Kearney approves expansion of Westside Community Improvement District to fund water-line and road work

The Kearney Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance on second reading to add multiple properties to the Kearney Westside Community Improvement District (CID), enabling CID revenues to be used for public improvements. Economic development director Carolyn Yatsuk summarized the CID’s history, noting the district was created in 2007 and that the proposed addition includes parcels near Shanks Avenue (identified in staff materials as a bar property, an Arby’s and the Connor Lodge) to support street improvements, detention, water line extension, sidewalks, stormwater work and streetscaping.

Yatsuk told the board the highest-priority public improvement tied to the petition is replacement and upsizing of a water line running from 6th Avenue to Highway 92, with a connection and loop to a waterline at Sanbar Drive. "These properties are being added because there are necessary public improvements to be made, one of which is a high priority — the replacement and upsizing of a water line," Yatsuk said. The board voted unanimously on the ordinance; aldermen recorded aye votes during the roll call and the mayor announced the ordinance passed on second reading.

Why it matters: Expanding the CID allows the city to capture incremental CID revenue for infrastructure projects that city staff say will address congestion (Bennett Boulevard) and water-system resiliency. The ordinance passage authorizes staff to proceed with design and financing steps tied to the CID projects; specific project schedules and funding amounts were not specified at the meeting.