.jpg)
RANDOLPH – Changing some of Randolph’s old-fashioned brick roadways into modern pavement won’t be like riding on easy street.
Randolph’s city council held its annual public hearing on its one- and six-year street improvement plans prior to its regular city council meeting last week and seven residents attended, learning that the street plan is just that – a plan.
“There’s several that really need some help. It’s just a matter of trying to prioritize and figure out what we can do with the amount of money it’s going to take to do it,” said Councilman Ted Stubbs. “It’s nice to have these ideas but then we have to figure out how to do it.”
Darin Loberg said he had hoped by scaling back the Middle Logan Creek Floodplain project and not putting in the bridge at Douglas Street, the city would’ve saved some money to apply to repairing streets.
“Those brick streets are about as big an eyesore for people coming into our town than some of the buildings are,” Loberg said. “It’s no one’s fault. They’re just worn out. They’re old. Everywhere that’s paved is pretty good.”
John Dickes, Public Works supervisor, also said bricks get in the way when the city removes snows each year.
The council agreed that rebuilding intersections at Douglas and Wayne; Douglas and Hughson; and Main and Wayne streets would be top priorities, and are listed as such in the city’s oneyear plan.
The cost estimates in the street improvement plans for these intersections are listed at $100,000 or more each but those estimates are old and will need to be updated. However, even just asking for an updated price incurs costs.
That also does not include maintenance and repair work that may be required under the street in the sewer and water systems.
“It’s never just as simple as taking off the bricks and putting in the concrete, I know that,” Stubbs said. “If you have to get down into the structures, that’s where we’re trying to figure out what we can do with what we have.”
Anyone can view the street improvement plans on the city’s website under the forms and information tab.
Josh Rayford, deputy city administrator, said other funding options would include increasing sales tax or doing a special assessment on the surrounding property owners of an updated intersection.
“I don’t think anyone wants to have that; that can be very pricey,” he said.
In other action items, the council adopted the city’s budget and also increased water and garbage rates.
The city’s budget decreased 16 percent from last year, coming in at $3.7 million with reductions in postage, sewer chemicals and insurance.
The city plans to collect $328,408 in taxes with a levy set at 65 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation. Property valuations for the city took a slight decrease overall of $400,000 when compared with last year’s numbers.
Besides property taxes bringing in revenue, the city also nets money from its utility rates.
The city approved increases to the rates for water and garbage as follows: Water: Service charge per month increased $5; the fee for 1,000-10,000 gallons increased from $1.50 to $1.75 per gallon; and for those customers using more than 10,000 gallons, the rate went up 40 cents from $2.30 to $2.70 per gallon.
Garbage: Rates increased $1 for residential, small business and business/ residential with dumpster. A business with two or three dumpsters with dumps two times a week will see a $2 increase.
Those rates go into effect Oct. 1. Although Nebraska Public Power District increased its wholesale power service costs for 2025, the city does not plan on raising electrical rates, said City Administrator Sheila Korth.
After taking 20 minutes in executive session, the city council also voted to increase Dickes’ wages to $62,400 annually.
Councilman Aaron Nielsen was absent from the meeting.
Jeri Schmit|Randolph Times
