Auburn is the county seat of Nemaha County, one of the eight original counties in the Nebraska Territory. Auburn is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 75 (north and south) and U.S. Highway 136 (east and west) in the center of the county. Interstate 29 is 15 miles east of Auburn and Interstate 80 is 60 miles north of Auburn.

Auburn Development Committee
Promoting Economic Development in Nemaha County
Yolanda Peck

TRANSPORTATION

Auburn is serviced by Union Pacific Railroad (Kansas City to Council Bluffs) with six freight trains daily or 42 per week. Amtrak service is available from Omaha which is approximately 63 miles North of Auburn. Commercial airline service is available at Omaha's Eppley Airfield, 63 miles North of Auburn, and Lincoln Municipal Airport, 67 miles Northwest of Auburn.

The Auburn Municipal Airport, located three miles east of the intersection of U.S. Highways 75 and 136, is a grass field facility serving private aircraft. For more information, contact Kent Dorste, manager, at (402) 274-5317. A hard-surfaced regional airport is located just 15 minutes north of Auburn.

The Nemaha County Handi-bus, (402) 274-5365, is the area's public transportation system running Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., except holidays. Service to Lincoln, Nebraska, is provided on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Service to Omaha, Nebraska, is provided on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

MANUFACTURING

Auburn has a new 25-acre industrial tract available for new industry.

The city of Auburn has an economic development plan for the use of Community Development Block Grant Program Income and will consider applications for direct use of funds or loans that create or retain jobs which will benefit lower income persons, expand economic opportunities and contribute directly to the economic development of Auburn.

For more information, contact Bob Engles, Mayor of the City of Auburn, (402) 274-3420 or Auburn City Hall, (402) 274-3420.

NEWSPAPER/MEDIA

Auburn's local newspaper is the Nemaha County Herald. The paper is distributed once weekly. For more information, call (402) 274-3185. The Omaha World Herald and Lincoln Journal are also delivered locally.

Auburn's local radio station is: KNCY 103.1 FM. For more information, Scott Kooistra (KNCY 103.1 FM) at (402) 873-3348.

Time Warner Cable serves the Auburn community with cable television service. For more information, contact Valerie Kramer at (402) 274-5072.

UTILITIES

Board of Public Works
1600 O Street, P.O. Box 288
Auburn, NE 68305-0288
(402) 274-4981
After Hours: (402) 274-3316
Fax: (402) 274-4991

Office and Pay Window Hours: 8 am - 5 pm (Central Time)
Monday - Friday, except holidays
Drop box available 24 hours a day

Contact our local office for electric, water and sanitary sewer services, electrical and plumbing inspections and assignment of new addresses in the Auburn zoning limits.

The Board of Public Works (BPW) was created by the Mayor and City Council of Auburn on January 3, 1939. BPW is a municipal utility system providing electric power to the City of Auburn, the Villages of Brownville, Johnson, Nemaha, and rural areas in Johnson, Nemaha and Richardson counties.

The City of Auburn is one of almost 2,000 not-for-profit public power systems across the United States. Not-for-profit means all benefits produced at home stay at home. Public power systems continue to maintain rates that are lower than investor-owned utilities. Citizens have a voice in the operation of their utility.

Nebraska's power supply is excellent. Your electric rates should remain low and stable. Citizens have a voice in the operation of their utility. Twenty-six employees provide professional service 24 hours a day. Customer service is top priority at BPW. In 2003, the average electric customer was out of service only 26.28 minutes.

BPW purchases power from Western Area Power Administration, Nebraska Public Power District, and Nebraska Distributed Wind Generation Project.

• Transmission Voltage: 69,000
• Distribution Voltage: 4,160 & 12,470
• Volts Substation Capacity : 23,750 KVA

Average cost of energy sold in 2003 was $0.0522/kwh.

City Water - The average cost of water sold in 2003 was $3.42/1,000 gallon. All usage except fire protection is metered. In some cities, water meters are read every two or three months but BPW reads all water meters every month to help customers control leaks. The water system continues to meet all state and federal regulations.

Wastewater Department - BPW operates the wastewater system. Sanitary sewer rates are calculated once per year based on water consumption for the billing months of January, February and March. Wastewater is effectively treated before discharge to the Little Nemaha River.

As one of the nation's largest retail suppliers of natural gas to commercial and industrial customers, Black Hills Energy serves some of the largest, most sophisticated energy users in the Midwest, with EnergyOne products and services. Auburn is served by a four-inch line from the town border station which reduces the pipeline pressure from 450lb. to 100lb. Black Hills Energy are experts at serving the special needs of industrial and commercial customers.

Black Hills Energy conducts energy engineering studies to determine the most cost effective equipment for residential, commercial and industrial customers. Aquila aggressively shops the natural gas market resulting in savings of million of dollars in gas supply costs which are passed on to the customer.

Black Hills Energy offers economic development incentives for additions in the large volume class with peak demand over 500 Ccf per day. Customers in this class should check with the economic development department, (402) 437-1850, for further information regarding gas rates and services available. Visit Black Hills Energy online for more details.