Hello, neighbors!

The videos for the Budget Meeting and Board Meeting have been posted and can be found by clicking here. 

It is election season. As such, it was requested by our local candidates that this be shared for ease of access. 

Make sure you get out and vote!

It would seem that once again, tragedy has befallen the Village of Alvo’s community. After following the Village of Alvo Board of Trustee and clerk’s request Village of Alvo Planning and Zoning Commission has been wrongfully and questionably dissolved. The Board of Trustees states the reason as being “interfering with building permits and the position of the Zoning Administrator, and trying to enforce ordinances which is the duty of Board of Trustees.” For those who may not be aware, the Village Planning and Zoning Commission is a volunteer committee, tasked with the duty of ensuring that Village of Alvo Planning and/or Zoning regulations are followed. The Commission is enacted through Nebraska State Statute 19-901 and then put into place through the Village of Alvo Ordinances.

Below are screen shots from the conversation as it started and was later continued in the Planning and Zoning Committee Meeting on September 22, 2022. That video is located here. 

It was due to the Board of Trustees and clerk’s demands to follow regulations that were not correct that the Village of Alvo was threatened to be sued by the individual who was not initially following Alvo Planning and Zoning regulation. 

Rather than owning their mistake, the clerk and Board of Trustees point the blame at individuals who told them it was the wrong process from the beginning. 

Former Planning and Zoning Committee members had this to say:

“I spent over 2 hours discussing the issue with Devon Sullivan and then he wasn’t even present at the meeting”, said Karen Morgan. Cathina Schueth questions the legality of the Board of Trustee’s actions as she states, “It’s state statute and Village of Alvo Ordinance that enacts the Commission, members can be removed from the committee but dissolving it as a whole technically implies that the village does not have any zoning regulations as the state statutes requires it. I’d love to see the Board of Trustees follow the laws, rules, and regulations set in place just once.” Former president Nathan Jordan included, “It’s such a sad thing to see individuals actually trying to help Alvo, volunteering their time at zero cost, to be thrown under the bus by the Board of Trustees and the clerk. It causes many, myself included, to question if they truly have the Village of Alvo’s community in their best interests.”

Let the record show that the Planning and Zoning Commissions Committee members had been in their roles for almost 2 years now, some members for years longer, without issues until the Board and the clerk intervened. When the Committee was first gathered in the beginning, Cathina did ask that the new committee be allowed to join the Nebraska Planning and Zoning Association for formal training at a cost of $35 a year. The Board denied her request. What is more, it is disappointing that the role the Village of Alvo Zoning Administrator played as there was never any sort of engagement or interaction between him or the Planning and Zoning Committee, even to this day. 

As a candidate for the Board of Trustees, I would just like to remind everyone that you do have a voice in this little village that we all call home. Please, speak up and make your opinions heard.