HASTINGS, Neb. – Talks of Budget cuts got very heated Monday night at the Hastings City Council meeting, with multiple council members flat out arguing and yelling with each other and city staff because of new proposed cuts that came as a surprise during the middle of the meeting.

More than a dozen Hastings residents also made their voices heard in a public hearing with almost everyone in disapproval of the new proposed cuts that threatened to eliminate some city services.

"At least 14 recurring programs for each month will be eliminated if these hours are cut." said Hastings Public Library Director Sam Rundle. 

The city council disapproved the proposed upcoming fiscal year budget last week on a 5-3 vote, but passed a motion during the meeting to reduce the city’s tax asking, and the tax levy by just over 2%, creating a $360,522 shortfall that the city would still need to cover by cutting further spending.

After meeting with city departments last week, City Administrator Mark Funkey said he reluctantly proposed cuts to the Hastings Public Library in reducing hours and services, plus services at the Hastings Museum, and the Hastings Parks and Rec department.

"I apologize for what I'm about to present because this will anger a lot of you from the comments we heard, but this is what I was directed to do," said Funkey. "I take full responsibility for working hard with the team to meet the requirements of the levy reduction."

Proposed cuts included forcing the library to no longer be open during weekday evenings, or Saturday at all, plus the loss of Hoopla digital checkout service. The Hastings Aquacourt would not have opened until June 1 next year, and closed an hour earlier each day. The Hastings Museum would lose an open part-time position, showing of Hollywood movies, and additional funding.

The surprise came to the council and crowd after city council President Steve Huntley introduced a one page paper on separate budget cuts created by him with the input of some other city council members that didn’t include any of Funkey’s proposed cuts.

However that document wasn’t made public before the meeting with citizens in the crowd demanding to see these proposals, and Funkey berated Huntley for these last minute changes that weren’t presented to city staff beforehand.

"Why would you go through and do this when I had my staff working extra hours the whole week to put together what you all demanded of me last Monday night? That is absolutely ridiculous." said Funkey. 

Mayor Jay Beckby and other council members said they weren’t included or notified of this budget proposal by Huntley.

"I wasn't called. I wasn't talked to." said Beckby. 

Huntley said alongside him, he had input from council members Mike Anderson, Brad Consbruck, Larry Consbruck, and Marc Rowan not in a formal meeting, but in casual conversations over the phone.

After cooler heads prevailed, Ward 4 member Matt Fong proposed diverting the original amount of $750,000 in the city budget towards a new jet hangar at the Hastings Municipal Airport into the amount of $375,000 over two years in the budget.

Council members and city staff discussed before deciding they were in favor of using that to satisfy the $360,522 shortfall instead of cutting the previously proposed valuable city services.

Mayor Beckby encouraged council members to better communicate with city staff to avoid serious spats like this happening in future budget proposals.

I've heard several mentions made tonight that we're not budget experts up here, and I think we've shown that," said Beckby. "I would like to introduce my council to 12 budget experts out here in front of you... It's called your city staff, and I suggest in the future when we come to budgets, let's use them."

The council voted in favor of passing the amended budget 7-1 with the cuts to the airport of $375,000, plus additional cuts of $18,000 for removal of credit card fees, and an additional $15,000 in cuts to operations in the city administration department.

Marc Rowan was the lone dissenter of the new changes. 

The city of Hastings can now present their proposed budget to the state before the Sept. 30 deadline, with the new fiscal year beginning on Oct. 1.