A Letter from the Council President - The Boring Truth
The Boring Truth
I decided to start writing this monthly article for the paper because I realized there needed to be information communicated from the City. I have noticed that our State and National Representatives write a monthly article and I thought it would be a good idea for the City to as well.
I’m going to start with addressing some rumors that have been shared around town. I have heard that nothing travels faster than a good rumor, and a boring truth never travels. I’m hoping that the boring truth once shared will travel.
First Rumor, The Professional fees on the City’s budget all go to the City Attorney. Nope. The Boring Truth is that it goes to multiple individuals, for example: Accountant, Attorney, Engineer, Land Surveyor, Website Services, Banking Services, Professional Consultants, and other similar types of Professional Services may be included in the Professional Services fees. All of these costs have increased over the years.
Second Rumor, The City Attorney overcharged the City and we gave her a raise to cover it up. Nope. The Boring Truth is the City Attorney raised her rates on all her clients and made a clerical error when informing us. When it was discovered the first thing she did was refund the city the overage and then ask to be compensated moving forward at the same rate as her other clients. In fact, this was reviewed by the State Auditor and no fault was found. It is appropriate to pay a professional their going rate. There isn’t anything wrong with asking to be paid what everyone else is paying you. I would like to point out that my attorney fees in 2011 were $330/hr in Des Moines for my professional contracts. Our current attorney fees of $275/hr in 2025 are one heck of a deal.
Third Rumor we ignore the big numbers because we had to find $12,163.12 in our budget this year. Nope. The Boring Truth is $4,263,992.52 is how much our Operating Budget has decreased from the 2021 budget to this year’s 2025 tax asking. We have reduced costs despite lower tax levies every year, and with inflation 20.7% higher now than it was in January 2021. We have been working to pinch pennies and save the taxpayers money every year. We didn’t just raise taxes this year, we found enough to fund next year and are going to take the question to the citizens of Grant and put it on the ballot and let them decide what programs they want to support.
There have been many attacks against the City and most recently the City Attorney. Here is where I think this all began:
I’m going to share some information that is already part of the public record in City Council meetings, and I am going to start with numbers 3, 18, and 36. One individual had 3 properties that were identified as nuisance in 2021. They asked the City for time and extensions in order to clean up their properties on their own, which we granted every month for one year. Each property had 12 extensions for a total of 36 extensions. It is the goal of the City for property owners to clear their own properties. A property that continues to be a nuisance negatively effects other properties, neighbors, and ultimately hurts the City of Grant. We contract with West Central Nebraska Development District to run our nuisance program. A property that is unable to clear on its own is then abated and West Central clears the property for the owner. Abatement is Step 18 in West Central’s program, so any property that has been abated has given the property owner ample opportunity to clean it up on their own. Since nuisance properties hurt the City of Grant, it can be said any property that is abated has reached the point of community harm.
This individual had requested and received more extensions and grace from the City than anyone else. Rather than clear their property, they got their attorney involved, which means we got our attorney involved. Ultimately, their 3 properties were abated and cleaned up by West Central in 2023
That should have been the end but instead this same individual has continued to cost the City of Grant and the taxpayers thousands of dollars every year. They have reported us to the State Auditor’s Office and Attorney General’s Office. They have dropped off over 90 public information requests since January 2025, sometimes 8 in a single day. We have to legally comply with all of these. I have seen the Attorneys bills, and after the clerical error I personally went back through every single one. The amount this individual has cost the City in the last year alone exceeds the $12,163.12 we are overbudget. This individual’s personal feud with the City has put funding at risk for the Library, Cemetery, Streets, and more. Even worse, the tax payers of Grant will have to decide what to continue supporting on next years ballot. There is more here, a lot more. I could fill a whole page, but one individual is not the story of Grant.
To me the story of Grant is all the everyday heroes that live and walk among us. Those that give of themselves and give back. People who volunteer, pay their taxes, lend a helping hand, support the schools, the community, and encourage one another. It is because of you that people who visit talk about what a nice clean town we have. They notice how safe it is and see a part of America that has been lost to so many. A place where kids still ride their bikes around town, and where people will smile and wave at complete strangers. I would rather fill a whole page of all the wonderful people who live here. You could start a list with anyone that has ever been voted Grand Marshal or Good Neighbor for the parade.
If you have been looking for an opportunity to help or volunteer, we have several openings on our boards. If one of these interests you please stop in at the City or talk to a member of the Council/Mayor. Here are the current openings: Airport Advisory Board, Board Of Adjustments, Cemetery Board, Citizens Advisory Review Board, Economic Development Committee, Housing Authority, Library Board, Planning Commission, Board Of Public Works, Tree Advisory Board.
While I was writing this article it reminded me of the times when I was a young kid riding with my Dad in our GMC on the dirt roads outside of Valentine, NE. We would listen to Paul Harvey whenever he was on and I can still remember his voice when he signed off with “Now you know the rest of the story.” Even after all these years learning the rest of the story gives me a sense of greater understanding than I had just moments before. Facts aren’t always flashy, and there may be others from the City that write this article from time to time. While we may need to dispel more rumors in the future, in the end, what we will share is the boring truth.
Sam Sims,
Grant City Council