City approves loan, passes ordinances

HARTINGTON — The Hartington City Council Monday approved a loan for the redevelopment of the hotel, and took care of some routine housekeeping duties.
Two city ordinances were amended as part of a process that has been ongoing to update the city codes.
Ever since the Hartington Police Department consolidated with the Cedar County Sheriff’s Department, ordinances have been updated to reflect the change. Two ordinances were amended to better define the terms “police officer” and “police chief.”
Hartington City lawyer Steve Pier looked over the city ordinances since the last meeting two weeks ago, and he found that over 150 ordinances referenced either a police officer or police chief. Since Hartington no longer has it’s own city police department but rather hosts the Cedar County Sheriff’s Department, definitions were updated so that the City Council did not need to individually amend all of those ordinances.
Ordinance No. 851 was passed to define the term “police officer” as any law enforcement officer with the Cedar County Sheriff’s Department, and the term “police chief” was defined as the Cedar County Sheriff.
Another ordinance, No. 852, was also amended that allows the City Council to meet on a day other than the second and fourth Monday of a month in case of weather or lack of a quorum, requiring the meeting to be rescheduled. If a City Council meeting is rescheduled, it is still required to follow notice requirements through the newspaper and other avenues.
The City Council unanimously approved a LB840 loan application for The Historic Hartington Hotel, LLC. The City Council approved a 20-year loan for $25,000 with a zero percent interest rate. The city also matched that $25,000 loan with a $25,000 grant.
One building permit was unanimously approved for Gerald Konken to add a garage to his house.
There was little brought up in the department reports, and the meeting was adjourned at 7:34 p.m.
Councilwoman Deb Addison was absent from the City Council meeting.