”
The Elevate Redevelopment Plan tax increment financing application was heard by the committee and City Manager Nate Schneider said that it follows and complies with the state law, and also follows and cites how it will achieve the goals of the comprehensive plan as well as a cost-benefit analysis that is included.
Owner Emily Young was present and said she is currently in a smaller rental facility and that they have quickly outgrown the space.
This will allow for more patient care areas, and more areas for the community to have more options for health and wellness services that we don’t currently have.
Councilman Jerry Calvin asked Young about the services they offer that aren’t offered at the Community Hospital. “We are currently offering functional and integrative medicine that is not grounded in our location. The closest is Kearney or Grand Island,” she said.
All of the Consent Agenda items passed without discussion as well as the third and final reading for the budget, and cost of living wage for firefighters and police officers.