Access Kearney

In March 2007 the City implemented an automated customer feedback system, Access Kearney.  Access Kearney refers, tracks, and facilitates response to the questions, comments, and complaints the City receives from residents.  Residents can use our website to report their concerns regarding topics like nuisances, potholes, code violations, and general questions and complaints. 

Since the program’s inception, 3,794 cases have been opened. Of those cases, 3,736 have been resolved.   In 2011 the top 5 topics dealt with trash, overgrown weeds, overgrown trees, vision obstruction at intersections, and private property maintenance.

If you have any questions or complaints, using Access Kearney is easily accessible by following the steps below:

1.    Log onto the City of Kearney homepage: www.cityofkearney.org

2.    Select the “Access Kearney” tab in the upper right hand corner of the City of Kearney homepage.

3.    Follow the step-by-step directions starting with “Submitting a Request Form”.

For more information or to report a topic directly, please call our Code Enforcement Coordinator at 308-233-3235.

Construction Projects Update

As winter approaches, several City construction projects have been completed or are nearing completion including: 

• Kearney Regional Airport Parking Lot - landscaping
• 25th Street and 5th Avenue - traffic signal replacement
• Memorial Baseball Field - entrance improvements and field turf project
• Pedestrian/Bike Trail Lighting - 2nd Avenue to Yanney Park
• Yanney Park - splashground
• Junction Park - irrigation additions 

If you have any suggestions regarding possible projects, please email me at citymanager@kearneygov.org.

City Budget

On September 13, City Council passed the 2011-2012 Budget which will go into effect October 1, 2011.  This budget represents the fifth consecutive year that the City of Kearney has maintained or increased services without increasing property taxes.  We are fortunate in Kearney that we have a robust local and regional economy that has supported increases in sales receipts – even through a recession. 

We have aggressively pursued efficiency and quality in providing services to the community, and I think it has paid off for our residents.  Kearney has one of the lowest municipal property tax rates in Nebraska, and I believe we have used the revenue taxpayers have entrusted us with to provide the highest standard of quality of life.  Click here to see the FY2012 budget, and if you have questions about your City government – please contact us.

2011-2012 Budget

Restaurant and Drinking Place Occupation Tax

On June 28, I spoke to City Council about several options for funding the large number of projects which citizens requested during the Special ½ cent Sales Tax listening sessions in January and February of this year.  When staff reviewed the input received from over 800 individuals who attended these sessions, it became clear that the community has a demand for capital improvements – particularly in areas that affect quality of life, such as parks, beautification, and recreation.  Further, the cost of the requested projects exceeds the funds available from the city’s special ½ cent sales tax as these funds will be used for major street improvements for the next several years.  Funding options were discussed with the Council, and they solicited input from the public during public hearings. 

On July 26 the City Council voted unanimously to submit the question on October 11^th to the voters as follows:

“Shall the Mayor and City Council of the City of Kearney, Nebraska, impose a restaurant and drinking place occupation tax commencing December 1, 2011 in the amount of two percent (2%) to fund Community Betterment Purposes as defined in Section 9-604 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes?”

On Tuesday, September 13, the City Council will discuss a plan for spending the revenues from a Restaurant and Drinking Place Occupation Tax, should it pass.  This plan will include general guidelines and target areas as well as specific projects for the first five years.

Please see the following Question and Answers regarding this topic:

Restaurant Tax Q & A

Property Taxes Explained

The City of Kearney collects $2,465,870 annually in property taxes. The property tax rate of .14887 is the third lowest of 148 cities in Nebraska. It has been a priority of City Council and City Administration to maintain this low rate. Accordingly, the city property tax rate has not increased for five years in a row.

If you have questions regarding property taxes, please contact Wendell Wessels, Finance Director at 233-3213 or the City Manager's Office at 233-3214.

Reduce Yard Waste - And Save Money

Reduce Yard Waste – And Save Money

Bagging the grass when you mow means time and work, and if you send your yard waste to the landfill – money. Consider mulching instead, for a variety of benefits to your lawn, the environment, and your wallet:

• By not bagging your grass clippings you’ll save up to 30% mowing time. Time is money!
• Returned clipping debris will recycle back to the turf 1 to 1/4 lbs. of actual Nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. You can apply up to one third of the total Nitrogen needs of your lawn by simply returning your clippings.
• Grass clippings contain about 85% water, with the balance of the clippings rapidly decomposing to release Nitrogen and other essential nutrients back to your lawn. That means buying and applying less fertilizer!
• When the proper mowing frequency is maintained, clippings filter into the turf canopy without detracting from the beauty of the lawn or increasing the thatch layer. Kentucky Bluegrass can be cut to a height of 2” in the spring and 3” during the summer months.
• Yard waste takes time and equipment to pick up, and uses valuable space at the landfill.

For more information contact the Buffalo County Extension at (308) 236-1235, or the City of Kearney Sanitation Division at (308) 233-3206 and ask about the Don’t Bag It Program.

Airport Terminal Renovation Complete

The $750,000 renovation and expansion of the Kearney Regional Airport terminal is complete, and includes numerous improvements. An additional 1,800 square feet made room for a larger secured passenger waiting area - with restrooms and vending machines, as well as additional non-secure seating and a baggage claim area. Improved traffic flow, both inside and outside, was the primary goal of the renovation and has been achieved by a small expansion and a better arrangement of spaces.

The renovation and expansion designed by Wilkins, Hinrichs and Stober was completely funded with the City’s special one-half-cent sales tax. A Public Ribbon Cutting for the renovated Terminal is scheduled for 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 19.

City of Kearney is Showcase Community

In celebration of National Community Development Week, Kearney was recognized by Governor Dave Heineman for exceptional achievements in community improvement, economic development, and intergovernmental cooperation. He awarded the Governor’s Showcase Community Award to the City on Tuesday, April 26 the State Capitol.

Developments such as the recently constructed Peterson Senior Activity Center, the new Kidzone — Kearney Area Children’s Museum, the development of Yanney Heritage Park, the new Younes Convention Center, the new Buckle distribution center and new schools among the accomplishments that helped Kearney win the award.

MyKearney Android App Released for City Suggesteions

The City of Kearney released an app for Android smart phones on Monday that can be used to submit questions, concerns, or suggestions.  The application, developed by App-Order, can be downloaded for free from the Android Market.  Citizens can take a photo, submit a voice or text message, and use GPS or manual entry to set a location for an issue.  If the citizen chooses, they may also submit their contact information to receive notifications from City staff on the status of their concern.

Citizens are encouraged to use the app to submit issues within the City, but also to submit ideas they may see in other communities that they would like to see replicated in Kearney. If you have ever been in another community and thought, ‘hey, that’s neat – Kearney should have that’ – then MyKearney is how you can let the City know about it.  This is just one more way the City of Kearney is increasing transparency and accountability.

Results from the CIP Listening Sessions

The City of Kearney recently completed forty-two (42) listening sessions requesting citizen input to identify future capital improvements. With 880 citizens participating in this process, numerous capital projects were identified. These projects were presented to the Kearney City Council on March 22. The majority of suggestions represented Park and Recreation facilities at an estimated cost of $13.4 million. The list is available for review on the City of Kearney’s web site at www.cityofkearney.org. Click on Departments, Finance, Special Sales Tax CIP, and Park & Recreation CIP Suggestions.

The Kearney City Council will continue to evaluate these projects with input from staff and advisory boards to prioritize projects. Good government happens with citizen input – thank you to the citizens of Kearney for their continued support and involvement in making Kearney a better community.

Give Your Opinion on City Projects

On February 22, 2011 the City Council will hold a public listening session on the Special 1/2¢ Sales Tax. For citizens, this is an opportunity to present a project to City Council and allow Council to consider funding a request. Since the Special 1/2¢ Sales Tax went into effect five years ago, the City has completed projects totaling more than $14 million. These projects were selected through a series of public listening sessions with 1,400 citizens and a public hearing for City Council. Projects completed include the Harmon Park Activity Center, 39th Street, Peterson Senior Activity Center, Library expansion and renovation, sidewalk ADA improvements, gravel street paving program.

The City is currently identifying projects for the next five years of Special 1/2¢ Sales Tax funding. Listening sessions with 40 organizations or interest groups have been attended by elected officials and City staff, the Council meeting on February 22 is the culmination of this citizen input. If you have ideas that you would like included, or would like to more about proposed projects and the public input process, please email cityofkearney@kearneygov.org or call 308-233-3214. And if you can’t attend the City Council meeting, you can watch it live on cable channel 6 or recorded at http://www.cityofkearney.org/.

Gas Prices Broken Down

Ever wonder why gasoline is higher in Kearney than Lincoln? Well it has nothing to do with city taxes as cities do not access taxes on gasoline. Thus, it can be frustrating if the gas at your corner station is higher than at a station in the next town, or the next state. AAA reports that Nebraska’s average fuel price of $3.217 per gallon is among the highest in the nation.

Although Nebraskans pay 45.7 cents per gallon in federal and state gas taxes, taxes here are higher than neighboring states but slightly lower than the national average – so the price shouldn’t be blamed entirely on taxes.

Gas prices are different in each state for the obvious reason that taxes vary, but more importantly may be the availability of access to a pipeline or distance from an oil refinery. Of course, we have all become increasingly aware of how national events – such as war or hurricanes – can affect prices, but local competition can also impact the price at the pump.

Of course some of the money you spend at the pump does go to the service station. While some consumers blame high prices on station markup, service stations typically add on a few cents per gallon. There's no set standard for how much gas stations add on to the price.

Kearney Regional Airport Now Landing Larger Aircraft

On January 3, the Federal Aviation Administration approved an upgrade in the status of the Kearney Regional Airport from a Class III to a Class II. The class status of an airport sets limits on the size and frequency of planes that may land. Now, as a Class II airport, planes with 31 seats or more may land at the airport. The Class status change is part of a long term strategy for improving the Kearney Regional Airport and positioning it to better serve the community and central Nebraska for business and leisure travelers and economic development. If you have questions regarding chartering a flight out of Kearney, please contact Airport Manager Jim Lynaugh at 308-234-2318.

Kearney Has Second Lowest Property Taxes in Nebraska

Today I am happy to be ranked second-to-last, and you should be too. Kearney has dropped to the bottom of the list with the second lowest property taxes among first class cities in the state. Cities are classified as first class if they have more than 5,000 population – outside of Lincoln and Omaha. Kearney residents get a great value for their money. The City is an efficient operation that has not cut services or jobs even during the ongoing recession. Citizen support for the Special ½ cent Sales Tax, reasonable periodic rate increases for services ranging from water to golf rounds, and employee acceptance of a freeze in cost of living wage increases during the recession have been instrumental in keeping property taxes low.

The City of Kearney has a property tax levy of .148870, or about 15¢ per $100 of valuation for the fourth consecutive year. On a house valued at $150,000 the City receives $225 in property taxes. This shows the value of local government to residents, the services received – streets, water, sewer, police, fire, library, and airport – are provided with a very low property tax burden.

I-80 Cherry Avenue Bypass Approved by Federal Highway Commission

On January 12, the City announced that the Cherry Avenue Bypass has been approved by the Federal Highway Commission.  This is great news for the City.  Since 1997, City officials, community organizations, and citizens have been working diligently to secure a second I-80 interchange.  After 13 years, we are on the brink of having that goal become a reality.  The State of Nebraska will bid the project for construction this spring, and work is set to begin this summer. We expect Cherry Avenue to be open for traffic from I-80 to 11^th Street in 2013.  The cost for this first phase of the project is estimated at $12 million.  The City of Kearney has committed $2 million to the total project from revenues from Keno proceeds; the remainder of the funding will come from state and federal sources.  Thank you to Senator Ben Nelson and former Representative Tom Osborne for securing a federal earmark for this project and to the citizens of Kearney who worked so tirelessly to promote the interests of the community. 

Kearney Connection Annual Newsletter

Read the City's annual newsletter the "Kearney Connection" by clicking on the title above. Included in the newsletter is an update on the TECH oNE Crossing data park, Capital Improvement Projects update, economic development update, building statistics, Park & Recreation, and Kearney Regional Airport to name a few. We believe you will find the Kearney Connection newsletter to be very informative.