Seward City Council adopts zoning, energy and speed-limit ordinances; approves handbook changes and other business

The Seward City Council on a unanimous vote approved a package of ordinances and administrative measures Tuesday night that revise how development appeals are handled, add rules for alternative energy production devices, rezone a parcel near Waverly Road and change several highway speed limits.

City staff introduced an ordinance (designated 2026-6) to make the City Council the board of adjustment, with the council president serving as chair and a two-thirds (six-member) threshold required to grant relief. City staff said the change was proposed after the existing board had difficulty scheduling meetings and that consolidating authority would improve efficiency. “There’s no set meeting dates and it took on average 30 to 45 days just to schedule a meeting,” a city staff presenter said; the staff also recommended removing duplicate variance language that allowed both the planning commission and council to grant variances.

Council members dispensed with further discussion and adopted ordinance 2026-6 on a roll-call vote with six yes votes.

The council next approved an amendment to the Unified Land Development Ordinance (ordinance 2026-7) to add a line for “alternative energy production devices” to the use matrix and require a special-use permit review. Staff said the change fills a missing definition in the code and places such facilities principally in industrial zoning districts; a broader solar-energy amendment was described as forthcoming.

A separate rezoning (ordinance 2026-8) was approved to change Lot 1 Deer Hills from Agricultural (AG) to Rural Residential (RR) to align the parcel with neighboring acreages and to protect quarter- and half-section lines for possible future roads. Planning commission had recommended approval of a related minor plat.

On transportation, the council approved ordinance 2026-9 to amend section 382-3.35 of the Seward code to adjust speed limits on U.S. Highway 34 and Nebraska Highway 15. Staff described several changes, including reducing the curve near North Avenue by the high school to 35 mph, tightening a downtown 25-mph area and creating a 55-mph transition zone extending outside the corporate limits. “Reducing the speed through that curve will also help,” a staff presenter said during council discussion about pedestrian crossings and turn-lane effects.

The council approved administrative items as well. Amendment No. 3 to the employee handbook added mutual-aid procedures and clarified pay treatment for election workers, with staff citing Nebraska statutes and common practice for reimbursement and overtime/double-time pay when employees deploy to assist other communities. The handbook amendment passed on unanimous roll call.

In other business, the council approved a design-services agreement with Shimmer Associates for work at the Second Street lift station to support a temporary wastewater-treatment site tied to an incoming dairy-processing facility; staff described phased site work, floodplain permitting and an accelerated schedule to have equipment installed by summer. The meeting packet and the read agenda listed a dollar figure for the agreement that was unclear in the transcript; the council approved the contract on a unanimous vote.

Council also approved a memorandum allowing the Nebraska Army National Guard Museum to place a shipping container at 880 S. Columbia Avenue, but tabled a revised interlocal agreement with the County Rural Fire Protection District so staff could resolve questions about vehicle coverage and revenue-sharing details.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 2026-6 (City Council as board of adjustment): Passed, roll-call 6–0. - Ordinance 2026-7 (ULDO use matrix — alternative energy production devices): Passed, roll-call 6–0. - Ordinance 2026-8 (Rezoning, Lot 1 Deer Hills AGR→RR): Passed, roll-call 6–0. - Ordinance 2026-9 (Speed-limit amendments on US-34/NE-15): Passed, roll-call 6–0. - Employee handbook Amendment No. 3 (mutual aid; election-worker pay): Approved, roll-call 6–0. - Agreement with Shimmer Associates (Second Street temporary treatment site design): Approved, roll-call 6–0. - Memorandum for National Guard Museum container (880 S. Columbia Ave.): Approved, roll-call 6–0. - Revised interlocal with County Rural Fire Protection District: Tabled for further review, motion carried 6–0.

Why this matters: The zoning and ULDO changes alter who decides variance requests and how emerging energy technologies will be reviewed; the speed-limit changes were driven by engineering studies and a desire to improve safety by the high school; the handbook and contract approvals affect staffing, mutual-aid deployment and the city’s near-term ability to manage higher industrial wastewater loads as a new processing facility comes online.

The council closed the meeting after listing community events and routine administrator updates; a final motion to make that evening’s ordinances part of the permanent record carried.