The City of Gering has taken preliminary steps toward what would be the first infrastructure project that will use funds generated by the half-cent LB357 sales tax approved by voters in 2022.
In addition to naming new members to the Community Redevelopment Authority, the Gering City Council this week approved three members and an alternate for the Community Infrastructure Cooperative, which is the panel that will provide initial review of project proposals.
City Administrator Pat Heath explained to KNEB News how the process will work. “What we have is, we have a water project on 8th Street and 5th Street. So, we’ll be replacing that water main, and this is one that was planned as a construction project a few years back when we asked the voters to pass that tax,” said Heath. “And so, that project is coming up, and what we need to do as we need to have, for checks and balances, we set this up so that we have a committee that kind of proofs the project, looks at the project, approves a project and makes a recommendation to our CRA and City Council.”
The CRA will also be naming two members to the five-member CIC as part of the process.
Cooperative members are scheduled to review the initial project during a Feb. 4 meeting, and make a recommendation to the CRA and City Council on the 10th.