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Papillion council approves interlocal agreement to design Schram Road improvements after 7-1 vote
Summary
The Papillion City Council approved a resolution to enter an interlocal agreement with Sarpy County to pursue design work for the Schram Road improvement project, committing roughly $100,000 for design and aiming to make the project “shovel ready” for federal funding; the measure passed 7-1 with Councilman Sunday dissenting.
The Papillion City Council voted 7-1 on May 20 to approve resolution R250098, authorizing an interlocal agreement with Sarpy County to move forward with design work for the Schram Road 130 Second to 140 Fourth Street improvement project.
The agreement commits the city to fund the northern half of design work and to spend approximately $100,000 on design tasks already budgeted and carried over from last year so the project can be “shovel ready” if federal funding becomes available.
City Public Works Director Mike Kleffner told the council the county requested the partnership and that the county will cover the southern half of the work. Kleffner said the project first surfaced through a federal community development grant program supported by the city’s congressional delegation and that the design stage is being advanced now so the project is positioned for future federal funding. "We're taking the project through the design portion. And then if the funding isn't there after the design portion, then we'll stop the project and basically come back and see where we're at in the sense of costs and budget allocation," Kleffner said.
Council discussion split on timing and stewardship of city funds. Councilman Sunday said he opposed spending the money now because federal funding is not yet secured: "I just don't think there's any need right now to be spending $100,000 unnecessarily. We are supposed to be wise stewards of taxpayer money. This doesn't get the taxpayer anything." Mumgaard and other council members pushed back, saying being shovel-ready increases the likelihood of federal participation to improve access to the nearby national cemetery. "The primary purpose of this paving is to improve the access to this very important federal cemetery," Mumgaard said.
Councilwoman Gluck and Councilman Greenberg argued that having design work completed makes the city more competitive for federal grants and can reduce future costs. The council also discussed that the project would include ADA-compliant facilities, a trail to the cemetery, and sidewalk on the south side of the project, improving connections that now require travel on unpaved roads.
The council recorded the motion to approve resolution R250098 moved by Councilman Stuby and seconded by Councilman Glover. The motion passed 7 yeas, 1 nay (Sunday).
If federal funds do not materialize, staff said the city will stop after design and re-evaluate whether to proceed. The county will pay for its portion of the improvements along the southern half of the corridor. No construction contract or construction funding was approved as part of this resolution.
The project was described as intended to address connectivity and ADA access to the veterans' cemetery and to position the city to compete for federal grant dollars when they are available. Additional funding decisions would return to the council for approval.
