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HARTINGTON — Anyone planning to cut into a city street curb or sidewalk, will now need to follow updated permit rules under a new ordinance approved Oct. 14 by the Hartington City Council.
The revised ordinance simplifies and clarifies how residents, contractors and utilities can obtain permission to dig into or remove sections of city paving.
It requires anyone doing this type of work — whether for a new driveway, utility repair or other reason — to first secure a written permit from the city clerk.
Before a permit is issued, the City Utilities Superintendent must inspect the location where the work will occur. The superintendent will also oversee the cutting process to ensure it’s done safely and according to city standards.
Applicants must pay a $50 permit fee and an additional $10 per square foot of pavement, curb or sidewalk that will be removed. These funds are held by the city to cover the cost of replacing the pavement if the city ends up doing the repair work. If the applicant completes the replacement, the deposit will be refunded once the work passes inspection.
The City Council will decide on a case-by-case basis whether the city or the permit holder performs the cutting and replacement work.
The updated rules take effect this week.
The Council also approved sign permits for NPPD and for Heine Electric.
A building permit for Derek Klug was also discussed. Klug wants to build a new storage shed next to his garage.
It was decided to table any action on the permit, though, until more information could be obtained.
Mayor Mark Becker said the council is going to need more information on all building permit request forms from here on out so council members know exactly what is being proposed.
'Before we issue a building permit, we are going to need to start getting a lot more information than we've been getting,' Becker said.
Also Tuesday, the Council approved a $45,000 draw-down from LB840 funds to pay Plumbing and Electric for waterline installation work they did in the new business park on the north side of Highway 84.
Council members also examined a report from the Cedar County Sheriff's Department detailing the law enforcement services provided here in September.
The Sheriff's office put in 458 hours of patrol time in September. Officers dedicated four hours specifically for school traffic. Officers also made three traffic stops, and issued two citations and one written warning. One arrest was also made here in September.
