NOTICE OF MEETING
NOTICE
IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Regular meeting of the Otoe County Commissioners of
AGENDA OF THE NEXT MEETING MAY
8, 2007
8:30 a.m. -- Open Meeting; call roll;
accept agenda; accept minutes from
previous meetings; audit and sign payroll claims and regular
claims
8:40 a.m. - Dave Schmitz, Surveyor: Discussion and/or action
RE: Shelton Acres Subd located in NE ¼ NW ¼
10-9-9;
Discussion and/or action RE: Zoning Administrator contract
8:45
a.m. – Rick Sedersten, Janitor and Representative from Controlled Services Inc:
Discussion and/or
action RE: Modifications for boiler/chiller unit
9:00
a.m. -- Discussion and/or action regarding other road and bridge matters
a)
Discussion and/or action RE: Open
bids – Roof repair Syracuse Shop
b)
Discussion and/or action RE:
Quotes for air compressor and tamper
c)
Discussion and/or action RE:
Update - transport of OPPD generator & transformers
d)
Discussion and/or action RE:
Miscellaneous
10:00 a.m. – Roy Schneider, Duff
Nursing Home Administrator
Ron Hurt, Security
Equipment Inc: Discussion and/or action RE: Fire alarm system at Duffs
10:15 a.m. – Gregg Goebel, EM Director and Becky
Sturm, 911 Addressing Coordinator:
Discussion
and/or action RE: Countywide directory; Discussion and/or action RE: EMPG grant
10:30 a.m. – Jim Johnston and John Palmtag: Discussion and/or action RE: Appointment to
Visitors Committee
10:45 a.m. – Pat Haverty, RCEDC
Director: Discussion and/or RE: Annual budget request FY07-08
11:00 a.m. – Teresa Johnson, Child
Support Officer: Discussion and/or action RE: Federal incentive payment
Other business matters to address when time allows:
Andrea Walters, Assessor: Discussion
and/or action RE: Tax list correction(s); TERC Findings
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,
MAY 8, 2007
The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at
8:30 a.m. on May 8, 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.
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 Schroder to audit and sign payroll
claims and regular claims as presented, unless otherwise noted. Voting –
Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder,
aye; Thummel, aye. Motion carried.
Chairman Schroder informed the pubic 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 while present in the meeting room.
Dave Schmitz, Registered Surveyor, presented the Shelton Acres
Subdivision plat map for approval. He said Brent and Elizabeth Shelton own 40
acres in the NE ¼ of the NW ¼ 10-9-9, but are subdividing it so that the lot
where the house will be built is separated from the rest of the property. With
Hooper Creek running through the property, he notified the Sheltons
that the house must be built at least one foot above the flood plain level. Commissioner
Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to authorize Chairman Schroder
to sign the plat map for Shelton Acres Subdivision located in the NE ¼ of the
NW ¼ S10-T9-R9 as requested by owners Brent and Elizabeth Shelton. Voting --
Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel,
aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.
In regards to the Independent Contractor Agreement between Schmitz Land
Surveying Inc and the County, Schmitz asked that Section 5.1 be changed so that
the County would be required to give him 60 days notice if they would decide to
terminate the agreement. The proposed contract only stated a 30 day notice.
Board members said they would agree to the change upon approval of the
Rick Sedersten, Courthouse Maintenance Engineer, introduced Rick Berner from Control Services Inc. Together they have
examined the current heating/cooling system used within the courthouse and jail
facility. Berner offered several ideas to modify the
system so that more even heating and cooling could be distributed between the
two buildings. He suggested installing dampers and sensors in the sheriff’s
office and reception area of the jail facility. The cost was quoted at $3,215. He
said the chilled water loop should have an opening for adding chemicals to
prevent scaling. Scale buildup will plug up the valves and pipes and could
cause damage to the pumps. He also recommended insulating the chiller pipes and
pumps. Berner mentioned that the current system has no
manual controls for changing its setting from season to season. The janitor must
call the company to have the system reprogrammed each time he wants to switch
from heating to cooling or cooling to heating. If CSI would install a computer
system with remote access, they could troubleshoot and reset the system from
Highway Superintendent, Glen Steffensmeier,
and Road and Bridge Foremen, Rich Kuenning, Wally Pohlman, and Lynn Denniston came
before the Board to discuss road and bridge matters.
At 9:00 a.m. bids were publicly opened and read regarding repairs to the
roof at the Syracuse Road Shop. Two contractors submitting bids were:
WJH Construction,
Zahn Construction, Syracuse - Materials and labor $21,973; includes American
Building steel and a 20 year warranty; Start date was June 4th;
completion date June 18th
Steffensmeier said he will review the bids and return
later with a recommendation.
Steffensmeier sent bid specifications to four vendors requesting
quotes for the purchase of a portable self contained air compressor and two
backfill tampers with hoses. Two vendors responded: Hamilton Equipment,
Lincoln offered a used Bobcat compressor with a John Deere diesel engine, 2004
model with 129 hours – cost of $10,500; 2 new tampers and hoses for $2,075; a
total price of $12,575.
Nebraska Machinery, Lincoln submitted three options: #1) a new compressor with a 5 year warranty
$11,000; two new tampers with a 1 year warranty $1,545; and 4 hoses @ $35 each
for a total of $12,685. #2) – a used (2006 model) compressor with a 4 year
warranty and 200 hours $9,500; two new tampers $1,545; and 4 hoses @ $35 each
for a total of $11,185. #3) – a used (2006 model) compressor with a 4 year
warranty and 300 hours $8,700; two new tampers with a 1 year warranty $1,545;
and 4 hoses @ $35 each for a total of $10,385.
Commissioner Schroder suggested that he look
at and try out the machines if possible. Commissioner Haverty
made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to
direct Supt Steffensmeier to examine the machines; select
and purchase the one that best fits the needs of the County. Voting --
Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel,
aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.
Steffensmeier reported that the OPPD generator has been
delivered to Brownville in
Steffensmeier said that Midwest Striping will be in the
Heavy rains this past week have caused a lot of road washing problems.
The crew has used all of the barricades to mark the wash outs. Steffensmeier said he would like to purchase a second
trailer and more barricades.
Bridge Foreman, Lynn Denniston, reported that
his crew has been removing mud and debris from bridges in preparation for
critical inspections by the State.
At the last meeting, bids were opened and awarded for the purchase of steel
products. Steffensmeier broke down the bids and
recommended certain items be purchased from two separate vendors. After
notifying the vendors of this decision, one of them called and said he would
not supply the steel because he did not get the entire bid. Steffensmeier
said he called the next lowest vendor and ordered the product from him.
Several years ago, a curved truss bridge was dismantled and stored at
the Lorton shop. Since it was built in 1876, the NDOR classified it as
“historical” and it cannot be destroyed. About a week ago, Steffensmeier
was contacted by Rick Wilson who is interested in placing this historical
bridge in a park in Weeping Water to be used as a pedestrian crossing. He said
the bridge has a 200 pound capacity which could not support more than two
people at a time. After speaking with personnel from the NDOR, he was told that
the City of Weeping Water would have to work with them and they will decide
whether the bridge could be modified to add support (which would destroy some
of its historical value) or just set it up on solid ground. However, if the County
does give it away, we need a “hold harmless” agreement with the City of
Roy Schneider, Duff Nursing Home Administrator, reported that when the fire
alarm system was tested last month, the 911 dispatcher in the sheriff’s office
did not receive a fire signal. After checking out the situation, it was
determined that the data line between Duff’s Nursing Home and the Jail Facility
had been disconnected, probably sometime during the renovation of the
courthouse. He said the alarms in the nursing home were working properly, so
the residents would have been aware of a fire, but the fire department would
not have been notified because the dispatchers did not get the signal to do so.
Barone is the company that installed and maintains
the current system. Ron Hurt, with Security Equipment Inc, said his company
specializes in security and fire protection. He recommended installing a
monitoring system that would bypass the sheriff’s office; if the fire alarms
would go off, the signal would be connected directly to his company who would
immediately notify the fire department. They have personnel on call 24 hours a
day 365 days a year. With this computerized system, frequent diagnostic testing
can be done from the office in
Gregg Goebel, Emergency Management Director, could not be present today
since he was attending a funeral. In his absence, the
As the 911 Addressing Coordinator Becky Sturm came before the Board to
present a sample copy of an address booklet created by County Wide Directory
LLC. It contains city and county maps which include the 911 addresses and
phones numbers of county residents. A salesman from the company said the
booklet is published using funds collected from businesses that purchase
advertisements. However, he wants the County to provide him with a 911 map
indicating the place of residence with the 911 address listed. Ms. Sturm said
that GIS Workshop could create such a map, but would charge about $1500. She said
she will call County Wide Directory to see if they could build their own map if
she would provide them with the addresses. The Board agreed they did not want
to invest any money for creating the map.
Andrea Walters,
Ms. Walters also reported that she has been notified by the Tax
Equalization and Review Commission that the 2007 valuation statistical report
for
John Palmtag, Chairman of the Otoe County
Visitors Committee, and Jim Johnston, Director of Commerce and Tourism, came
before the Board to recommend the appointment of Eric Olson as the seventh
member of the Visitors Committee. Palmtag said they
had several inquiries indicating interest in the position. The committee
conducted interviews with each applicant and felt that Mr. Olson had the skills,
talent and insight that would benefit the group. He is the current manager of
Kimmel Orchard and Arbor Day Farms. Olson said that 90% to 95% of his customers
come from outside of the County so he is already involved with tourists. He graduated
from UNL with an agri-business degree and was a participant in the LEAD
program. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded
by Commissioner Thummel to appoint Eric Olson as member
at large to the Otoe County Visitors Committee. Voting -- Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.
Pat Haverty, Director RCEDC, appeared before
the Board to make his annual budget request. As previously agreed in a
contract, he is requesting a contribution of $38,000 for FY08. His proposed
budget for fiscal FY08 will increase by $52,500 due to additional duties that
are being given to his office, such as administering the revolving loan fund. Most
of these new duties will be funded by grant money or administration fees.
Steffensmeier returned with the roof repair bids. Both
were comparable so he recommended awarding the job to the low bidder, WJH
Construction. Commissioner Haverty made a motion,
seconded by Commissioner Thummel to award the bid to
WJH Construction in the amount of $21,638. Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.
Teresa Johnson, Child Support Officer, said that she has received a
federal incentive payment in the amount of $14,215. The amount awarded is based
on paternity establishment, support orders, current child support due and the
arrears. This money is over and above the 66% reimbursement received from the
State. She said the money is to be used to enhance the child support program;
it is not meant for daily operational expenses. If the money is not used as specified,
the federal government could take it back. At this time, she has no need for
anything, but must figure out a way to spend it.
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 declare this meeting adjourned, until the next
one, which will be on May 22, 2007.
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 8th day of May 2007.
Janene Bennett
Otoe