Votes at a glance: Columbus City Council approves liquor-license recommendation, contracts and airport leases; adopts finance audit report

Columbus City Council on March 17 approved multiple routine and substantive items in a single meeting, including a recommendation to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission on a liquor-license application, adoption of a financial audit report, contract approvals for transit software and storm sewer cleaning, airport lease agreements, a transit funding application and a $1.53 million sidewalk construction award.

Key votes and approvals at the meeting included:

• Van Berg Golf Course liquor-license recommendation: The council voted to recommend that the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission approve a retail class I liquor license for Van Berg Golf Course at 560 Van Berg Drive with Douglas Dunbar named as manager. The council closed the public hearing and approved the motion by voice vote; no roll-call tally was provided in the transcript.

• Financial and compliance audit (fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024): The Financial and Compliance Audit was submitted to the council by the finance committee. Tim Lehi, the city’s auditor at the committee meeting, gave the city a clean opinion; committee members praised staff work on new financial software. The council adopted the committee report by motion and voice vote.

• Software update for Columbus Area Transit: The council approved a quote from Foxtor OPCO LLC (doing business as CTS Software) for $28,190 to update transit software to meet a Nebraska mandate. The vendor will supply software updates; the council noted the program is largely funded by the state (council indicated the state funds about 90% and the city will fund the remaining 10%).

• Storm sewer cleaning services: The council approved a quote from Oberst and Company Inc. for $29,775 for storm sewer cleaning (CIP #21-96).

• Appointments: The council approved the mayor’s appointment of Renee Whiting to the employee retirement committee for a two-year term. The two-week waiting period was waived because this is an internal employee committee.

• Airport leases: The council adopted resolution R25-42, approving a hangar lease agreement with Luca and Forney (per the airport commission recommendation), and resolution R25-43, approving a land-lease agreement with Nebraska Public Power District for property at Columbus Municipal Airport; the NPPD lease will include site improvements and fuel facilities per the record.

• Transit grant application: The council adopted resolution R25-44 authorizing an application for funding assistance through the Nebraska Department of Transportation for Columbus Area Transit for fiscal years 2025–2027.

• Sidewalk project bid award: The council adopted resolution R25-45, awarding the Eleventh Street sidewalk improvements project (CDBG 23-DRT-003 / RCIP #24-05) to CR Men Concrete LLC for $1,534,424.10.

• Consent agenda and other routine items: The council approved routine consent-agenda items including minutes, reappointments (for example Troy Loeffelholtz to the veil service commission), payroll and bills on file.

Most votes were taken by voice and recorded as "motion passes" in the transcript; the meeting transcript did not include roll-call vote tallies for the items listed above. Where funding splits or other clarifications were raised in discussion, the transcript records staff and council remarks (for example the transit software mandate was characterized as mostly funded by state sources with a city share).