City moves closer to refilling open police officer post

    An Enders man who moved to the area in 2020 is on track to become Imperial’s newest police officer.
    While he’s still undergoing the testing and other requirements for police work, a wage ordinance including Dave Ripley’s $47,500 salary was approved at Monday night’s city council meeting.
    Ripley and his wife Lori moved to Enders in August 2020. He is currently non-certified for police work in Nebraska so will begin classes at the Law Enforcement Training Center in Grand Island in August.
    Police Chief Ryan Wisnieski said Ripley will finish certification training in late December, when he will go on full-time duty. Per new state law, he will be unable to do any police work until he is certified.
    The Ripleys operate Good Life Gun Training and RipStripes, a pinstripe artistry business, in Enders. He also works part-time as a county dispatcher at the sheriff’s office.
    Ripley replaces officer Jose Ruiz, who worked for the city eight months, resigning in May to return to Kimball where he was hired police chief. Ruiz had worked in Kimball as a police officer prior to the family’s move to Imperial.
    In related action, the council made some changes in the ordinance dealing with police sign-on bonuses.
    The change lengthens by six months the time before a newly-hired officer receives the second half of his/her bonus.
    According to the ordinance, non-certified individuals hired by the police department receive a $5,000 signing bonus while officers already certified receive $10,000. Those figures did not change.
    As before, they receive half of the bonus up front when hired, with the second half paid after 12 months of employment. Before, officers had to work six months before the second half was paid.
    Former officer Ruiz received his full $10,000 bonus because he had worked the required six months in the previous ordinance.
Nuisance update
    Council members and Mayor Craig Loeffler heard an update on the city’s nuisance program from Samantha Redfern of West Central Nebraska Development District.
    She reported via zoom that 36 properties were cleared after the courtesy letter went out to owners, and 29 of them were removed from the nuisance declaration list Monday.
    Three extensions were given, while five new properties were declared nuisances, 16 properties will be abated of the nuisance and 11 others will be posted of their nuisance status and reviewed again in August, she said.
    Redfern said there is one property of concern after their July review because of its safety and hazardous situation. She felt it could be more of a Board of Health issue.
    Building Inspector/Zoning Officer Nick Schultz said he’s met with the occupants several times about the nuisance concerns. He plans to visit with the occupants and/ or owner again to see if some of the safety issues have been abated, adding he’s told them to be code-compliant that the improvements needed would not be cost-effective in his opinion.
    The property is a trailer house in Capital Mobile Court.
    In other action, the council adopted a zoning change from ag to large lot residential requested by Blake and Darcy Moreland regarding property east of Imperial on which they plan to build a home.
    An agreement between the city and WCNDD for administration of the Rural Workforce Housing Fund was approved. WCNDD was awarded a $1 million state grant for housing development in Imperial. The program will offer low-interest loans to contractors who meet eligibility requirements and will build homes in Imperial. Those homes will not have income restrictions on the purchasers.
    In approval of the new wage ordinance, the council also upped salaries for two public works employees and for CNAs at Imperial Manor/Parkview-Heights.
    In other business, Eric McDaniel was appointed to the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska board as the city’s alternate, replacing former council member Chad Yaw. Public Works Supt. Pat Davison is the city’s voting member.
    In his report, Supt. Davison said a 7 to 7:30 a.m. electrical power outage was scheduled Wednesday this week for city customers so some of the city’s power supply could be switched over from Highline Electric to SW Public Power.
    The use of power from those suppliers was necessitated when a breaker was broken at the city’s transfer station during repairs after heavy rains, he said. He’s unsure when the breaker will be replaced.