Peru Council Passes Fireworks Ordinance, Launches Water Meter Audit

The Peru City Council passed a fireworks ordinance and authorized a citywide water meter audit during Mayor Theresa Westfall's first regular council meeting as Mayor on July 21, with new council member Julia Perry also taking Westfall’s seat on the council. Her appointment was approved and she took the oath of office in a special meeting on July 2. Perry will serve the remainder of the unexpired term until December of 2028.
The council voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance 2026-07, which establishes permitted days and times for fireworks use within city limits. The measure came in response to complaints from residents following the Fourth of July holiday.
Westfall said the ordinance is modeled after regulations used by the city of Auburn and carries a $500 fine for violations.
The council suspended its normal rules to allow the ordinance to be introduced and passed at the same meeting.
Water billing audit underway
Westfall also announced a comprehensive audit of all water customer accounts, citing ongoing discrepancies between physical meter readings and what has been entered into the city's billing system.
"I think the best, most responsible thing to do is to go forward with a complete customer audit," Westfall said.
Staff will create record cards for each water customer and photograph every meter alongside the card to verify that readings match billing system entries. 
Westfall said some customers have likely been overbilled on both water and sewer charges due to inflated reads that were never corrected. Credits will be issued to affected accounts. She encouraged anyone who believes their bill has been incorrect to contact City Hall if they have not already done so.
No resolution has yet been made in the outstanding water billing issue discrepancy with Peru State College mentioned in past articles.
FEMA paperwork concerns flagged
The Finance Committee report revealed significant issues with the city's outstanding FEMA and Nebraska Emergency Management Agency reimbursement projects.
The city received an email early this month stating that quarterly reports for January through March and April through June had not been received, with a submission deadline of July 7. An extension to July 10 was granted. Thirteen projects remain open, with documentation still required before reimbursement can be processed.
Westfall said the mayor and finance chair spent approximately four hours attempting to reconcile prior reports with existing paperwork before submitting the June 30 quarterly report.
Four of the outstanding projects are North End street projects that must be rebid. A 15th project involves potential reimbursement for grant management expenses. The city is also working to obtain documentation from the contractor who installed street lights to satisfy a separate grant's requirements.
Infrastructure and other action
The council approved the purchase of two 4-inch fire hydrants for locations at Fifth and California streets and west of TJ Majors, near the daycare facility. Westfall said the hydrant at Fifth and California had previously been a 6-inch unit requiring an expensive reducer, and that the aging hydrant near TJ Majors has been leaking. Arban Excavation was approved to install the hydrant near TJ Majors at a cost of $2,000, consistent with recent installation rates.
The council also approved Arban Excavation to replace a faulty valve at Fifth and California. Work is planned for after 9 p.m. to limit disruption to water service. Westfall said city maintenance staff will be present during the project to learn the process.
Nemaha County has notified the city of plans to install drainage tubing on the county road east of California Street, where erosion has been washing water and gravel onto city streets. The county road runs north of the cemetery toward Oregon and California streets. A resident expressed concern about how much water would be diverted onto adjacent private property. Westfall said the county has also committed to restoring any sidewalk disturbed during the project and plans to contact the foundation overseeing the city's sidewalk fund.
The council approved a permit for Kinetic to bury a fiber line at 817 Second St. within the city right-of-way.
Appointments and resignations
The council unanimously accepted the resignation of Jill Hardy from the Board of Health and approved four mayoral appointments: Janet Hope and Karen Tarquin as members of the Planning and Zoning Commission for three-year terms, Ken Hastings as an alternate member of the Planning and Zoning Commission and Miranda Decker as a member of the Board of Health.
Budget and staffing
Westfall announced that former clerk Traci Riehle has been brought back to fill the deputy clerk position following the resignation of the previous deputy clerk and grant coordinator, Mary Williams. A maintenance supervisor position remains unfilled as Donald Roberts resigned as well.
Westfall also shared that a Red Cross Blood Drive is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25, at Peru City Hall.