Michael Hein of W. Platte River Drive expressed concern to Hall County Commissioners about how drainage from a proposed subdivision near his home would affect his property, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – Hall County Commissioners approved on June 17 rezoning and a development plan for a new housing area west of Doniphan.
The motion was approved by a 5-2 vote, with Commissioners Pam Lancaster and Butch Hurst voting against it.
Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity said that the subdivision will have 33 homes on three-acre lots. The Regional Planning Commission had a public hearing at its June 4 meeting and recommended rezoning and the final development plan.
Neighbors expressed concern about how drainage from the subdivision, which is near a hill, would affect nearby homes.
Michael Hein of 4133 W. Platte River Drive in Doniphan noted that any amount of substantial rain would flood his property and neighbor’s land. He said he was concerned that the new development would add drainage issues to neighbors’ property.
He referred to substantial flooding west of Doniphan in 2019. He was concerned that the proposed development would make flooding worse for neighbors.
Commissioner Pam Lancaster said that she supported getting additional drainage in the area.
In another matter, Pilot Travel Centers, 11775 S. Nebraska Highway 11 in Wood River, located at the Wood River Interstate 80 interchange, requested permission for a five-year conditional use permit to operate a wastewater lagoon.
Property owners near the travel center complained about how Pilot Travel Centers disposes of trash.
“This is the time when the rubber hits the road,” Commissioner Gary Quandt said.
Commissioners voted 7-0 to have Pilot Travel Centers work with neighbors for 60 days to address property cleanliness issues and then come back to Commissioners regarding a conditional use permit for a wastewater lagoon system.
Werner Construction sought approval for a five-year conditional use permit for a sand and gravel extraction operation for property located southwest of Grand Island. The permit was granted by a 7-0 vote.
Pat O’Hara of 5387 S. Engleman said that he is a long-time neighbor of the business. He noted that concerns such as working at the business Sundays have been resolved. He said that every 10 years, there seems to be a 100-year flood event at the location. He is concerned about what could be done to reduce flooding issues at the location.
“I’m just worked up about what’s going to happen to the water,” he said.
A representative of Werner Construction said that the business has addressed issues, such as not having drivers use Engleman Road. The business operates from sunup to sundown, Monday through Saturday.
Commissioners took no action on a request from Wood River Mayor Greg Cramer for a $60,000 annual service contract to help support the town’s ambulance service. Commissioners indicated they would make a decision on the request when they are working on the annual budget.
In a letter to Commissioners, Cramer wrote that the ambulance service serves approximately 3,500 Hall County residents and is completely run by volunteers who respond to approximately 160 calls per year. The district serves 10 miles of Interstate 80, two truck stops, and a busy section of Highway 30.
The ambulance funding is completely fee-based. The service is averaging $32,000 to $35,000 of revenue with expenses of $40,000 per year. The deficit requires that this fund rely on donations and income from the city to supplement the budget.
Additional funding will be needed to buy replacement equipment, including a new ambulance that costs an estimated $400,000.
Cramer said that he based his request by taking the estimate of Grand Island’s ambulance service to cover Wood River’s fire district, which was $150,000 divided by 365 days multiplied by 150 calls, which came to $61,643.
“This amount would really help us out for what our volunteers contribute to Hall County and would save the taxpayers approximately $90,000,” Cramer wrote.
Jon Cannon, executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO), informed Commissioners about bills from Legislature’s session that ended recently.
Similarly, State Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City summarized bills that the Legislature had discussed and approved.
Rob Schultz, Hall County Weed Superintendent, gave a presentation about the department’s collaboration with the Platte Valley Weed Management Area (PVWMA) to control invasive vegetation on the Platte River from Lake McConaughy west to Columbus. The weed management area covers 14 counties and stretches more than 380 miles, according to a letter from Tim R. Tunnel, president of PVWMA.
The group has worked to control phragmites, which requires spring and fall herbicide application using helicopters to fly as much of the 380 miles as possible. PVWMA has an operating budget of $600,000 annually for its work.
“The lack of annual state of Nebraska funding has jeopardized the match money provided by the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program,” Tunnell wrote. For that reason, PVWMA requests that each county annually contribute $5,000 to $10,000 to this effort. Also, the organization is requesting $500 for an annual membership.
Facilities Director Doone Humphrey reported that Hall County judges do not want to temporarily move out of the Hall County Courthouse while construction of the Courthouse addition is being completed. At a previous meeting, a temporary move from the Courthouse was discussed because of the construction noise.
Commissioners heard a presentation from Erin Howe, executive director of Heartland Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). The organization requested $70,000 from Hall County, a $20,000 increase over the previous year.
“This increase is necessitated by significant reductions in federal funding,” Howe wrote in a letter to Commissioners. CASA served 119 children in 2024 and has a three-person staff.
“The additional $20,000 will allow us to sustain our current level of service to ensure no child goes unserved due to budget constraints,” Howe wrote.
“I think CASA’s absolutely necessary,” Commissioner Pam Lancaster said.
Commissioner Jane Richardson has been involved with CASA for a number of years.
She has seen directors come and go from CASA and said that Howe, who has been there for six years, has stabilized CASA.
“This organization does some really good things for children,” Richardson said.
Richardson made a motion to fund CASA for the upcoming fiscal year for $70,000. The motion passed by a 4-3 vote, with Commissioners Ron Peterson, Gary Quandt, and Karen Bredthauer voting against the motion. The key issue was whether the request should be approved now or when Commissioners are working on next year’s budget.
CASA also serves Hamilton, Howard and Merrick counties. The only one of those counties that contributes money to CASA is Hamilton County ($1,000 per year). Commissioners said that the other counties should be contributing money.
In an item not on the agenda, Commissioner Gary Quandt asked Hall County Attorney Marty Klein to explain proper driving procedures on roundabouts. Klein described driving procedures for one-land and two-lane roundabouts and said there have been a number of accidents on local roundabouts. He did not give a specific number.
“People need to know what they have to do,” Quandt said.
