Fremont City Council unanimously approves FAA grant application, utility salary changes and multiple contracts

Fremont City Council on April 14 unanimously authorized the city to apply for a Federal Aviation Administration grant of $5,103,000 that would require a $192,750 local match, approved a $591,604.64 contract for turbine and generator inspection at the Lon D. Wright Generating Station, and adopted an amended utility salary ordinance.

The actions were taken during a regularly scheduled meeting at City Council Chambers, where Mayor Dev Sookram called the session to order following the Pledge of Allegiance. The roll call showed eight councilmembers present: Councilmember Ganem, Councilmember Lathrop, Councilmember Vaughan, Councilmember Marsh, Councilmember Jensen, Councilmember Horner, Councilmember Peterson and Councilmember Von Behren.

Why it matters: the FAA grant application, if awarded, would provide capital funding for airport improvements while requiring a modest local contribution. The turbine inspection contract is a major maintenance expenditure for Unit 7 at the city’s Lon D. Wright Generating Station. The utility salary ordinance establishes pay grades and organizational placement that affect city utility employees.

Councilmember Jensen moved and Councilmember Horner seconded the motion to authorize the Mayor to sign the FAA grant application; the motion passed 8‑0. The agenda’s new‑business votes also included authorization for the city to sign a contract with HPI to inspect the Unit 7 turbine and generator for $591,604.64 (motion by Councilmember Vaughan, seconded by Councilmember Horner; vote 8‑0).

On personnel and compensation, the Council amended Ordinance 5740 on first reading to restate the GIS analyst position at pay grade 24 and to place that position under the Wastewater Supervisor, then suspended the rules to move the ordinance to final reading. The final reading and vote to adopt Ordinance 5740 passed 8‑0.

Routine business on the consent agenda moved by Councilmember Horner and seconded by Councilmember Jensen included: approval of claims for April 1–14, 2026; approval of the March 31 meeting minutes; issuance of certain worker licenses (subject to licensing requirements); receipt of the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025; receipt and filing of the 2025–2026 TIF annual report; and receipt of treasury and animal control reports. The Council also approved several event permits: Fremont Creative District’s pARTy in the Park on June 27, Five‑0‑Five Brewing Co.’s street closures and SDL for Aug. 29, and a Downtown Farmers Market permit for Thursdays July 16–Oct. 8, 2026.

Other council approvals included: authorization for the Mayor to sign Amendment #4 to the Waste Transfer Station contract with Waste Connections of Nebraska, Inc. (Resolution 2026‑092); payment of $53,564.96 in additional tariff fees related to a substation transformer purchase from Virginia Transformer (Resolution 2026‑095); issuance of a purchase order for $11,973.72 to capture savings identified in a Spyglass telecommunications audit (Resolution 2026‑096); and a $26,050 contract with Prairie Mechanical to replace a Dri‑Steem humidifier and add a water softener to the library’s air handler unit (Resolution 2026‑097).

The Council postponed action on Resolution 2026‑091, the appointment of Cari Hoffart as Fremont Street Superintendent beginning April 14, 2026, and continued that item to the April 28 meeting. The Council also authorized the Mayor to execute a nondisclosure agreement with the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (Resolution 2026‑098).

All recorded motions and resolutions in the minutes passed on unanimous 8‑0 votes unless otherwise noted. The meeting adjourned at 8:09 p.m.; meeting minutes were attested by City Clerk Michael Chatterson and Mayor Dev Sookram.

Votes at a glance: all listed motions and resolutions recorded in the minutes passed 8‑0 (Jensen, Ganem, Vaughan, Lathrop, Marsh, Horner, Peterson, Von Behren).