NOTICE OF MEETING

Otoe County Courthouse

Nebraska City NE  68410

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Regular meeting of the Otoe County Commissioners of Otoe County, Nebraska will be held at 8:30 o’clock a.m. on January 22, 2008, in the County Courtroom (108) of the Otoe County Courthouse.  The meeting will be open to the public.  An agenda for each meeting is kept continuously current, and is available for public inspection at the office of the County Clerk at the Courthouse, but the agenda may be modified at such meetings to include items of an emergency nature only.

 

 

 

AGENDA OF THE NEXT MEETING                                          JANUARY 22, 2008

        

        

 

         8:30 a.m. -- Open Meeting; call roll; accept agenda; accept minutes from  

                                previous meetings; audit and sign payroll claims and regular claim

               

 

         9:00 a.m.  – Glen Steffensmeier, Highway Supt: Discussion and/or action regarding road and bridge matters

a)      Discussion and/or action: Seek grant for recycling electronics

b)      Discussion: Supt will attend paving workshop Feb 12; will not be present at next Board meeting

c)      Miscellaneous

                

 

                       

    

      

 

      

                     

        Other business matters to address when time allows:

                    Therese Trombino, Deputy Co Assessor: Tax list corrections;

Discussion and/or action RE: Contract renewal with Ron Elliott to provide appraisal services

                    Jackie Smith, Co Treasurer: Discussion and/or action RE: Tax Refund(s)

                    Marv Pesek, GA Administrator: Discussion General Assistance Applications/Cases (Executive Session)

                    Miscellaneous Correspondence and other matters that may come before the Board

.                                                                                                                                              

 

 

Janene Bennett

                                                                                                                                                Otoe County Clerk

 

 

 

 

 

The County Board reserves the right to go into executive session when and if they deem it necessary.

Individuals requiring physical or sensory accommodations, including interpreter service, Braille, large print or recorded materials, please contact Janene Bennett, County Clerk, Otoe County Courthouse, P O Box 249, Nebraska City, NE 68410, (402) 873-9505), no later than 12:00 noon the day before the meeting.        

 

January 22, 2008

 

The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at 8:30 a.m. on January 22, 2008 to audit and sign payroll claims and regular claims and to take care of such other matters as are on the agenda for this meeting. Advance notice of this meeting was published in the Nebraska City News Press and Syracuse Journal Democrat, announced on the local radio station KNCY and posted in three public places.  This meeting was open to the Public. The agenda was kept current and is on file for public inspection at the office of the Otoe County Clerk during regular business hours.

 

The meeting was called to order by the Chairman of the Board, Dale Haverty. Answering present at roll call were Commissioner Haverty and Commissioner Schroder. Commissioner Thummel was absent.

 

Chairman Haverty informed the public in attendance that a current copy of the Open Meetings Act is posted on the south wall of the Courtroom.  Additional copies are available upon request. He asked that all attendees turn off their cell phones or set them to vibrate while present in the meeting room.

 

Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to accept the agenda as posted. Voting -- Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to accept the minutes from the previous meeting as mailed to them as each member was furnished with a copy of same. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.  

 

Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to audit and sign payroll claims and regular claims unless otherwise noted. Voting – Commissioners Haverty aye; Schroder, aye.  Motion carried.

 

At 8:42 a.m. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to go into executive session to discuss general assistance cases with the GA Administrator, Marv Pesek. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried. Due to HIPPA regulations, personal and medical information cannot be disclosed in public session.

 

At 8:48 a.m. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to go back into regular session. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried. No action was taken while in executive session.

 

Therese Trombino, Deputy County Assessor, presented the following list of tax corrections. 1) Dena Powell Revocable Trust – add $349.62 – Taxpayer passed away prior to August 15th deadline and Homestead Exemption was disqualified.  2) City of Syracuse – deduct a total of $7,883.00 for tax years 2006 and 2007 – property was acquired by City making it tax exempt. 3) David Troeger - $72.98 for tax years 2005, 2006, 2007 – mobile home was removed from property. 4) Allison D & Margie H Gibbs Trustees – add $113.22 – Recapture of Greenbelt valuation after property was sold to school district. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to approve the tax list corrections as presented. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.

 

Ms. Trombino presented the Board with a copy of an Agreement for Appraisal Services. Ron Elliott, who has performed these services for Otoe County for many years, agrees to provide general appraisal services for a fee of $3,900 per month at no less than 104 hours per month. The term of the contract begins January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008 and must be renewed annually. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to accept the terms and conditions of the contract presented and to authorize Chairman Haverty to sign it. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

Jackie Smith, County Treasurer presented claims for tax refunds as a result of previous tax list corrections. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to approve a tax refund to Clay S Smith in the aggregate amount of $586.12 for tax years 2006 and 2007 and a tax refund to Dianne Wieckhorst in the amount of $935.00. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried

 

Glen Steffensmeier, County Highway Superintendent, and Lynn Denniston, Bridge Foreman, came before the Board to discuss road and bridge matters.

 

With the mandatory implementation of digital television in the near future, Steffensmeier anticipates that consumers will dispose of their analog TVs by dumping them along the roadside ditches or under bridges. He spoke with Gregg Goebel, Emergency Management Director, who intends to apply for a grant to cover the costs for collecting all outdated televisions and other electronic devices, including computers. He proposes to conduct a collection shortly after the analog TVs become obsolete in 2009.

 

Steffensmeier said he has registered to attend a paving workshop sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Roads on February 12th; therefore, he won’t be at the next Commissioners’ meeting. However, the three foremen should be available to discuss road and bridge issues.

 

Steffensmeier said he received notice from the NDOR that they are in the process of setting up a statewide program that will allow them to place “Yield Signs” at passive railroad crossings as an alternative to “Stop Signs”. A passive crossing is one that has the standard cross-buck only with no other warning devices such as flashing lights or gates. The NDOR is soliciting the County’s assistance by requesting a review of each passive crossing in the County and indicating whether the crossing already has a stop sign. If there is no stop sign, the Railroad will purchase and install a yield sign as the default choice for traffic control unless an engineering study determines that a stop sign is warranted. He said it would be the County’s responsibility to purchase and install a stop sign, but he was not sure whether the County, the State or the Railroad would be obliged to pay for the study. This program is due to a revision in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

 

Steffensmeier presented the Board with a color coded map and engineering reports on a number of bridges that need to be replaced or closed.

 

#00425 located on Road B between Roads 8 & 10: He said this bridge replacement project would meet the qualifications for the State’ Soft Match Program. The County would have to pay 100% of its cost, but 80% of the total cost will be applied as credit in the Soft Match Program that can be used for future projects. Steffensmeier said he liked the idea of replacing the bridge with a concrete culvert rather than metal tubes because the culvert allows trees and debris to flow through it, reducing the chance for plugging it up. There is a dam upstream and a tube would suffice most of the time. However, if there is a big rainstorm, the tube may not handle rushing water and debris. All projects must be engineered to qualify for soft match or federal aid. Concrete culverts are expected to last about 75 years while corrugated metal tubes are rated with a 35 year life span.

 

#1110P located on S 11th Rd between Roads P & Q: This bridge is situated below a large dam. It is in a flood zone and will require a FEMA flood plain permit. The engineer recommended twin tubes or a 12’ x 12’ concrete culvert to handle a 100 year storm.

 

#21120 located on S 10th Road between Roads I and J (a minimum maintenance road): A dam upstream has silted in, causing water to run over the bridge. If the County wants to make this a Soft Match project, the road will have to be brought up to local road standards before installing tubes. The Board agreed it would not be feasible to reclassify the road so they will replace the bridge with tubes as a county project.

 

#4510 located on S 44th Rd between Roads Q and R: The piling underneath the bridge is rotten, but the deck is sound. The road is off the section line by eight feet. If the County is going to replace the bridge, Steffensmeier suggested rebuilding the road on the section line. Dale Damme, an adjacent landowner, has volunteered to supply dirt for this project. Steffensmeier said the project would qualify for Soft Match Credit.

 

#23515 located on Road 34 between Roads E and F: The abutment is crumbling and not worth repairing. The road is 35’ off the section line. The engineer recommended replacing the bridge with 12’ x 12’ concrete box culvert or twin corrugated tubes. Steffensmeier estimated it would cost about $40,000 to construct the culvert while new tubes could be purchased for approximately $30,000. However, by factoring in the cost of labor and the use of county machines to install the tubes, the overall cost would be comparable.

 

#53230 on Road P between Roads 58 and 60: This bridge was noted in the fracture critical inspection report. The piling is exposed and silt is pushing against the abutment. Steffensmeier said replacement of the bridge has appeared on the 1 & 6 Year Road Plan for several years, but nothing has been done. Now its condition has worsened to the point where it needs immediate attention or he will have to close it.

 

A truss bridge located on S Road (the county line shared with Nemaha County) between Roads 52 and 54: Nemaha County closed the bridge in December after they determined the bridge was unsafe to cross. If the bridge is ever replaced, the two counties will share the cost.

 

Steffensmeier said he would like to get together with the Board to prioritize the list above in the order the projects should be done based on need and safety.

 

Miscellaneous correspondence was read and will be kept on file in the County Clerk’s Office.

 

At 10:05 a.m. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to go into executive session to discuss personnel matters with the Highway Superintendent, Glen Steffensmeier. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

At 10:45 a.m. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to go back into regular session. Voting – Commissioner Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried. No action was taken while in executive session.

 

There being no further business to come before the Board at this time, and since all items on the agenda have been disposed of, Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner  Haverty to adjourn the meeting, until the next one, which will be on February 12, 2008.  

 

I, Janene Bennett, County Clerk of Otoe County, do hereby certify that the above minutes were taken by me, and are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, and I therefore set my hand and affix the county seal this 22nd day of January 2008.

 

 

 

 

Janene Bennett

Otoe County Clerk