[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5978033,"mediaKeyId","5793477-5f184b82c83233e634e78c23f09ccbdc","parentId",5793477,"title","Boswell board approves FY26–27 budget, amends city lease and OKs engineering task order for landfill work","audioSeconds",370,"startMs",100000,"endMs",470000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5793477-5f184b82c83233e634e78c23f09ccbdc&start=100&end=470","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5793477-5f184b82c83233e634e78c23f09ccbdc/thumbnail_100000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5978033/Nebraska/Boswell-board-approves-FY2627-budget-amends-city-lease-and-OKs-engineering-task-order-for-landfill-work","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5978033-0b4cc2981580448b8093157143ad65ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1770889847&Signature=JxAypf4JcZ6egvYnSDURLKgFR5R4~4~R87PjYy0ecTTgYT2YCnVF7fHSdgvJb6ErBRcMxNtwG4CjYsdcSKHST5ShIb3nTiDb2zfM73wNLvKLUbuo2MgTAcZmoKYg3~r0cNDMHPMqvP-2v5-lwbShx7VIPW-sRelhYzbE5L63Idoe85NU44pDqTFuJFqt0MhKnCgLMlqoUNLX2n5fF7J2B9vc9lYVrznHmS36QGYS2HGhy01Sg4hlBT4EimAgdStTv8syCZxfyCoyAKVMbcXPDYBL5Lzh7Ih6yaSCcUWlcgIlb55f~fmxGJwiag1nALxsyiFJpOMXJoi6TozwYfbCwg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Beatrice, NE","date","2025-09-19T13:24:17Z","article","Beatrice — The Beatrice Area Solid Waste Agency (Boswell) on Tuesday approved its FY 2026–2027 biennial budget, adopted a lease amendment with the City of Beatrice that lowers annual rent and includes additional property, and authorized a professional services task order for landfill sampling, monitoring and testing.

During a public hearing on the proposed FY 2026–2027 budget, agency staff said Boswell’s revenues for FY 2026 are close to prior non-bond years, noting 2025 was higher because of bond proceeds. Officials told the board expenditures for FY 2027 will exceed revenues by about $300,000 because of expenses related to construction and post-closure work on the landfill’s new cell; staff said those costs will draw on closure/post-closure fund reserves rather than appearing on the revenue line.

Agency members approved the proposed budget of disbursements of $2,271,019 for fiscal year 2026 and $2,548,391 for fiscal year 2027 by an 8–0 vote.

Separately, the board passed Resolution No. 80 adopting the second amendment to the 1994 lease with the City of Beatrice. The amendment expands the leased land to include both the north and south sides of the road where the landfill sits, lowers the annual rent by $22,000 to $48,000 per year to help minimize customer rates and retains a 3% annual escalator consistent with the original lease. The resolution passed 8–0.

The board also adopted Resolution No. 81 to execute Task Order No. 24 under the agency’s engineer-owner agreement with Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc. Burns & McDonnell’s work for FY 2026 includes routine annual items such as air emissions reporting and groundwater monitoring and, for the new landfill areas, the installation of a new groundwater well and gas probes. The task order carries an estimated cost of about $194,800 for FY 2026; the resolution passed 8–0.

Board discussion emphasized that much of the agency’s near-term cash flows will be applied to debt service for the recently issued bonds used to construct the new cell, and that the cell is nearing completion. Staff said sanitary sewer and leachate lines remain to be installed on the north side and that buildings for operations are under construction. On post-closure timing, staff noted a state formula guides closure/post-closure funding levels and that engineering first appears in FY 2027 with dirt-moving work scheduled in later years as closure work begins.

No members of the public spoke during Boswell’s public forum. The board closed the Boswell meeting following passage of the budget and other items by an 8–0 vote.

Speakers and staff referenced in this article are listed below. All votes and resolutions described were recorded in the agency minutes and ordinance/resolution materials filed with the city clerk’s office.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting - September 15, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Beatrice Area Solid Waste Agency approved a two-year budget, passed a lease amendment with the City of Beatrice to include both sides of the road and lower annual rent, and authorized a Burns & McDonnell task order for monitoring and new wells at the new landfill cell.","taxTitle","City Council Meetings, City of Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska","taxId",69713,"location","Nebraska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5978037,"Beatrice council adopts phased electric rate increases, creates infrastructure fee to fund future capacity",2641,602000,3243000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5793477-5f184b82c83233e634e78c23f09ccbdc&start=602&end=3243","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5793477-5f184b82c83233e634e78c23f09ccbdc/thumbnail_602000.jpg","/articles/5978037/Nebraska/Beatrice-council-adopts-phased-electric-rate-increases-creates-infrastructure-fee-to-fund-future-capacity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5978037-7661046f18ba30a33c1340b7182ea7fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1770889847&Signature=SLNdDClllPUJ2t8l4neKs1CtQE6q0WkEumNFkimlRKnKzgPiNXsYV-dkgEcbxMjzRnqXCLuRnDyxUvzaJAHOIYvvS~9M-Lr36nVQSOc5rn53Xx80TkSdezVoVLefRGUXRREziv3QkAFlMdavPQ8gr1gqgtEkrgJSoX79mSe4n-zg0jUwkHFNhZ-Tzz-28G6A2MPv1oWhH46jUfDwnVSKloEYy~21I-oufy~WO2IQkJQIsv85zkYbK~x1FPbI34bdip2n1~cXz9D8a8w3Kd1qxvo-pTkxwdZylAjhA-F07XwVYt0uf6TyPUZPy2Y0mJQgfI3Hr1Z6wAjDPDm1Wql9rg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Beatrice — The City Council on Tuesday adopted an ordinance that raises electric rates in two staged steps beginning Oct. 1 and establishes a monthly infrastructure charge to set aside money for future power-supply infrastructure.

City consultant John Kraske of JK Energy told the council the city’s short-term wholesale contracts expire in 2030 and warned that without gradual increases the community could face a large, single-year shock. “My goal is to propose rates to you that avoid you having to raise ... rates 40% in 2030,” Kraske said during a presentation to the council.

Kraske said the ordinance implements a 6% annual increase in the first two years and a fixed monthly infrastructure fee that is earmarked for capital needs. He estimated the city will need roughly $6,600,000 by 2031 to cover capacity or generation-related investments and recommended phasing rate changes now to avoid a dramatic single-year increase later.

Kraske described the city’s options and why the city is planning now: the council’s retail power contracts expire in 2030 and the city is evaluating whether to build generation or buy capacity and energy in the market. He said building a new local generator now appears to be the least-cost and most-stable option, but that it still will cost more than the city’s current short-term contracts. “At the end of those contracts, it's very likely your power costs will be higher,” Kraske said.

The ordinance directs the first two steps of the rate changes to take effect Oct. 1 (first step) and Oct. 1 of the following year (second step). Under the adopted rate design: residential customers will see a fixed infrastructure charge of $3 per month in year one (rising to $6 in year two); general service customers will be charged $4 per month in year one (rising to $8 in year two); and larger general service-demand customers will be assessed $10 per month in year one (rising to $20 in year two). Kraske said a typical residential customer would pay about $5.25 more per month in the first year, with roughly $3 of that being the new infrastructure charge and about $2.25 coming from energy-rate changes.

Kraske explained the rationale for separating the infrastructure charge from recurring operating revenue: the fee would be placed into a designated fund and “would only be designated for use for infrastructure projects” such as distribution, transmission, or generation, rather than routine operating expenses. He said collecting some of the money now would reduce how much the city must borrow later and would help credit-rating agencies assess the city’s ability to repay bonds for a large project.

Council members asked about alternatives to building a plant; Kraske said purchasing capacity on the market would likely require larger annual increases (he estimated 7–8% per year in one comparable procurement) and that a local dual-fuel combustion unit would provide a hedge against extreme market events. He projected a new generator would run roughly 25–35% of the time, operating mainly during morning and evening peaks and on very hot summer days.

The council voted 7–0 to pass Ordinance No. 25-26 adopting the electric rate changes and infrastructure charge. City staff and Kraske said this is the first step of a multi-year plan; additional rate actions are likely after the city’s generation and financing plans are clearer.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke at the meeting and are on the participants list below. The ordinance text adopted by the council is in the city’s published ordinance packet and takes effect as stated in the motion approved by the council.

The council directed staff to implement the rate ordinance and to continue work with consultants on the long-term generation study and finance planning. Additional rate proposals will return to the council as the city refines estimates of construction and financing costs.

For context: Kraske compared Beatrice’s post-change rates to peer utilities and said Beatrice would remain toward the lower end of the spectrum for residential rates even after the first step. He advised the council that phasing increases gradually helps customers and improves the city’s standing with bond rating analysts, which can lower borrowing costs for a large capital project.

What’s next: The ordinance’s first step is effective Oct. 1; staff and the Board of Public Works will continue technical work on the generation study, siting and financing options, and will return with updated cost estimates and any needed subsequent rate recommendations.","After a consultant warned wholesale power contracts expire in 2030 and future generation or market purchases will raise costs, the Beatrice City Council approved a phased rate ordinance and an infrastructure charge to begin building reserves for new capacity.","actionData","errors"]

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Boswell board approves FY26–27 budget, amends city lease and OKs engineering task order for landfill work

Beatrice council adopts phased electric rate increases, creates infrastructure fee to fund future capacity