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Hickman council raises purchasing threshold, approves 3% COLA and renews several licenses
Summary
The council approved a purchasing‑policy update that increases the council review threshold to $50,000, passed a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for FY26 (with grade one set to $15/hour), certified state highway allocation documentation and approved multiple liquor‑license renewals.
The Hickman City Council approved several administrative and budgetary measures at its regular meeting, including an update to the city purchasing policy, a cost‑of‑living wage adjustment for employees and routine license renewals.
On a resolution to update the purchasing policy, staff explained the policy had not been changed since 2019 and recommended raising the council approval threshold for purchases that require city council sign‑off from $30,000 to $50,000 to reflect higher materials and supply costs. Staff cited state statute number 17568 regarding procurement thresholds and said the change would let staff complete routine operations more efficiently while preserving council oversight for larger public‑infrastructure contracts. The council approved the resolution following discussion; the motion passed by roll call.
Separately the council passed Resolution 2025‑11 adopting a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for the year ending 2026 and directed that grade‑one step pay be set to $15 per hour to conform with the state's rising minimum wage. Councilors noted the adjustment mirrors regional changes in the Midwest consumer price index and was recommended by the personnel committee. The resolution passed after a brief discussion about how to present the corrected pay‑scale table in the resolution text.
The council also approved the municipal annual certification of program compliance required by the Nebraska Board of Public Roads (Resolution 2025‑09), which allows the city to receive highway allocation funds (staff said last fiscal year’s share was just over $364,000 and next year’s projection is about $363,000).
Finally, the council recommended or approved liquor‑license renewals for American Legion Post No. 105, JK Dreams LLC (doing business as Hickman Bar and Grill), and Hosianda Haliscoco Incorporated. Motions were made and passed by roll call for each license.
Votes at a glance: Resolution 2025‑10 (purchasing policy update) — approved (roll call); Resolution 2025‑11 (COLA and wage scale) — approved (roll call); Resolution 2025‑09 (state program certification) — approved (roll call); liquor license renewals — all approved (roll calls). The council recorded roll‑call votes for each item; details are in the city claims and minutes.
What happens next: staff will publish the updated purchasing policy language and the corrected pay‑scale table and incorporate the council’s direction on grade one wage adjustments into the personnel records.
