Mayor Hergott steps down due to relocation

Hebron Mayor Randall Hergott will vacate the City’s leadership seat this week after moving from the city limits to rural Thayer County. Hergott was serving a second term as mayor and finished out three and one-half years of the term. In his first go-round, he served from 1990-2002.

In its regular session June 7, Hergott made the announcement to the city council stating his address would change June 15. Council president Larry Fangmeier moves into the mayoral seat this week.

According to city policy, Fangmeier’s succession vacates his city council position which must be filled according to city ordinance provisions and Nebraska law. Fangmeier, who is not running for the mayoral seat in the upcoming election, will serve as mayor through December when a newly elected official will take over. 

Once Fangmeier officially notifies the city council that his seat has been vacated, he has four weeks to submit the name of a qualified elector to fill the balance of the unexpired term. The council will pass final approval of the name, and if they do not reach a majority vote, Fangmeier will need to submit another individual for consideration. This process continues until the vacancy is filled. Anyone replacing Fangmeier will also fulfill his committee appointments.

Once the new mayor is established in January, Fangmeier will move back into his city council position.

Once Hergott’s announcement of resignation was made, the council turned to transition issues, more or less summarizing active jobs under Hergott’s leadership. Ongoing street repairs were discussed as well as sewer projects, public nuisances and the purchase of real estate.

In the real estate transaction, the city will buy a house south of the firehall for $13,000. HVFD volunteers will tear down the structure as well as clean up the dead trees and debris and turn the property into a parking lot for the fire department.

Also, the council approved the Hebron Airport Authority’s purchase of property from the Hebron Country Club. The Authority will expand the airport borders to prepare for a bigger runway to accommodate larger aircraft. 

In discussion of ongoing issues, the council asked Hergott if he would be willing to stay involved in the Rock Island Trail project. Former mayor Pat Kenner stayed with the first phase of the project until it was finished following his resignation as mayor. 

Hergott said he would be willing to stay on board and the council has agreed to make him the project manager. He will be appointed at the July meeting. Currently, the City is far enough along in the planning stage to proceed on the trail part of phase two. The City of Hebron’s Rock Island Trail project received a grant from Nebraska Game and Parks of approximately $50,000 to be split in two successive years. The grant is part of the Recreational Trails Program. 

In December 2009, the City received $500,000 from the Nebraska Department of Roads. That money is for a pedestrian bridge along the Rock Island Trail spanning the Little Blue River. City leaders entered into an interlocal agreement with the county for a “responsible charge person” (RCP), a requirement of the grant. The RCP for Thayer County is George Gerdes and he will assist the city with financial management, paperwork and direct contact with federal government agencies such as the Nebraska Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Environmental Quality. 

In final business the council agreed to renew the law enforcement contract with the Thayer County Sheriff’s Department. The contract is unchanged from last year.