At its June 7 meeting, the Seward City Council:
• approved an ordinance to begin a half-cent sales tax collection on Jan. 1, 2023, to help fund a portion of the Seward Wellness Center construction.
• awarded Community Development Block Grants to fund a portion of four downtown revitalization projects.
Recipients are Shannon Meyer, 127 N. Sixth Street (Om Shanti Studios), $39,858.75 to replace an awning and restore the facade to its original brick, along with new windows and doors; Josh Delcamp, 156 S. Fifth Street (Helmink Printing), $50,000 to replace windows, doors and awnings and add a sign to the side of the building; Alyssa Hendrix, 640 and 644 Seward Street (Kach Investments LLC), $22,653.75 to replace the roof; and Mike Riley, 117 S. Sixth Street (formerly The Bakery), $50,000 for structural repairs and facade improvements.
• considered a request from resident Jackie Noxon to allow golf carts to be driven on city streets just like ATVs and UTVs. The council voted 6-2 to direct staff to draft an amendment to the city code for consideration at a future meeting. Council members Jessica Kolterman and Sid Kamprath voted against the motion.
• approved updated rules and regulations for the Civil Service Commission (police department) and an updated job description for the city administrator.
• adopted a resolution to allow for the construction of utilities in city right-of-way and to charge accordingly. City Administrator Greg Butcher said the resolution replaces an existing policy with more accurate fees.
“We went back and reviewed the amount of staff time it took to review the permits and set a fee that more closely matches the time it takes to review, thus reducing the costs,” Butcher said.
