NOTICE OF MEETING
NOTICE
IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Regular meeting of the Otoe County Commissioners of
AGENDA OF THE NEXT MEETING
JANUARY 23, 2007
previous
meetings; audit and sign payroll claims and regular claims
8:35 a.m. – Rick Sedersten: Discussion
and/or action RE: Purchase agreements for Security Equipment
NW
¼ of the SW ¼ 4-9-9
2) Schram 4th
Subdivision located in the SE ¼ of 10-8-13
9:00
a.m. -- Discussion and/or action
regarding road and bridge matters
a.) Discussion and/or action RE: Otoe County
Bridge Crew
b.) Discussion and/or action RE: Driveway access
for Randy Petersen Subdivision
c.) Discussion and/or action RE: Workman’s Comp
Claim/Employee
d.) Miscellaneous discussion
9:55 a.m. – Presentation by Kimmel
Foundation: Contribution for restoring bell in Courthouse
10:00 a.m. – Sara Dean: SENCA quarterly
report
Discussion
and/or action to declare Sericea Lespedeza as a
noxious weed in
10:30 a.m. – Jacki
Schmitz, PUFF: Discussion and/or action RE: Juvenile Diversion Coordinator
position;
Discussion
and/or action RE: Juvenile Service County Aid Application
10:45 a.m. – Mike Holland, Deputy
Sheriff: Discussion and/or action RE: Computer upgrades for
11:00 a.m. – Extension Office Report
Other business matters to address when time
allows:
Marv Pesek – Discussion and/or action
RE: GA applications and cases
Jackie Smith, Co Treasurer:
Pledged Security(s); Tax Refund(s)
Miscellaneous Correspondence
and other matters that may come before the Board
.
Janene
Bennett
The
Individuals requiring
physical or sensory accommodations, including interpreter service, Braille,
large print or recorded materials, please contact Janene Bennett,
JANUARY 23, 2007
The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at
8:30 a.m. on January 23, 2007 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. This meeting was open to the
Public, and 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 Joy W Schroder. Answering present at roll call were Commissioner Schroder, Commissioner Thummel
and Commissioner Haverty. None
absent.
Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded
by Commissioner Thummel to accept the agenda as
posted. Voting -- Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye.
Motion carried.
Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded
by Commissioner Thummel to accept the minutes from
the previous meeting as mailed to them and not have them read. Voting –
Commissioners Thummel, aye; Haverty,
aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded
by Commissioner Thummel to audit and sign payroll
claims and regular claims unless otherwise noted. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye;
Commissioner Thummel, aye; Motion carried.
Chairman Schroder 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.
Rick Sedersten came before the Board to review
suggested enhancements for the security system that was approved for purchase
at the previous meeting. With the probation reporting center locating in the
basement of the courthouse, there will be sessions held in the evenings as well
as during the daytime hours. This causes some concern regarding security on the
upper floors in the evenings. A solution would be to install magnetic door locks
on the doors at the two basement stairwells, the elevator and west entrance
door. They will be programmed to automatically lock every night at a specified
time. Since the approved system includes keyless entry, a card reader would also
need to be installed at each doorway and near the elevator door. (card readers and magnetic door locks were included for the
east basement entrance and south door in the original bid) Because of the way
the front door is built, it would be very expensive to add an automatic door
lock to it, so it will have to be manually locked every night. These door locks
will be wired into a battery back up system in case of power failure. Commissioner
Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to accept proposals from Security Equipment Inc for
four additional automatic door locks and three card readers for the total price
of $6,757. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye.
Motion carried.
Dave Schmitz, Interim Zoning Administrator, said no action was taken at
the Planning Commission meeting regarding approval of the plat for Hamilton
Place Subdivision located in the NW ¼ of the SW ¼ S4-T9-R9 for a second time.
No one was there to represent the developers, Jerry and Teresa Swarts. Schmitz said there is an issue with the sewer
system on four of the seven lots. Until that is resolved, the Planning
Commission will not approve the plat. Schmitz will contact the developers to
see if they intend to proceed and what their plan is to rectify the problem. Commissioner
Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to table the public hearing to consider approval of
the Hamilton Place Subdivision. Voting – Commissioners Thummel,
aye; Haverty, aye; Schroder,
aye. Motion carried.
Regarding the Schram
4th Subdivision located in part of
Sheriff Jim Gress asked four road crew members
to attend today’s meeting so that he could recognize them for their assistance
in terminating the pursuit of an individual who was fleeing from law
enforcement in
Highway Superintendent Glen Steffensmeier and
Road and Bridge Foremen Wally Pohlman, Rich Kuenning and Lynn Denniston came
before the Board to discuss road and bridge matters.
Steffensmeier said the Randy Petersen Subdivision east of
At 9:15 a.m. Commissioner Haverty made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to go into
executive to discuss a personnel issue. Voting -- Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.
At 9:23 a.m. Commissioner Haverty made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to go back
into regular session. Voting – Commissioners Thummel,
aye; Haverty, aye; Schroder,
aye. Motion carried. No action was taken while in executive session.
Steffensmeier reported that seven bridges were closed in
2006 due to defects. Bridge #21445 (2 miles north and 2 ½ miles west of
Steffensmeier announced that he is scheduling a preliminary
hearing for the One & Six Year Road Plan on February 13th at
9:00 a.m. The final hearing will be held on February 27th. He
invited Board members to review his plan prior to the preliminary hearing and
let him know if they have additional projects they feel need attention that he
is not aware of.
Steffensmeier will be attending a paving conference in
There was some discussion regarding the relocation of the Bridge Crew from
the Syracuse Shop to the Nebraska City Shop and creating a priority list for
bridge work. Steffensmeier said that 42% of the
County’s bridges can’t be crossed by school buses, fire and rescue vehicles, and
other heavy trucks and machinery. These bridges are rated 10 ton or less. He
would like to start building cement slab decks in a shop during the winter
months; then the crew could assemble the bridges when weather permits. Once the
slabs are cured, they would be moved outside until needed. He said the Nebraska
City Shop is close to a cement factory and has more room (inside and out) than
the shop at
Steffensmeier said he has reviewed the County’s Summary
of Insurance relating to road equipment and vehicles. He made some adjustments
on the amount of insurance for each piece of equipment and deleted a couple of pickups
that had been sold. Overall, this should reduce the amount of premium paid.
Chairman Schroder had asked Ernie Weyeneth, President of the Kimmel Foundation, for a
donation to restore the bell in the Courthouse. Mr. Weyeneth
said historic preservation is very important to the Foundation. They have
awarded over $30,000,000 in grants since its inception, with 67% of the money
going to worthy projects in
Sara Dean, representing SENCA, came before the Board to give a quarterly
report of its most recent activities. She said in the quarter ending December
31, 2006, 41 families with 161 members received assistance. The assistance
varied in the form of rent and utility payments to providing food. They
received $905 in cash donation; 90 holiday food baskets were distributed to
needy families with the help of other organizations and individual donors. She
said they usually receive larger donations over the holiday season which helps
to replenish their assistance fund. Ms. Dean will be conducting fund raisers
between now and the end of March. Whatever money is raised in that time period
will be matched.
Jim Myers, Otoe County Weed Superintendent, appeared before the Board to
give an overview of the annual weed report that must be submitted to the Dept
of Agriculture by January 31st of any given year. Three goals the
County has established to achieve control of noxious weeds are: Education – He
has worked with the local FSA and Extension Offices in making publications
available that promote noxious weed awareness as well as proper procedures for
control. He also is making himself known and available if any landowners have
questions or want to report infestations. Inspections – Early inspections and
notifications to landowners proved to be very effective. He said he has found he
gets better cooperation through personal contact rather than by sending an enforcement
letter. Roadside Spraying –Myers has focused on spraying new outbreaks of Leafy
Spurge, Purple Loosestrife and Salt Cedar along county road right-of-ways
before they get out of control. The report also includes a Noxious Weed Infestation
Report, Activity Report and Budget Report.
Myers spoke briefly on the possibility of declaring Sericea
Lespedeza as a noxious weed in
Other business matters were addressed at this time.
Mary Lou Rivett, Deputy County Treasurer,
requested the release of pledged securities with Otoe County Bank,
Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded
by Commissioner Thummel to approve a tax refund to The
Ambassador of Nebraska City in the amount of $6,497.24 resulting from an appeal
made to the Tax Equalization Review Commission. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye. Motion carried.
Marv Pesek reported that he had no general
assistance cases/applications to bring before the Board at this time.
Last November Jacki Schmitz had come before
the Board seeking approval to hire Vanessa Emlich as
the Juvenile Services Coordinator as a replacement for Vanessa Sherman who had
resigned. Effective January 26th Ms. Emlich
is resigning; however, Vanessa Sherman has agreed to come back and resume her
old position on January 29th. So today, Ms Schmitz is asking Board
approval to rehire Vanessa Sherman as the Juvenile Services Coordinator.
Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by
Commissioner Thummel to rehire Vanessa Sherman as the
Juvenile Services Coordinator for
Ms. Schmitz said the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal
Justice is currently taking applications for a grant whereby the money is to be
used to implement juvenile service plans in the County. The County has applied
and received funding for this program since 2002. The amount being awarded this
year is $13,913; the application is due Feb 25th. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to authorize Chairman Schroder
to sign the application for Juvenile Service Aid in the amount of $13,913.
Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye.
Motion carried.
Chief Deputy Sheriff, Mike Holland, came before the Board to explain the
need for upgrades to the computer system in the new communication center. The
original bid did not include battery back- ups. According to Todd Davis, who
has been contracted by the Sheriff’s Office to provide computer support, there
should be one for each computer for a total cost of $3,081. In the event of
power failure, the back-ups will keep the computers running and the security
cameras operating until the generator kicks in. Holland said they also would
like to install a sonic wall (Virtual Private Network) which would give officers
the capability to access computer records from a remote location (cost $678.93)
and purchase a device that would increase data storage in the existing server (cost
$978.86).
Steve Zimmers, Otoe County Extension Educator,
have his monthly report. He will be conducting pesticide training for producers
who need to be certified starting February 1st. Sarah Purcell has
began teaching a babysitting clinic. It will run for 8 weeks with 22 participants.
The newly appointed Extension Board members will meet for their first time this
year. Zimmers received notice that an intern has been
assigned to his office again this year. She is a UNL student from
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 Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to adjourn the meeting, until the next one, which
will be on February 13, 2007. Voting – Commissioners Schroder,
aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty,
aye. Motion carried.
I, Janene Bennett, County Clerk for 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
my seal this 23rd day of January 2007.
Janene Bennett
Otoe