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 A.M. on February 12, 2008, in the County Courtroom (108) of the Otoe County Courthouse at Nebraska City.  The meeting will be open to the public.  An agenda for such 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                                       February 12, 2008

 

 

 8:30 a.m. -- Open Meeting, Call roll, Accept agenda, Accept minutes from previous  

              meeting, Audit and Sign payroll and regular claims

 

8:45 a.m. – Dave Schmitz, Zoning Admin: Discussion and/or action RE: Utility Applications to apply sludge

 

8:55 a.m. – Rick Sedersten, Custodian: Discussion and/or action RE: Unused county vehicle

 

9:00 a.m. – Discussion and/or action RE: Road and Bridge matters

a)      Discussion and/or action regarding overlay project on C Rd

b)      Miscellaneous

 

10:00 a.m. – Jim Gress, Sheriff: Open bids for patrol vehicles

 

10:15 a.m. – Rena Pugh, SENCA: Introduction of new Development Director and quarterly report

 

10:30 a.m. – Mike Holland, Deputy Sheriff: Discussion and/or action RE: Grant application to purchase patrol

                          car equipment

 

10:45 a.m. – Jacki Schmitz, PUFF: Discussion and/or action RE:Juvenile Justice County Aid Grant Application

 

 

 

       Other business matters to address when time allows:

           

           Jackie Smith, Co Treasurer: Discussion and/or action RE: Pledged Security(s)

           County Assessor: Discussion and/or action RE: Tax list correction(s)

           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 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.

 

 

 

February 12, 2008

 

The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at 8:30 a.m. on February 12, 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, Commissioner Thummel and Commissioner Schroder. None 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 Thummel to accept the agenda as posted. Voting -- Commissioners Haverty, aye; Thummel, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

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

 

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

 

By March 1st of any given year, municipalities who wish to apply sludge in Otoe County must submit a sludge report to the County Board at the same time they apply for a renewal of their Land Application Permit. The Nebraska City Utilities has applied to spread sludge on land owned by John Voelker, Oscar Heng and Tom Liesemeyer. David Schmitz, Zoning Administrator, said the report included maps with legal descriptions indicating where the sludge is applied with the exception of a map for the John Voelker property. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to accept the report and application renewal as submitted by the Nebraska City Utilities for Land Application of Sludge in Otoe County contingent upon the placement of the map for the John Voelker property into the report when the map becomes available. Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

Rick Sedersten, Custodian, reported that the 1997 Crown Vic that had been driven by county employees to attend workshops or perform county business has been taken to the Nebraska City Road Shop. He said the vehicle still runs, but needs many repairs. The employees are now using a 2001 Crown Vic that was a former patrol car. Sedersten also said that the 1998 Chevy pickup currently used by the Assessor’s Office needs a new fuel pump. The cost of a new pump plus installation is estimated at $800 to $1000. Today, the Sheriff is opening bids for the purchase of 2 new patrol vehicles with the option to trade in a 2004 Dodge Durango and a 2003 Crown Vic. If the trade-in values are low, the County may want to consider keeping  one or both of those two vehicles for other county employees to drive. Commissioner Schroder suggested selling the 1997 Crown Vic and the1998 Chevy Pickup at the Farmers Auction that will be held February 23rd and replace them with the patrol vehicles rather than trading them in. Therefore, Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to declare the 1997 Ford Crown Vic and the 1998 Chevrolet pickup as surplus. Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.

 

Ruth Neeman came before the Board to discuss a roadside issue. She hired a contractor to remove trees on her property that were overhanging into the roadway. However, there are three trees that the contractor will not remove due to their proximity to the county road and drainage tubes. Commissioner Schroder, Commissioner Haverty and Foreman Kuenning will meet at the site to examine the area later this afternoon.

 

Highway Superintendent Steffensmeier was absent today due to his commitment to attend a Paving Conference in Kearney. Foremen Wally Pohlman, Lynn Denniston and Rich Kuenning were available to discuss road and bridge matters.

 

Steffensmeier submitted a written report to the County Clerk; a copy of which was given to each Commissioner. It included the following items:

1. Steffensmeier received a survey from the NDOR questioning whether the State should continue to hire consultants to inspect Fracture/Critical bridges. It is Steffensmeier’s opinion that as a certified bridge inspector, he could perform the inspections himself. The money the NDOR spent on consultants could be better spent on replacing bridges.

2. The air lines and cylinders are being repaired on the belly dump truck; estimated cost $2400.

3. The Palmyra Federal Aid Bridge is complete. When the weather warms up, they will install drop pipes and finish the grade work.

4. The bridge south of Syracuse is mostly finished. They will grout the cement slabs when the temperature stays above freezing for at least 3 days.

5. A Letter was sent to the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners regarding Otoe County’s intention to add the opening of a mile section of 190th St (the county line road)

6. Steffensmeier is putting specs together for the purchase of a chassis truck; bids will be opened at March 11th meeting.

 

Each Commissioner plans to meet with the Highway Superintendent and the Foremen to prioritize a list of bridges that need fixed or replaced. There are several on the 1 & 6 Year Road Plan, but the group needs to decide which bridges need attention first while they wait for the Soft Match Credit to build up.

 

At 9:26 a.m. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to go into executive session to discuss personnel issues with the three foremen. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye; Thummel, aye. Motion carried.

 

At 9:53 a.m. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to go back into regular session. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Thummel, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried. No action taken while in executive session.

 

Therese Trombino, Deputy County Assessor, presented the following tax list corrections: 1) Masonic Lodge, Syracuse – deduct $93.66 – District Court ruling exempted status. 2) Richard Hoback – deduct $197.90 – Parcels were combined and one should have been deleted. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to approve the tax list corrections as presented. Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.

 

Jackie Smith, County Treasurer, requested the release of a pledged security with Farmers Bank, Nebraska City in the amount of $400,000.00 and the addition of a new pledged security with Heartland Community Bank, Nebraska City, in the amount of $100,000.00. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to adopt Resolutions 2008-4 and 2008- 5 approving said transactions. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye; Thummel, aye. Motion carried.

 

Bids were opened and publicly read for the purchase of two patrol vehicles. Two dealers submitted the following bids:

            Dealer                           Vehicle                           Base Bid                         Trade-in                

Kastens Ford, Syracuse      2008 Expedition               $25,270              None              

Kastens Ford, Syracuse      2008 Expedition               $27,000              $2000 (2003 Crown Vic)          

Larson Motors, Nebr City     2008 Expedition              $26,456              $1500 (2003 Crown Vic)

Larson Motors, Nebr City     2008 Durango                  $26,819              $6800 (2004 Durango)

Sheriff Gress will review the bids and return later to give a recommendation.

 

Carla Eickhoff is the new Development Director for SENCA (Southeast Nebraska Community Action) Agency. She reported that the agency collected nearly $40,000 in food, services and cash donations during the Christmas Season. Examples of fundraisers included a Jingle Bell Ride hosted by Richardson County and a 2 day Holiday Festival held in Nemaha County. In June, they will host a golf tournament at Kirkman’s Lakeview Golf Course as a summertime fundraiser. Rena Pugh, Otoe County representative, gave a quarterly report of Otoe County activities. She said SENCA collected $4,458 worth of food, toys, and gifts this past Christmas. She recorded 87 hours of volunteer service; 85 households received food baskets and 405 people received Christmas gifts. Currently, SENCA is offering assistance to low income families and the elderly for the preparation of their tax returns.  

 

Sheriff Gress returned to the meeting with recommendations as to the vehicles he would like to purchase. He said the 2004 Durango is currently used as the K-9 unit. The dog cage from the old Durango will fit in a new Durango, but not in an Expedition. Therefore, he recommended the purchase of the 2008 Durango from Larson Motors at the quoted price of $26,918. Rick Sedersten added that the Assessor’s Office needs two vehicles to keep up with assessments. The old Durango would make a good vehicle for them and all county employees to use. Gress noted that it was in excellent condition mechanically, but it does have over 120,000 miles. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to purchase the 2008 Durango from Larson Motors without a trade-in for the quoted price of $26,819; the 2004 Durango will be kept for county use. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Thummel, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

Regarding purchase of a second vehicle, both dealers submitted bids for a 2008 Expedition.  The outright price quoted by Larson Motors was $26,456; Kastens Ford bid $25,270. Gress recommended purchasing the vehicle from the low bidder, Kastens Ford. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to purchase a 2008 Expedition from Kastens Ford for the quoted price of $25,270 with no trade-in. Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.

 

Mike Holland, Deputy Sheriff, came before the Board to review the conditions of a Highway Safety Grant that has been awarded to the Sheriff’s Department. The County will receive a grant in the amount of $17,500 to assist with the purchase of five digital in-car camera systems. The total cost of the camera systems is $26,475, so the County will pay the difference of $8,975 which has been budgeted in another grant fund. Since the Highway Safety Grant will be reimbursed after the cameras have been purchased, Deputy Holland requested that the Board approve a $17,500 loan from the Inheritance Tax Fund to make the purchase. As soon as the reimbursement is received, it will be deposited into the Inheritance Tax Fund in repayment. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to approve purchase of the digital camera systems, using Inheritance Tax Funds, with the understanding that the Fund will be reimbursed by the Highway Safety Grant when received. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye; Thummel, aye. Motion carried.

 

Jacki Schmitz, who is contracted to write grants for the County, gave a brief overview of the Budget Summary for the Nebraska Crime Commission 2008 State Juvenile Justice County Aid Grant application. The County has qualified to receive money from this source since 2002. The amount of $13,913 will be appropriated to three projects – clerical support for the Juvenile Diversion Program; administration fees; and the grant writing fee to complete and implement the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program in Otoe County. This program provides trained volunteers from the community who are appointed by a judge to advocate on a one-to-one basis for a child who has been a victim of abuse or neglect. This program has worked well in other counties and is being recommended by the judges in Otoe County. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to authorize Chairman Haverty to sign all documents relevant to the Juvenile Justice County Aid Grant application. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Thummel, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

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  Thummel to adjourn the meeting, until the next one, which will be on February 26, 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 12th day of February 2008.

 

Janene Bennett

Otoe County Clerk