NOTICE OF MEETING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
that the Regular meeting of the Otoe County Commissioners of
AGENDA OF THE NEXT MEETING March
10, 2009
8:30 a.m. -- Open
Meeting, Call roll, Open Meetings Act posted; Accept agenda; Accept minutes from
previous meeting; Audit and Sign payroll claims; Audit and sign regular claims
8:45 a.m. – Dave Schmitz,
Zoning Administrator: Discussion and/or action RE: Sludge applications
Representatives from the Nebraska City
Utilities and Omaha Municipal Waste Treatment will be present
9:05 a.m. – Jim Gress, Sheriff: Discussion and/or action to advertise for
the purchase of new patrol vehicle
9:15 a.m. – Roy
Schneider, Duff Friendship Villa Administrator: Discussion and/or action RE:
Using the old
Duff Bldg (being vacated by
DHHS) for possible expansion
9:30 a.m. -- Ron Wilhelm
and Lisa Kjeldgaard,
Vision and other benefits
9:45 a.m. – Rick
Sedersten: Discussion and/or action RE: Building repair maintenance and
Christmas lights
Discussion and/or
action RE: Agreement with Control
Services
10:00 a.m. – Arnold Ehlers: Discussion and/or action RE: Keno
10:15 a.m. – Steve Lade, Safety
Committee: Discussion and/or action RE:
Minutes and reports discussed at
March 4th
meeting
10:30 a.m. – Discussion and/or action RE: Road and bridge
matters
a) Fuel
system at
b) Report
on FEMA bridges
c) 2007/2008
FEMA repairs
Other business matters to address when
time allows:
Janene
Bennett,
Jackie
Smith,
Discussion
and/or action RE: Rehiring of Matt Watkins
Discussion
and/or action RE: Resolution of Interlocal Agreement with
Miscellaneous Correspondence and other matters that may
come before the Board
At the conclusion of the meeting the Commissioners will
have lunch at the jail per the requirements of state law and then go with the
road department to view the remaining bridges under consideration and/or
construction and the Commissioners will view the shops in Douglas and
Burr. No action will be taken by the Commissioners
during this trip and the public is welcome to attend.
Janene
Bennett, Otoe
The
Individuals requiring
physical or sensory accommodations, including interpreter service, Braille,
large print or recorded materials, please contact Janene Bennett,
March 10, 2009
The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at
8:30 a.m. on March 10, 2009 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 Chairman of the Board, Timothy
Nelsen. Answering present at roll call were Commissioner Nelsen, Commissioner
Lade, Commissioner Crook, and Commissioner Kreifels. Commissioner Freshman was
absent.
Chairman Nelsen 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.
Commissioner Crook made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Kreifels to
accept the agenda as posted. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen
called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Nelsen, Lade, Crook, and
Kreifels. Nay – none. Motion carried.
Commissioner Kreifels made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Lade to
accept the minutes from the previous meeting and not have them read as each
member was furnished with a copy of same. There being no further discussion,
Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Lade, Crook,
Kreifels, and Nelsen. Nay – none. Motion carried.
Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Crook to audit
and sign payroll claims. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen
called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Crook, Kreifels, Nelsen and
Lade. Nay – none. Motion carried.
Having reviewed the regular claims in advance of this meeting, Commissioner
Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Kreifels to approve payment of the
regular claims. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a
vote. Voting aye were Commissioners
Kreifels, Lade and Crook; Commissioner Nelsen approved payment of all claims
except those claims submitted by the Public Defender’s Office to which he
abstained. Nay – none. Motion carried.
Other business matters were addressed. Janene Bennett,
Commissioner Kreifels made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Crook to
rehire Matt Watkins, effective immediately, as a crew member of the road
department, reinstating him at same status that he held when he was laid off. Commissioner
Lade said he still feels the position should be advertised to take
applications.
Chairman Nelsen explained that a change in a statute number necessitated
the need to sign a new Interlocal Agreement establishing
a District Health Department among Nemaha, Otoe, Johnson, Pawnee and
Jackie Smith,
Dave Schmitz, Zoning Administrator, explained that in accordance with
Otoe County Open Agricultural and Transitional Agricultural Zoning Regulations,
utility companies must reapply annually for land application of sludge on farm
ground. Bob Gray, Superintendent of the Nebraska City Waste Treatment Facility,
said that they use lime stabilization and run daily samples to ensure that PH
regulations are maintained. They conduct quarterly tests of the biosolids to determine how much sludge can be applied to a
parcel of land. Last year, they applied sludge to 191 acres in
Gordon Andersen, representing the Public Works Department of Omaha, said
they have applied sludge material on several sites in
Chairman Nelsen called for a short recess at 8:48 a.m. Members did not
leave the room.
The following correspondence was read: Commissioner Crook received an
invitation to attend a Nebraska Sustainability Leadership Workshop at the
A memorandum was received from the Nebraska Community Improvement
Program encouraging entities to participate in their program which assists in
community planning; then recognizes entities for their successes. They are
offering a workshop for Regional Nomination Trainings if an entity wants to
enter a local project for a special community award.
A Senior Official Workshop is being hosted by the Lincoln-Lancaster
County
Sheriff Jim Gress came before the Board to request
permission to advertise for the purchase of a new patrol vehicle. He said he
would like to offer the 2006 Pontiac GTO as a trade-in, anticipating $10,000
trade-in value. It only has 70,000 miles on it, but it costs a lot of money to
maintain. He wants to advertise for a Dodge Charger with a Police Package which
is designed for high speed and durability. The state bid listed this vehicle for about
$21,000. He asked the Board to finance the remaining balance (about $11,000)
from the Inheritance Tax Fund. Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by
Commissioner Kreifels to grant Sheriff Gress
permission to advertise for the purchase of a Dodge Charger patrol vehicle.
There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting
aye were Commissioners Crook, Kreifels, Nelsen and Lade. Nay – none. Motion
carried.
Roy Schneider, Administrator of Duff’s Friendship Villa, appeared before
the Board to express his ideas for expanding the nursing home facility. First,
he gave a brief history of why the facility is owned by the County. In the late
1940’s, the Duff family donated their original family home to
Ron Wilhelm and Lesa Kjeldgaard
came before the Board to introduce the services they could provide as Nebraska
Financial Administrators. Both are insurance brokers who work with employers in
the
At 9:35 a.m. Chairman Nelsen called for a recess until 9:45 a.m. At 9:45
a.m. it was duly noted that Commissioners Nelsen, Lade, Crook and Kreifels were
present to resume the meeting.
Rick Sedersten, Custodian for the Courthouse, had several items to
discuss. 1) He reported that he applied for and received a grant in the amount
of $1,286.25 from the Wirth Foundation to purchase and install Christmas lights
around the cupola of the Courthouse. 2) He was notified that the current
maintenance contract with Control Services Inc will expire on May 8, 2009. This
company performs annual inspections of the heating/cooling system used in the
courthouse. Sedersten said the contract price this year will be $2,435 which is
$90 more than last year; the County also receives a 10% discount on repairs not
covered in the maintenance contract. He said the company requires a 30 day
written notice if the contract is to be cancelled, otherwise it will
automatically renew. Since local vendors are not equipped to handle this
equipment, Sedersten recommended renewal of the contract and the Board agreed.
3) Sedersten asked Control Services for a quote to replace a 3-way hot water
mixing valve and isolation valve so that fluids do not have to be drained and
replaced every time the system needs work. He said the installation of the
valves should save money in the long run, since replacing fluids becomes very
expensive. Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Crook to
approve the quoted price of $2,145 submitted by Control Services Inc to replace
a 3-way mixing valve and install a valve bypass on the heating/cooling system
in the Courthouse. There being no
further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were
Commissioners Crook, Kreifels, Nelsen and Lade. Nay – none. Motion carried. 4) Last
fall, Sedersten said the previous Board approved a bid to have the basement
windows sealed, the window wells filled and some landscaping done on the north
and south sides of the courthouse to prevent water from running into the
basement. Winter set in and the job was never started. At the time, a quote of
$7,000 was guaranteed for 30 days. If
the current Board would want him to proceed, he would have to get new quotes.
He also said the previous Board received a proposal from Karr Tuckpointing in July of 2008 to repair and preserve masonry
on the courthouse, but nothing was approved. Chairman Nelsen asked Sedersten to
get quotes from the contractor(s) who did masonry work on the Public Library
and the
Arnold Ehlers, the Clerk/
Chairman Nelsen called for a recess until 10:15 a.m. at which time the
next appointment is scheduled to begin. At 10:15 a.m. all board members were
noted as being present and ready to resume.
Acting Chairman of the Otoe County Safety Committee, Commissioner Steve
Lade gave a report of discussions that were held at their March 4th
meeting. He presented a list of names who agreed to serve on the Safety Committee.
Representing employees are John Bebout, Fred
Phillips, Rick Sedersten and
Commissioner Lade said they are in the process of creating new forms for
reporting accidents – one for major incidents and one for minor. The Committee
has suggested that all road shops have the same lock so that 1 key fits all. In
this way the Sheriff and Deputies would only have to carry 1 key for access to
any shop if a problem arose. Another possibility would be to install magnetic
locks on all of the doors requiring card readers for entry. This system would keep
track of who enters a building and at what time. Mr. Sedersten was asked to
check into the cost. The Committee is still meeting every other week to get
organized; however, the law only requires quarterly meetings. Commissioner Lade
said he is considering continuation of bimonthly meetings with the road department
to keep them aware of safety issues that may prevent and reduce the number of
reportable accidents. He said the Committee will be making a budget request for
the next fiscal year.
a) Fuel system – Supt Steffensmeier presented a proposal from General
Excavating for the removal and disposal of two underground fiberglass fuel
tanks located at the NC Road Shop that have been taking on water. He said another
party may have to be brought in to clean up contaminated soil if it is
determined that fuel leached into the ground. If the area can’t be cleaned up
entirely; then it may require monitoring for a time. Commissioner Crook made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Kreifels to direct Steffensmeier to try to get
two more proposals for comparison. There being no further discussion, Chairman
Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Lade, Crook, Kreifels,
and Nelsen. Nay – none. Motion carried.
b) FEMA Bridges – Engineers are working on designs for three bridge
replacements. If the County can prove that it will cost more than 50% of the
replacement cost to repair the fourth bridge, then FEMA will approve its
replacement. Steffensmeier said the County may have to spend $10,000 for a
design to prove this; however, if the repair costs are less, FEMA will only pay
for the repairs and the County will not get reimbursed for the engineering of a
new bridge. Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Crook to
direct Supt Steffensmeier to continue with procedures for replacement of the
fourth bridge, including authorization to have an engineer draw up the plans. There
being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were
Commissioners Crook, Kreifels, Nelsen and Lade. Nay – none. Motion carried.
c) 2007/2008 FEMA projects (not bridge replacements) – The County Board stressed
that these FEMA projects must be given top priority and completed as soon as
possible so that the County can submit these costs for reimbursement.
Commissioner Kreifels made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Crook to adjourn
at 10:45 a.m. Voting aye were Commissioners Kreifels,
Nelsen, Lade and Crook. Chairman Nelsen noted that all Board members were going
to have lunch at the jail per the requirements of the state law; then carpool
with road department personnel who will take them to view the remaining bridge
sites that are under consideration for repairs or replacement. They will also
visit the shops at Douglas and Burr. No action will be taken by the
Commissioners during this trip and the public is welcome to follow along. The next regular meeting will be held on March
24, 2009.
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 10th
day of March 2009.
Janene Bennett
Otoe