Current city jurisdiction laws cause headaches for some property owners

McCOOK, Neb. — The City of McCook Building Inspector is hoping the new proposed city jurisdiction lines will eliminate confusion among property owners.

“We’re hoping this will clear up things for the county and for us,” Barry Mooney said, with the current two-mile city jurisdiction lines creating real issues. Mooney said there were rural property owners with half their homes located inside the county jurisdiction, the other half in the city’s.

The city’s revised jurisdiction lines were approved unanimously on second reading by the McCook City Council Monday night. Instead of the city’s jurisdiction radiating in a circle outside city limits, it will follow section, half section and quarter section lines and along established county roads.

The proposed jurisdiction lines does not include additional property for the city, said McCook City Nate Schneider at a previous council meeting. The proposed map has been examined by Red Willow County officials who support the requested change, he said. If the map is approved by the city council on its third and final reading, it will go before the Red Willow County Planning Commission and then to the Red Willow County commissioners for approval.

City officials are in the process of drafting an interlocal agreement with the county for the city to keep building code jurisdiction for the Calabria subdivision, Schneider said Monday night.

Per the subdivision agreement between Calabria’s developer and the City of McCook, the city has provided building code services/inspections to the residents of Calabria since its inception. By continuing to do so, it keeps the City of McCook in compliance with the subdivision agreement, according to the city manager’s report.

The Calabria subdivision is outside city limits but within the two mile city jurisdiction.

City Councillor Janet Hepp was absent from Monday’s meeting. At the close of the meeting, Councilman Jerry Calvin expressed condolences to the family of Dale Fahnholz. Fahnholz, formerly of McCook, was a state patrol officer of Kearney, Neb., who passed away suddenly and was known to many residents of McCook, Calvin said. Mayor Mike Gonzales cited Donald Lepper, a firefighter of Indianola, Neb., who passed away recently in the line of duty and whose funeral drew more than 100 firefighters from across the region.