Lincoln City Council and new fiscal year budget off to a good start        

[MAY 24, 2005]  Two new aldermen have begun their tenure on the Lincoln City Council with the start Lincoln's new fiscal year. Daron Whittaker from Ward 3 and Wanda Lee Rohlfs from Ward 4 have taken their positions as first-time aldermen. They were sworn in with incumbents Marty Neitzel, Kathy Horn, Benny Huskins and Verl Prather at the May 2 council session.

Horn was elected to finish out the two years remaining in a Ward 2 position. She first received the position by appointment in August 2004, replacing Steve Fuhrer when he stepped down due to work demands.

Retiring Aldermen Glenn Shelton, Ward 4, and Dave Armbrust, Ward 3

Mayor Beth Davis, now in her second term, reappointed Fire Chief Robert "Bucky" Washam, Police Chief Robert "Bob" Rawlins and Streets Superintendent Tracy Jackson. Les Last was reappointed as buildings and code enforcement officer and Bill Bates as city attorney.

Melanie Riggs, the city clerk, and Lester "Les" Plotner, the city treasurer, were also re-sworn into their offices.

The council is working with a healthier budget than in several years past. The May 1, 2005-April 30, 2006, budget approved $13,208,062 before transfers and $9,111,157 after transfers.

The Elm Street renovation tops the major projects brought back into the budget this year. Other infrastructure upgrades include an overlay on Broadway Street and Brainard's Bridge maintenance. A total of $1,122,573 is budgeted for that infrastructure.

Motor fuel tax will be used to install a traffic signal at the Woodlawn intersection with the Goody's plaza and Coy's Car Corner.

Other major upgrade and repair expenses slated this year, for traffic signal repairs and maintenance, are budgeted at $805,500.

The amount of $118,852 is set aside for the brownfields grant process.

The usual $30,000 is set aside for the sidewalks. Some years there is money left over in the sidewalks fund. However that has not been the case the last two years. The summer was not over last year when sidewalk requests were considered only if the walks met a newly set criteria as "hazardous." All other petitioners were asked to re-petition in the new fiscal year.

About 11 curb and eleven sidewalk repair petitions have come pouring in since the start of May. Perhaps some of those were just patiently waiting leftovers filing again.

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