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North Platte council tables amendment on mall redevelopment drainage requirement
Summary
The City Council tabled action on an amendment that would change a redevelopment contract requirement to require a drainage agreement only if impermeable development occurs on a Mall parcel. Council members cited unresolved questions about existing flooding, contract leverage and allocation of approximately $3.3 million in redevelopment funds.
The North Platte City Council on July 1 tabled consideration of an amended addendum to the redevelopment contract for the North Platte Mall that would alter when the developer must enter a drainage agreement with the city.
Councilmembers said the amendment (amending section 3.08B of the District 177 redevelopment agreement) would remove a firm May 1, 2025 deadline for a drainage agreement and instead require an agreement only if the currently dirt/grass parcel is later developed with impermeable surfaces such as a building or parking lot.
Judy (planning staff) described the change to the contract language as intended to avoid requiring a drainage agreement when there is no current plan to build on the southeast parcel. “So, basically what we're doing today is saying is supporting the status quo of where we are today, but saying if you change anything that would add to the drainage problem, you then have to resolve it,” she said. Councilmember Rod raised concerns that the change would not help residents who are now experiencing flooding and said, “If they have a problem, they need to get something done with it.”
Brent Berglund, city engineer, told the council the mall property has two distinct stormwater issues: (1) a long-running flooding problem in the main mall lot tied to historical paving and the original storm sewer layout, and (2) the dirt/grass parcel on the southeast quadrant that the amendment addresses. “There’s kinda 2 things that are going on here,” Berglund said, and he explained the engineering and cost tradeoffs that make some solutions expensive.
Council debate focused on whether deleting the original contractual requirement would reduce the city's leverage over how redevelopment funds are spent. One councilmember noted the redevelopment amendment is related to a larger $3.3 million extension of TIF dollars and asked what recourse the city would have if the developer reallocated those funds. Bill (city attorney) advised he needed to review the full contract before answering specifics and suggested tabling the item until the council could get detailed answers.
Mayor: Judy recused herself from the item citing a potential conflict of interest before the council voted on tabling. A motion to table carried; the council moved the matter to the next meeting for more information.
What this means going forward: the contract language before the council would require a drainage agreement only if the parcel is later developed with impermeable surfaces. Because the council tabled, the amendment will return when staff and the city attorney can provide further detail on the contract language, the city’s remedies and how redevelopment funds are permitted to be used.
Votes and formal actions
- Motion to adopt the resolution and approve the addendum to the amended redevelopment contract for the North Platte Mall (original motion): mover — Councilmember Vols; second — Councilmember McNeil; outcome — tabled. Judy recused from consideration of the item.
- Motion to table the item to the next meeting: mover — not specified in the record; second — not specified; outcome — tabled.
