Mayor Deb VanMatre State of the City Report

STATE OF THE CITY REPORT – MAYOR DEB VANMATRE – NOVEMBER 25, 2024

Having come to the end of our fiscal year, as well as my term of office, I wanted to take this opportunity to address the council and public on our many accomplishments and where we stand going forward.

You’ve probably all heard the metaphor of the frog and water.  The scenario is that a frog would leap away if put into a pan of hot water, but if the water is heated gradually, it won’t notice until it is too late. The gist is that it is easy to miss small changes that build up over time and it usually has a negative connotation.  However, the opposite is also true.  Positive changes can happen in the same way, adding up over time without us realizing it. 

I recently had the opportunity to take a group of elected officials on a tour of our city, many from communities much larger than ours.  In preparation, I thought about what to include on the tour that would be of interest to them as well as what changes have occurred over the past 12 years. You’re invited to mentally come along on that tour.

To our east you will notice improvements which have been made to the Legion Ball fields, and as we leave the parking lot and look south, you’ll see Clevenger’s.  Turning north, we’ll pass the day care and chiropractor and then we’ll pass the nine soon to be ten new homes on Turkey Drive.  As we approach Pine Street, you’ll be reminded of the annexation and improvements made to 8th Street.  Going north, you will pass the new swimming pool, including the addition of playground equipment and other amenities. Next, we’ll enter Rosen Park where improvements include new lights and a walking track along with other improvements to our soccer fields.  Looking across the fields is Rasmussen Mechanical’s regional office and Cargill, both having made significant investments in their Gibbon facilities.

As we head back to Court Street, you’ll notice the 12 new homes which were built on the previous school property. Twelve years ago there were two, which were for sale along with 16 other properties in town. In addition to the two sub-divisions, there have been many other homes built on individual lots.

Moving toward downtown, the Heritage Center board has continued to make improvements both inside and out, and the property was approved by the Department of the Interior for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.  They also led the City’s 150th celebration.  Across the street is our library, which was recognized as a Scholastic Top Library.  They continue to add quality programming for all ages. Moving on, you’ll notice Pioneer Park, which has also had new equipment installed in addition to being the home to our Christmas in the Park community celebration.

Along with changes in ownership for Adam’s, Hamilton, Pistoleros and the Food Pantry, many of our businesses on LaBarre and Front Street have made significant investments and improvements both inside and out.  Gibbon Insurance, Exchange Bank, Dynamic T’s, Rise and Grind, Axes, Central Nebraska Cremation and Burmoods to point out a few. The Community Beautification Foundation was established last year, added flowers this summer with plans for more projects moving forward.

Moving on to Highway 30, Gibbon Packing has made and will continue to make considerable investments in their plant.  They have also been a great partner in providing funding for several community projects through the Rosen Foundation.  

As we go past Davis Park, you’ll see numerous updates to playground equipment and the baseball field, and additions of disc golf and pickle ball.

Returning to Highway 30 you will see numerous new businesses and improvements.  A change in the entry point for Gibbon Packing, Triple S, Bond’s building which includes Lucky Duck and Railside, Casey’s, Kwik Stop addition, Dollar General and Froth and Fizz. 

There have been many changes within the city limits, but you’ll also find numerous improvements at the cemetery including the new directory and at the municipal golf course, which added to our quality-of-life options and brings in many golfers from out of town.

Before we finish our tour, there are other aspects of leadership and city government that I want to point out.  Administratively, we have updated our zoning, sub-division and municipal codes, employee handbook, comprehensive plan, strategic plan and website; gone paperless and streamlined our agenda for council meetings; participated with the UNL Rural Fellows; became a Leadership Certified Community and received recognition for our Excellence in Economic Impact by the Economic Development Council of Buffalo County.

In my opinion the main function of local government boils down to infrastructure, safety and quality-of-life.  During our tour we’ve seen the focus we have had on the latter.  As far as infrastructure is concerned, we’ve made improvements to our streets, most notably Gibbon Road and the Cargill crossing.  We have made considerable investment and improvements to our wastewater treatment plant. 

We live in a safe community, where I was once told parking and barking were our main concerns.  Not to take it lightly, but we are fortunate with the coverage provided by the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office and our relationship with their personnel.  

We’ve added recycling at no cost to our residents.  We’ve made changes at the request of local businesses, such as changes to our alcohol sales days and times to compete with the interstate businesses, and voter approved Keno which was of mutual benefit to businesses and the city.

Speaking of voter approval, we want to return to our tour, and to the downtown area.  Thanks to their approval, we were able to provide our volunteer firefighters with updates and additions to the firehall that were greatly needed, including new bays, personal facilities and other improvements both interior and exterior. 

To finish our tour, we will return to where started, which is here.  While not in the original plan, the acquisition of this facility provided another asset for our community.  The price was right, and along with the grants and donations, we were able to provide community space for nonprofit organizations, room for other meetings and celebrations, along with a city office and council room which will meet our needs for years to come.

While there are so many positives, we all know that we have faced many challenges as well.  Two hailstorms, two floods, two fires, two train derailments, COVID-19 and the supply issues and increased costs that followed, and changes in administrative personnel. 

Despite this, we have prevailed, succeeded and excelled.  While city government and staff are not responsible for everything I’ve pointed out, none of this would have happened if we weren’t a great place to live and do business, and none of this would be possible without the support of the citizens of Gibbon, the volunteers on our city boards and commissions, our council leadership, our city officials and our employees.  My personal thanks go out to Matt and Pam, as well as Susan and Barry.  It has been my pleasure to work with all of you.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your mayor for the last 12 years. This completes 40 years of community and public service to my hometown in a variety of roles. It is time for new leadership, and it is reassuring to know that our city is in good hands to continue our path forward. There will still be challenges, but we are in a good place, and I have confidence in the leadership Mayor-Elect Leon will provide along with the expertise of our city administration.

Remember the frog?  If you’re like me, the changes have been gradual, but it’s good to know that we continue to get better each and every day.

Thank you!

Mayor Deb