NOTICE OF MEETING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Regular meeting of
the Otoe County Commissioners of
AGENDA OF THE NEXT
MEETING
previous
meetings, audit and sign payroll claims and regular claims.
Approval/Disapproval – Vacation Plat-Lot
6 Jay Farms Subdivision
Approval/Disapproval – Grundman Hills Subdivision
(Will
go into executive session)
Other business matters to address when
time allows:
Jackie Smith, Co Treasurer: Pledged
security(s)
Discussion and/or action RE:
Implementation of Payroll Direct Deposit
Discussion and/or action RE: Lawn Care
for DHHS & Courthouse
Miscellaneous Correspondence and other
matters that may come before the Board
Janene Bennett
BOARD MINUTES MARCH 23, 2004
The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at
The meeting was called to order by the Chairman of the Board, Daniel P
Giittinger. Answering present at roll call were Commissioner Giittinger,
Commissioner Schroder and Commissioner Stratker. None absent.
Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded
by Commissioner Stratker to accept the agenda as
posted. Voting -- Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder,
aye; Stratker, aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded
by Commissioner Stratker to accept the minutes from
the previous meeting as mailed to them and not have them read. Voting – Commissioners Schroder,
aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded
by Commissioner Stratker to audit and sign payroll
claims and regular claims unless otherwise noted. Voting – Commissioners, aye; Stratker, aye; Commissioner Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.
A public hearing was held for the purpose of hearing support or
objections to the development of Timber Lake Subdivision located in part of the
S ½ of SE ¼ S30-T9-R9. Brian Corzine, engineer who
designed the subdivision plat, came before the Board to present a preliminary
drawing. He said the property would be divided into 70 lots, 69 residential and
1 commercial. They would encircle a small manmade lake created by an NRD dam
structure. Since the property would be divided into two sections, there would
be two entrances, one from Hwy 2 and the other off of County Rd 2. All the roadways
within the subdivision would be paved. The community would have its own sewer
system with a water treatment plant that has been pre-approved by DEQ. The
Fleming noted that the plat was tabled at the Planning Commission
meeting of March 18th due to several issues raised by Orval Stahr, advisor to the
Commission. Mr. Corzine said he has already addressed
a couple of those concerns by amending the plat. He increased the diameter of the
cul-de-sacs in order that all lots would have the required minimum frontage of
66’. By doing so, he eliminated one of the 69 lots. He then allowed for larger
turn-around areas at the dead ends located on the northern boundary in order to
satisfy the emergency vehicle concern regarding better accessibility to all
homes. He said he would pursue a relaxation of the 50’ setback requirement due
to the urban nature of the subdivision. He plans to take the amended plat to
the April Planning Commission meeting. The developer hopes to start grade work
this summer.
Dave Schmitz, Registered Surveyor, came before the Board to present the
Vacation of Lot 6 of Jay Farms Subdivision located in the E ½ of the NE ¼
S24-T9-R13. Schmitz noted that the owners, William and Constance Cronican, have decided that this lot will not be sold as a buildable lot. Cronican would like
to revert it back into agricultural land so that it can be taxed as such. There
being no opposition, Commissioner Schroder made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to
authorize Chairman Giittinger to sign the vacation plat for William and Constance
Cronican described as
Schmitz then presented the Grundman Hills
Subdivision plat for Board approval. Schmitz explained that 3.77 acres is being
divided from the farmstead in order for a son to build a new home there. Commissioner Schroder
made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to
authorize Chairman Giittinger to sign the plat map for Grundman
Hills Subdivsion located in the S ½ of the SW ¼ of
S21-T7-R11 as requested by owners Larry, Cheryl and Mary Grundman.
Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.
At
At
No action was taken while in executive session.
Bob Fleming, County Highway Superintendent, continued with discussion of
road and bridge matters.
Bid proposals were publicly opened and read for the design of three
separate bridges. Vendors submitting proposals are listed below:
Vendor Bridge
#00515 Bridge #02905 Bridge #11330
Speece/Lewis,
Mainelli, Wagner Assoc, Lincoln
$18,100
$17,200
$22,400
Both firms had representatives present for the bid opening;
At the request of the Board at the previous meeting, Ed Rowen, spokesperson for Consolidated Rural Water District
#1, returned with a cost estimate for the relocation of a rural water line at
the Bebout/Kreifels dam structure site. According to
Kerns Excavating (who has done a lot of work for the water district) the
estimated the cost was quoted at $5,124. This included materials and labor.
Commissioner Stratker made a motion, seconded by
Commissioner Schroder to hire Kerns Excavating to do
the work and to negotiate a cost share agreement with the Nemaha NRD. Voting –
Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.
Fleming noted that he asked Harold Mattes to train the new motor grader
operator that was hired to replace him and questioned what the rate of pay
should be for Mattes. Should he be paid at the same rate of pay he was
receiving when he retired ($13.10 per hour) or the rate being paid to another
part-time employee who is receiving $12.00 per hour? Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Giittinger
to pay Harold Mattes $12.00 per hour, the same rate of pay as the other
part-time road employee. Voting – Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye; Stratker, no.
Motion carried.
Regarding Bridge Project BRO-7066(32) located 1 ½ miles southeast of
Syracuse: Commissioner Schroder made a motion,
seconded by Commissioner Stratker to authorize
Chairman Giittinger to sign the Title Sheet approving construction plans for
Bridge Project BRO-7066(32). Voting – Commissioners Schroder,
aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.
Fleming presented an Administrative Replat for
Board approval regarding Lots 59, 60, and 61, Block 1, Woodland Hills Golf Club
in NW ¼ S16-T9-R9. It was drawn up to combine the three lots into one large
lot. Fleming said the amended plat met all county regulations. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to authorize Chairman Giittinger to sign the
Administrative Replat for Woodland Hills Golf Club as
presented. Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye;
Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.
Jackie Smith,
At
Diesel Power
Equipment,
Base Bid Trade-In Net
Bid Repair Cost 5
year Buy Back Total Cost Delivery
$134,150 $22,500 $111,650 $0 $67,500 $44,150
45 days
Mid-Land Equipment,
Omaha & Lincoln, NE: 2004 Case G885 (2 graders)
$332,384 $211,192 $134,632 $13,440 $50,000 $84,632 60-90 days
$156,300 $38,000 $118,300 $0 $0 $0 60-90 days
Murphy Tractor,
$151,400 $38,000 $113,400 $0 $0 $0 60-90 days
$172,000 $42,900 $129,100 $0 $82,000 $47,100 2 weeks
Nebraska Machinery, Lincoln:
2004 Caterpillar 140H (has 450 hours)
$172,000 $42,900 $129,100 $0 $90,000 $39,100 2 weeks
Sales representatives were allotted five minutes each to give a sales
pitch and answer questions. Representing Diesel Power - Carl Tegethoff; Mid-Land Equipment - Larry Cabel;
Murphy Tractor - Greg Kozisek; and
Commissioner Stratker suggested that the bids
be tabled until the next meeting to allow time for reviewing bid packets and to
give county operators time to test-drive the machines if they desired.
Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded
by Commissioner Giittinger to purchase the 140H Caterpillar from Nebraska
Machinery. Voting – Commissioner Stratker, abstain,
Commissioner Giittinger; aye; Commissioner Schroder,
aye. Motion carried.
Jim and Diane Teten and their attorney, John
Hahn, came before the Board to discuss the distance separation requirements of
the zoning regulations. Hahn explained that the Tetens
want to build a home on a section of a 120-acre farm that they already own. A
hog confinement operation is located ½ mile south and ½ mile east. In
accordance with the County’s zoning regulations, the location of the house
needs to be .25 miles east/west and .5 miles north/south from a hog operation
and at least 1 mile from where manure is spread. He felt the Tetens already met the distance requirements, but pointed
out that the County Board of Commissioners could allow an exception if
topography, prevailing winds, or combination of factors existed and
construction of a dwelling would not interfere with the hog operation. He noted
there were at least three 100 feet hills between the hog operation and the site
where they would like to build their home. In addition, he compiled information
of easterly wind direction for the past two years and found that there was an
average of 23 days per year when the wind blew from east to west. The Tetens have asked the owners of the hog operation to sign
an impact easement, but they declined. Bill Umland,
Chairman of the Planning Commission, said this matter does not need to go back
to Planning Commission if it involves construction of a house only. Originally,
the Tetens had requested a Conditional Use Permit
when they were considering the construction of a social hall next to their
home. That application was withdrawn when the Planning Commission would not
approve the Conditional Use Permit. In order to build a home, they will need to
apply for a building permit from the zoning administrator.
Janis Riege, Clerk of the District Court, said
that she has been looking for a part-time person to help out in her office for
8 hours a week and to fill in during vacation and sick leave. In order to find
a quality worker, most people want a minimum of 20 hours per week. She took a
survey from several other office holders who said they could use extra help
during their busy times. The duties would be general clerical, such as opening
mail, writing receipts, answering phone, filing, etc. Ms Riege
has money in her budget to hire a part-time person, but none of the other
officials have surplus funds. The Board said that if she hires a person who is
willing to float to other offices, then those officials would need to come
before the Board at that time and get approval to pay that person’s wages out
of the miscellaneous fund.
At
At
Bob Fleming returned to give a report on the engineering proposals for
the three bridges that were opened earlier. He made the following
recommendations as the lowest bids for each project. Bridge #
C006600515 to Speece-Lewis for $12,400; Bridge
#006602905 to Mainelli Wagner for $17,200; and
C006611330 to Speece-Lewis for $14,300.
Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by
Commissioner Stratker to award the bids as recommended
by Fleming. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye;
Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.
At
At
A presentation was given by Jerry Berggren who was hired to write a
master plan for the renovation of the Courthouse. After interviewing the
elected officials, researching historical records and making physical
inspections of the building he compiled a list of 10 improvements that could be
accomplished in phases or in one encompassing project. He based the sequence of
the list on the need for improving deteriorating conditions of materials or
systems and the level of discomfort that exists for the staff. 1. Mural -
refurbish and apply protective sealant. 2. Roof - Replace the sprayed-on latex
roofing with a steel roof, reverting back to a roof similar the original. 3.
Heating/cooling system – Number one complaint was uneven heating and cooling; recommended
converting the present system from steam heat to hot water by modifying the
present boilers and valves. 4. Improve
windows: Even though new sash units were installed last year, he was concerned
with signs of moisture below the windows that were not addressed. 5. Space and
security problems: most offices are overcrowded; need to move archival records
off premise in an environmentally controlled site and keep the most current
records on-site for easy access. Need to eliminate unnecessary security risks.
6. Create design standards for the hallways and offices to a 1930’s vintage, a
theme and color scheme that will provide a homogenous appearance. 7. Electric
wiring and cabling for computers; install raceways that will handle current and
future wires or cables. 9. Restore public areas from top to bottom, from outer
offices to corridors. 10. Restore the bell to working condition. The total
construction cost was estimated at nearly 1.5 million dollars. However, he said
to allow a contingency fund of another ½ million bringing the total cost of the
project to 2 million dollars. This will cover architectural fees and unexpected
costs that may occur after construction begins. Construction will probably
trigger the fire marshal to order implementation of a sprinkler system and
other
John Osuch said that he has researched
nationwide for availability of grant money. He found many sources ranging from
energy efficiency programs to historical preservation, but someone needs to
apply for the grants. Now that there is a master plan, it will be easier to ask
for and get money when people have visual aids to see how their money will be
spent.
The Board asked Berggren to draw up an engineering contract that would
include the first six steps of his master plan to be the first phase of the
project.
Brandi Ellis,
After some discussion, the Board agreed to renew the lawn care services
contract with Lind Lawn Care to include application of fertilizers/chemicals
and to mow the Courthouse lawn for the 2004 season. In addition, Lind Lawn Care
will do the yard work at the Department of Health & Human Services.
In regards to direct deposit, Commissioner Schroder
made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to
attach a letter and ACH Credit Authorization form to all county employees’
paychecks giving them the option to enroll in payroll direct deposit. Voting –
Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye; Stratker, 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, Daniel P Giittinger,
Chairman of the Board, declared this meeting adjourned, until the next one,
which will be on April 13, 2004.
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 March 2004.
Janene Bennett
Otoe