BEATRICE – Beatrice City officials have put in place an economic development plan beginning in 2023, approved recently by voters during the May Primary Election. The program uses part of the city’s local sales tax and will allow up to $300,000 annually for use in economic development over a six-year period.


"March 2023 to April of 2029...we wanted to make sure we added all of the new qualifying businesses in our economic development plan. It's mainly just to catch up to the statute and add all of those in there. Now that we've had certification from the Election Commissioner, we can now go ahead and adopt this, on our end", said Beatrice City Attorney Taylor Rivera.


The economic development ballot question was approved by voters in the Primary, by a margin of 1,700-to-1,214. (58%-42%)


In other action Monday night, the Beatrice City Council approved the sale of ten lots of property in the Gage County Industrial Park, to D2 Strategic Development Fund, LLC. Rivera says the price on the lots located east and south of the Zephyr Towers business was $210,000.


"The developer here is proposing to essentially just have a logistics and distribution center."  The name of the business that would operate at the site has not been disclosed. The transaction will close in about ninety days. The sale of property was approved by the city council, on a 7-0 vote.


Another agreement involves land on the northeast corner of Sixth and Sargent Street….where a new car wash is being planned…on property acquired by VIA Real Estate LLC, of Wyoming. City Attorney Rivera says the agreement involves where future access to the site would be located.


It would require the developer to install an access to the property off Sargent Street closer to Sixth Street and remove a current drive farther east on Sargent at the developer’s expense, within one year after completion of the new access.