January 14th, 2026
CITY COUNCIL
January 14, 2026 Louisville, NE
A meeting of the City Council of the City of Louisville was held on January 14 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. Present were Mayor Rod Petersen, Council Members Jerry McClun, Paul Pankonin, Justin Barnes, and Jamion Biesterfeld. Also, present were City Attorney Roger Johnson, Public Works Director Joel Jones and guests. Mayor Petersen stated that the Open Meetings Act is posted at the rear of the room and a copy of all meeting materials is available with the clerk.
Notice of the regular meeting was given in advance thereof by posting in three (3) public places as shown by the certificate attached to these minutes. Notice was simultaneously given to all council members. Their acknowledgement of receipt of notice and the agenda is attached to these minutes. All proceedings thereafter were taken while the convened meeting was open to the public.
Mayor Petersen called the meeting to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was said. Biesterfeld moves, Pankonin seconds to approve the consent agenda. Roll call vote: ayes – Biesterfeld, Pankonin, McClun; nays – none. Motion carried.
Dean Helmick, a candidate for Nebraska District 2 Legislature, introduced himself to Council and distributed some feedback that he gathered while door-knocking in Louisville.
City administration is working with the library on gaining a better understanding of their finances and reporting.
Kevin Albert reported for LBPA. Some items discussed: Registration is out for baseball, they are working on new uniforms, and significant field maintenance is being performed before the season begins.
Joel Jones updated Council on the city-owned Southridge turnaround lot and the lift station that is currently on a resident’s property. They are having trouble obtaining a survey, but Joel did receive another contact that he will try to work with. The homeowner is open to working on a solution that puts the lift station back on city property. Joel plans to have a survey by the next meeting.
Joel Jones spoke about ArcGIS, a software service that allows cities to digitally map and update different utilities and locations in the city. The city would use this software to map shutoff valves and mains, as well as signage and other points of interest for city maintenance. This tool would provide information that will be hard to access while Joel is deployed, as he would be able to transfer his knowledge of the city’s utilities onto the software. After much discussion, Pankonin moves, Biesterfeld seconds to move forward with the purchase of ArcGIS software pending review by the attorney. Roll call vote: ayes – Biesterfeld, Pankonin, McClun; nays – none. Motion carried.
Since the sale of the Louisville Care Center, a few delinquent accounts were inherited by the City. City administration is looking for guidance on how to handle them. After some discussion, the city will treat them the same as any other delinquent account.
The owner of 106 Main St, a now vacant lot, has approached the city about possibly selling his property. Joel will continue to work with him on what that would look like, and he will have more information at a future meeting.
At last month’s meeting, Council voted to forfeit the $30,000 Cass County Tourism grant for sidewalk improvements at N Main St due to the timing of the project. Cass County Tourism has since given the city an extension for project completion which would push the deadline back to October of 2027. Joel feels this is sufficient time, and it will give the city the opportunity to fundraise and collect further grants for the project. Barnes moves, McClun seconds to accept the grant deadline extension and move forward with the N Main St improvements following Joel’s return from deployment. Roll call vote: ayes – Biesterfeld, Pankonin, McClun; nays – none. Motion carried.
Joel Jones presented ideas for a new location for the State Champs sign that currently sits at the corner of N Main St and Highway 50. There are currently two signs at the aforementioned intersection, both of which would need refurbishing soon. The city would like the Welcome to Louisville sign and the State Champs sign to have their own respective prominence and visibility, so the location suggestions from Joel and other residents include the newly constructed Eastwood Dr and Highway 66 intersection, the intersection of E 2nd St and Highway 66, and the South entrance of Louisville High School. Joel will research the cost of moving and refurbishing the sign and present his findings at a future meeting.
Joel Jones met with both NDOT, who will be managing the construction of the Highway 66 connection, and the homeowner who is affected by a possible utility relocation on W 5th St. The water main will be moved at the cost of the state, but the sanitary sewer main in that area has historically caused issues for the homes on that street, and when the Highway 66 connection is complete, it will be buried under more than fifteen feet of dirt. The city will need to camera the sewer to determine if repairs are necessary before the line is buried further, but it is possible that the results of the scoping would require the movement of the line as a whole. JEO has written an agreement that outlines the state’s costs of the water line relocation and the city’s potential costs of sanitary sewer line relocation. McClun moves, Biesterfeld seconds to have the line at W 5th St scoped prior to construction of the Highway 66 connection to determine if any repair or relocation is necessary. Roll call vote: ayes – Biesterfeld, Pankonin, McClun; nays – none. Motion carried. McClun moves, Barnes seconds to approve the agreement written by JEO that details the engineering needed for the water line relocation and the potential sanitary sewer line relocation. Roll call vote: ayes – Biesterfeld, Pankonin, McClun; nays – none. Motion carried.
Joel Jones reported for Streets/Water/Wastewater. Some items discussed: Joel and the Mayor met with the owners of the parking lot North of City Hall about the possible sale of their lots to the city. The lightpole at the South corner of the Taylor Quik Pik gas station was struck and knocked down for the third time, so Joel is working on a different solution for that area. The city purchased a vibratory roller attachment for the skid steer which will help with dirt compaction and concrete work. The replacement Heliseive for the Wastewater Treatment Facility that was ordered several months ago has arrived and is awaiting installation. The city finished construction of a break room for Public Works Employees that live too far to take lunch at home, and the morale boost it has created has been refreshing for the team.
Written sheriff, fire, and rescue reports were circulated.
An internal audit was conducted verifying checks to invoices by the council members.
McClun moves, Biesterfeld seconds to approve Resolution 2026-01; Federal Mileage Reimbursement 2026. Roll call vote: ayes – Biesterfeld, Pankonin, McClun; nays – none. Motion carried.
Mayor Petersen adjourned the meeting at 8:36 p.m.
I, the undersigned clerk, hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the proceedings had and done by the Mayor and City Council of Louisville. To the best of my knowledge, the agenda was kept continually current and available for public inspection; and the minutes were in written form and available for public inspection within 10 working days. The minutes are published in summary form. Upon request a complete copy is available at City Hall.
Tava Tomanek-Powell, City Clerk