Council will consider no parking designation, city financial report

Friday, January 29, 2021
The McCook City Council may designate the north side of a section of West H near North U.S. 83, above, as no parking.
Bruce Crosby/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. — Parking concerns on a city street first brought to the McCook City Council’s attention by a city councilman will be addressed Monday night at the regular council meeting, 5:30 p.m. at city council chambers in the Municipal Building.

In July of this year, McCook City Councilman Jerry Calvin discussed his concerns about parking and traffic on West H, just off of North U.S. Highway 83. The street is located near Calvin’s residence. Specifically, Calvin noted the increase of traffic and on-street parking on the narrow street and how that could potentially become dangerous. The street is bordered by a motel on the south and an irrigation/construction company on the north, with residential areas east of that. City staff has discussed the situation with both companies.

As a consent agenda, city staff is recommending a no-parking zone designation for the north side of West H Street, off of North U.S. Highway 83, extending 400 feet to an existing alley. City staff had considered restricting parking on the south side of West H Street but were concerned that drivers would be required to make a U-turn on West H in order to park on the north side. In addition, many of those parking on West H are guests of the motel. By allowing parking on the south side of the street, guests don’t have to walk across West H, providing another level of safety, according to the city staff report.

Consent agenda items can be approved in one motion unless pulled by a city councilman, city staff, or member of the public for discussion and a separate vote.

The meeting Monday night will start off with a presentation from AMGL CPAs and Advisors, the city’s financial auditors, who will present via Zoom a review of the audit report for the year ending Sept. 20, 2020. After the presentation, the council will be asked to accept the financial statements and other information as prepared by the auditors.

The council will take up only one item for the regular agenda, setting a day and time for the council to tour city facilities.

The tour will be designated as a special meeting as a quorum will be present and as such, the meeting is open to the public. At the Jan. 18 meeting, the council was in consensus that a tour of city facilities would be beneficial. City staff has outlined some possible weekdays or Saturdays for the tour. A city transit bus could be used if the tour took place on a Saturday, but private vehicles would have to be used if it’s done on a weekday, according to the city staff report.

Other items on the consent agenda for Monday include:

-- Approve the agreement between the City of McCook Fire Department and Community Hospital of McCook to allow EMS personnel to provide emergency care in the hospital setting: The City of McCook EMS personnel operate under a licensed physician medical director or PMD. The PMD oversees training, certification, competency and overall medical direction of the department. The treatment and transport of the patient falls under the PMD approved protocols. Once the patient arrives at the medical facility, care is transferred from the EMS personnel to the provider who is working in the emergency department at the hospital. There are times when a critical patient is brought to the emergency department and the city’s fire department EMS personnel continue to assist in providing care to the patient, even aftercare has been transferred. This agreement spells out the process of assuring that the care provided falls under all current protocols and procedures as set out by the fire department and Community Hospital of McCook.

--Ratify the Memorandums of Understanding with Community Hospital of McCook for use of the City Auditorium, Emergency Water Agreement, and Transportation Agreement, executed by City Manager Nate Schneider: This memorandum of understanding is evaluated each year to determine if there is a need for modification or amendments. This agreement allows Community Hospital to use the city utilities and city auditorium during emergency situations, such as weather disasters or public emergencies. There are three agreements: the use of Memorial Auditorium, an emergency water agreement and a transportation agreement. The transportation agreement allows the city transit bus to be used to help transport ambulatory patients to the hospital in an emergency situation.

-- Approve an agreement with the McCook Humane Society that updates the Land Lease Agreement.

-- Receive and file the appointment of Kyle Dellevoet as a member of the McCook Civil Service Commission.

The public may access the meeting by utilizing the following video conference link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/2470811045, Meeting ID: 247 081 1045 Password:  69001.


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