The North Platte City Council approved a plan to expand North Platte transportation to rural areas at their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday.

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The plan, outlined in a grant application to cover some of the costs, would provide bus service from North Platte to Ogallala, with stops in Rosco, Paxton, Sutherland and Hershey three days a week.

A recent study by the city's leisure services department showed a need in rural communities to expand and provide transportation to North Platte for shopping and medical needs. The report said there was about 40 people to the west that come to North Platte regularly for medical reasons, some as often as three times a week.

But the League Association of Risk Management, which provides insurance coverage for the city, advised that the city's exposure for bodily injury is greatly increased when expanding from in-town to highway speeds.

Another study offered said that Interstate highway travel was actually safer than rural highways or city streets.

If the grant is approved it will provide assistance for a sixth-month period, from Jan. 5, 2009, through June 30, 2009. The grant would pay for 62 percent of the estimated cost of the program, with the remainder coming from fares.

Council member Jerry Stoll asked Darrel Mueller of the city’s leisure services department what would happen during the trial period if the number riders doesn’t contribute enough to cover costs.

Mueller said operations could stop at any time.

“If we go a month or two months, that’s the extent of our obligation,” Mueller said. “We won’t have to complete the entire six month trial period if it’s not successful.”

In other business, the council:

• Unanimously adopted a ordinance on first reading to annex a portion of South Bend Road into the corporate limits of the City of North Platte as well as lands owned by RT Omaha Franchise, LLC, and lands owned by Canteen Hospitality LLC.

The annexation would allow the city to develop infrastructure much easier and was requested by RT Omaha Franchise, LLC, the owner of Ruby Tuesday restaurant. Canteen Hospitality LLC also petitioned the council for the annexation.

• Tabled an ordinance on its second reading revising the general ordinances of the City of North Platte. The process of revising the general ordinances has been underway for a little more than a year and is now completed. The issue was tabled until the first meeting in February to give city administrators time to answer questions posed by council members at a council workshop.

• Suspended the rules and passed an ordinance prohibiting the addition of fluoride to the city’s water system. North Platte voters overwhelmingly rejected adding fluoride to the water with 66 percent rejecting the idea in the general election Nov. 4. The fluoride issue went down in flames with 5,623 voters against it and 2,854 voters, 34 percent, in favor.

• The council then unanimously adopted a ordinance on first reading to annex a portion of South Bend Road into the corporate limits of the City of North Platte as well as lands owned by RT Omaha Franchise, LLC, and lands owned by Canteen Hospitality LLC.

The annexation would allow the city to develop infrastructure much easier and was requested by RT Omaha Franchise, LLC, the owner of Ruby Tuesday restaurant. Canteen Hospitality LLC also petitioned the council for the annexation.

• Approved a boiler plate agreement for utilization of North Platte Fire Department’s Live Fire Burn Simulator Training Trailer by other fire service organizations.

• Approved a request to lease the Live Burn Simulator Training Trailer to the Nebraska Fire School from May 15 to 17 for $1,750 plus $35 a day meal stipend for instructors, $0.55 per mile mileage and motel rooms for three instructors.

Paul Pedersen said the Fire School would haul the trainer back and forth to and from Grand Island.

• Approved the mayor’s re-appointments of Brenda Robinson and Darrell Pueppka to the Library Board.

• Sat as the Board of Equalization and assessed the schedule for a paving district in East E Street from 2001 to 2011 East E for $29,469.37. The city’s portion is $1,318.88, the balance assessed to the property owners. The board also assessed a schedule for a paving district on Dixie Avenue from the intersection of Philip Avenue north 440 feet for $85,131.66, all of which is assessed to property owners.