Deena Winter: Who, me? Shop at Wal-Mart?

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Two readers have reported Mayor Seng sightings at Wal-Mart in recent weeks. I had no idea why.

So I asked the mayor why people feel a need to tell me they’ve seen her there. Did she make some public pronouncement to the contrary?

She said they’re most likely referring to her comment on a radio show that she tries to do most of her shopping at mom-and-pops. But she never said she NEVER shops at Wal-Mart or its Sam’s Club warehouse. Indeed, every year around the holidays she drops a load of dough at Sam’s Club to buy supplies for an annual gathering. Which is precisely where one of our readers spied her.

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Coleen Seng’s shopping habits are under the spotlight since she threatened to veto a northeast Lincoln development that included a Wal-Mart Supercenter. She said the big box store was too big for that particular area, which is designated in the city’s development guide as a neighborhood center. The city and developer are trying to work out a compromise.

Developers want more time

The developers interested in buying the city’s K Street storage warehouse have asked for more time to respond to the city’s counter-offer.

In May, Katie Halperin and Matt Maude of Heathrow Development offered to buy the building for $5 million. The City Council approved a potential sale, but with a pile of amendments that amounted to a counter-offer.

Then the council realized it didn’t include a deadline for Heathrow to respond. Last week council members got antsy about that, and Heathrow promised to reply this week.

But according to a letter sent to the mayor by Heathrow’s attorney, Kent Seacrest, they need to have more meetings and would like until Jan. 30 to respond.

Take this ordinance and table it

Later this month, Mayor Seng will ask the City Council to consider legislation that would ban high-risk sex offenders from moving within 1,000 feet of Lincoln’s elementary and middle schools.

But she will also ask the council to table the legislation. So what’s the point? That’s what Councilman Jon Camp wanted to know.

He asked why the city should delay approving the legislation to see whether state lawmakers tackle the issue, as the mayor wishes. The mayor’s chief of staff, Mark Bowen, said Seng wants to put lawmakers on notice that if they don’t pass a uniform standard for Nebraska, Lincoln is prepared to take action.

Tax cuts will hit Lincoln coffers

Lincoln is already looking at a $6.8 million budget gap this year, and if the governor’s tax cut plan goes through, the city will lose out on another $1.3 million, according to the city’s budget officer.

Steve Hubka recently told the City Council that, according to his estimates, the city would take a

$1.3 million hit if Gov. Dave Heineman’s proposed sales tax cut is approved by lawmakers. Sen. David Landis’ alternative proposal to cut in half the annual fees for cars and trucks would translate into a $2.2 million annual hit for Lincoln, Hubka estimates.

First of new fire trucks arrives

The first of the city’s seven new fire trucks arrived in Lincoln last week and is now being outfitted with its equipment (nozzles, axes, ladders, radios, lettering and striping, etc.).

It could be out on the streets as soon as next week.

Dennis Klein, chief of maintenance for the fire department, said the next half dozen trucks should arrive at a rate of one every couple of weeks. It takes eight to 10 days to mount the equipment, he said.

EDM Equipment of Lincoln won the much-sought-after bid of nearly $2 million. The trucks were built in Florida.

The trucks were originally scheduled to arrive in November. Fire Chief Mike Spadt said a couple of change orders pushed the delivery date back. He traveled to Florida in late December and got a look at all seven of the E-1 trucks.

“I’m tickled pink,” he said.

Quote of the week

“It was fascinating reading if you’ve got nothing better to do.”

— Councilman Dan Marvin, on a 300-page report he read about flood plain mapping.

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.