NOTICE OF MEETING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
that the Regular meeting of the Otoe County Commissioners of
AGENDA OF THE NEXT MEETING March
11, 2008
meeting,
Audit and Sign payroll and regular claims
8:45 a.m. Dave Schmitz,
Zoning Admin: Discussion and/or action RE: Administrative Replat
of Gress-
Aldana Subdivision;
Discussion and/or action RE: Sludge application renewal by City of
Discussion and/or action RE: Appointments to
Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment
9:00 a.m. Public Hearing:Consideration to sell
county owned property1 acre tract in the NW Corner 22-8-11
9:15 a.m. Bid Opening:
Overlay Project on
Discussion and/or action
RE: Other Road and Bridge matters
a)
Donald Harms and Alfred Damme
Jr: Road drainage problem
b)
End of probationary period for new road
employees
c)
Miscellaneous
Glen Steffensmeier:
Safety Committee Report
10:00 a.m. Joe Miller,
Insurance Agent: Discussion and/or action RE: Revised valuations for county
buildings
10:15 a.m. Gregg
Goebel,
with Nemaha NRD for
the development of an all hazard mitigation plan
10:30 a.m. Rich Kotan, OPPD: Discussion and/or action RE: Expansion of
railroad tracks near power plant
10:45 a.m. Pat Haverty: Discussion and/or action RE: Resolution to declare
the Countys intention to
authorize issuance
and sale of bonds for the purpose of
defraying improvement costs for
Diversified Foods Inc
After all matters have
been addressed, the
personnel
issues with the Highway Supt, Road/Bridge Foremen and
Other business matters to address when
time allows:
Jackie Smith, Co
years old
Discussion and/or action RE: Support
for LB587, a jail reimbursement bill
Miscellaneous Correspondence and other
matters that may come before the Board
Janene Bennett, Otoe
The
Individuals requiring physical
or sensory accommodations, including interpreter service, Braille, large print
or recorded materials, please contact Janene Bennett,
March 11,
2008
The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at
8:30 a.m. on March 11, 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 at least three public places. 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, 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.
Chairman Haverty reported that he received an
email from Beth Ferrell, NACO legal advisor, encouraging counties to support
LB587, a jail reimbursement bill that will be up for legislative debate soon.
The bill would remove the $3.91 million cap on state appropriations for this
program, but would not appropriate additional funds. Counties are authorized to
request reimbursement for housing state prisoners, but when the cap is met, the
counties dont get paid. Commissioner Haverty made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Schroder to send a letter
to Senator Pankonin and Senator Heidemann
encouraging them to consider supporting the passage of LB587. Voting
Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty,
aye. Motion carried.
Dave Schmitz, Zoning Administrator, explained the need for an Administrative
Replat of Lot 1 of the Gress-Aldana
Subdivision. The 2 acre lot was originally subdivided in the 1990s. They now
want to buy an additional .77 acres so that they can construct an outbuilding
that will meet the required setbacks. Commissioner Schroder
made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to
authorize Chairman Haverty to sign the Administrative
Replat of Lot 1, Gress-Aldana
Subdivision located in the SE Ό of the SW Ό S4-T7-R14 at the request of owners,
Fredrick and Janis Gress. Voting Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye.
Motion carried.
Schmitz said the term of four members of the Otoe County Planning
Commission will expire this month. They are Howard Bebout,
Carol Doeden, Loreen Haupt and Bill Umland. Schmitz
said he contacted each member and all agreed they would be willing to serve
another term. Commissioner Schroder said he has
received complaints that there is no representation on the Planning Commission from
the southwest part of the county. He submitted the name of Cheri Wirthele to replace Carol Doeden.
Schmitz said Gerald Royal was also interested in the position, but Commissioner
Schroder felt it would be good to replace Ms. Doeden with another woman. Commissioner Schroder
made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to
sign Resolution 2008-9 appointing Howard Bebout, Loreen Haupt, Bill Umland and Cheri Wirthele to a
three term on the Otoe County Planning Commission. Voting Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye.
Motion carried.
The Board of Adjustment consists of five members and one alternate whose
terms will expire at the end of the month. Schmitz recommended reappointing the
current members who have confirmed they would serve another term. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to adopt Resolution 2008-10 appointing the
following members to serve another three year term on the Otoe County Board of
Adjustment: Kenneth Hartman, James Amerine, Bruce
Madsen, Russell Moss, William Umland (regular
members) and Jim Johnson (alternate). Voting- Commissioners, Haverty, aye; Schroder aye.
Motion carried.
Schmitz presented the annual sludge application report as submitted by
the Municipal Waste Treatment Facilities from the City of
A public hearing was held for the purpose of hearing support or
objections to the sale of county owned property legally described as a 1 acre
tract located in the NW Corner of S22-T8-R11. It is filed in the name of the
Otoe County Weed Board which no longer exists. Commissioner Schroder
said someone had indicated an interest in purchasing the land.
Glen Steffensmeier, County Highway
Superintendent, and Lynn Denniston, Bridge Foreman, and
Wally Pohlman and Rich Kuenning,
Road Foremen, came before the Board to discuss road and bridge matters.
Three bids were opened and publicly read for the construction of an asphaltic concrete overlay on County Road C near the
Woodland Hills Subdivision. They are listed below:
Vendor Base Bid Start
Date Completion Date
Pavers Inc,
Dobson Bros Const,
Constructors Inc, Lincoln
. $175,680.50
.July 7, 2008
.July
28, 2008
Steffensmeier said he would review the bids and make a
recommendation later this morning. There was a representative from Constructors
Inc. present for the bid opening; however, he declined to provide additional
comments.
Donald Harms and Alfred Damme came before the
Board to discuss the deterioration of a minimum maintenance road south of
Intersection N-36. They said the road has become impassable. It is four feet
lower than the ditches creating major drainage problems. Steffensmeier
said it is the Countys obligation to maintain all roads in a manner that
provides ingress and egress to all landowners. However, if the County is going
to do major construction on a minimum maintenance road then he will have to
apply for a Relaxation of Standards from the NDOR. Commissioner Haverty suggested that Steffensmeier
and Pohlman meet with the farmers to look over the
situation and then determine a solution.
Two new road employees were hired last October. On April 1st
the probationary period for road employee Harry Wieckhorst
will end. Steffensmeier said Wieckhorst
does very good work, takes good care of his truck and has excellent work
ethics. April 15th is the end of the probationary period for Matt
Watkins. Steffensmeier commented that Watkins is a
very talented worker with good mechanical skills. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to promote Harry Wieckhorst
to non probationary status effective April 1, 2008. Voting Commissioners Schroder, aye; Haverty, aye.
Motion carried. Commissioner Schroder asked that
action regarding termination of the probationary period for Matt Watkins be
tabled until the first meeting in April.
Steffensmeier said he would like to proceed with the
replacement of two bridges which he feels should be priority projects Bridge
#53230 west of Intersection P-60 and Bridge #22210 on
Steffensmeier has designed a check list for each sign
that is examined and/or replaced. It will include a description of the
condition of the sign, its location and the date it was examined. In this way,
there will be a record of the number of times the sign has been damaged or
stolen and the date of replacement. He presented a revised report of the number
and type of signs needed to order for replacement which does not include stock
inventory. However, he recommended keeping at least 10 stop signs and other
most commonly used signs on hand at each shop.
Steffensmeier also said he would like to revise the time
sheets for the road employees that will include a complete record of the days
and time worked; a description of the work done; the location of their work
site and a mileage report. There will be a work sheet for each pay period.
As Safety Committee Chairman, Steffensmeier
reported that the Safety Committee met on March 5th. One of the
topics discussed was the unstable condition of the hand rail leading to the
north entrance of the courthouse. He said the plates are corroded and the rail
is loose. Some of the cement slabs are uneven due to upheaval this winter. Rick
Sedersten, Courthouse Custodian, was advised to
solicit bids for cement work and installation of new railing. Jan Reed, who is
a member of the Committee, said it was suggested to install ornamental railing
to compliment the newly remodeled courthouse. Commissioner Haverty
said cost would be a factor in determining what style of railing is installed.
The decision will be made after the bids are received.
Safety Committee members made inspections of each county owned building,
trying to detect safety and health issues. It was reported that most of the
road shops need a general cleaning and reorganization (pick up tools, roll up
cords, etc). The roof was recently
repaired in the Syracuse Shop, but a complaint has been filed that there is
mold growing at the top of the wall. Steffensmeier
said he contacted Mr. Zimmers at the Extension Office
who will get someone from the University to inspect and test the building for
air quality.
Joe Miller, Agent for the Countys Liability and Property Insurance, said
in December he gave each Board member a copy of a building valuation report
compiled by the insurance company. The company recommended that all buildings
should be valued at a minimum of 90% of replacement cost, resulting in a
$2,146,428 increase in valuation. Before the renewal policy is written, the insurance
company needs to know if the County agrees with the recommendations. Commissioner
Haverty said he has no basis for disagreeing with the
recommendations, so the Board will accept the proposed valuations. Miller
commented that he attended the Safety Committee meeting last week and felt the
suggestions made should help prevent accidents through safety awareness. No
Workmans Comp claims have been turned in so far this year.
Jackie Smith,
Gregg Goebel,
Rich Kotan, representing OPPD, appeared before
the Board to review construction plans to build an additional railroad track to
the power plant southeast of
At 10:40 a.m. Commissioner Schroder made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to go into
executive session to discuss general assistance cases and/or applications with
the General Assistance Administrator,
At 10:45 a.m. Commissioner Haverty made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Schroder to go back
into regular session. Voting Commissioners Haverty,
aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried. No action taken
while in executive session.
Pat Haverty, Executive Director of RCEDC, came
before the Board to explain the need for the County to sign another resolution
of intent to issue additional industrial development revenue bonds for
Diversified Foods Inc. in the amount of $2,500,000. Haverty
said the County signed a similar resolution in June of 2007 agreeing to the
issuance of bonds in an amount not to exceed $6,000,000. Since then, there have
been significant cost overruns and change orders including an increase in the
size of the cooking room. The company cannot get up to full production without
the proposed modifications. He said,
Steffensmeier returned with a recommendation to award the
bid regarding asphaltic overlay on
At 11:08 a.m. Commissioner Schroder made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to go into
executive session to discuss personnel issues with Glen Steffensmeier,
Highway Superintendent, Wally Pohlman and Rich Kuenning, Road Foremen, Lynn Denniston,
Bridge Foreman and
At 12: 25 p.m. Commissioner Schroder made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to go back
into regular session. Voting Commissioners Schroder,
aye; Haverty, aye.
Motion carried. No action was taken while in executive session.
Miscellaneous correspondence included an invitation for
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 March 25 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 11th day of March 2008.
Janene Bennett
Otoe