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Broken Bow council holds public hearing, advances water-rate ordinance
Summary
The Broken Bow City Council held a public hearing on Ordinance 1293 proposing modest water-rate increases and performed a required second reading; council members and staff discussed reserve funds and plans to build utility reserves to limit bonding for future projects.
The Broken Bow City Council on Nov. 26 opened a public hearing on Ordinance 1293, which would adjust municipal water rates, and completed the ordinance’s second reading.
Administrator Schmidt explained the city’s reserve structure and said the municipality “is in a good position with over a million in reserve funds,” noting those funds are in several accounts earmarked for specific uses. He said the Eagle Crest project costs were paid from sales tax infrastructure funds rather than water or sewer reserves. Schmidt told the council the city aims to grow water and sewer reserves roughly 7%–10% annually so a future large project does not require as much debt financing; he said the proposed water-rate adjustments equate to about a 2.5% annual increase averaged over the past four years, and that no rate increase had been implemented since 2020.
The public hearing drew at least one question from Mona Weatherly, who asked for clarification on how reserve funds are held and used; Schmidt responded that multiple earmarked accounts exist and that upcoming projects will draw from those reserves.
After the hearing, the council voted not to waive the two-reading rule, and City Clerk Jennifer Waterhouse performed the ordinance’s second reading on the record. Roll-call votes on procedural motions during the meeting were unanimous among the three members present (Russ Smith, Luke Wassom and Chris Myers). The ordinance’s final disposition (adoption date or effective date) was not specified in the minutes.
The hearing record noted planned capital needs that informed the rate discussion, including work on 15th Avenue water lines, sewer extensions on South E Street/Hwy 2, and repairs to well house No. 6. Council members and staff also discussed the option of adopting a rate-setting approach that would increase rates gradually each year rather than waiting several years between larger rate steps.
The council’s next procedural steps on Ordinance 1293 were not recorded in the minutes provided.
