NOTICE OF MEETING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
that the Regular meeting of the Otoe County Commissioners of
AGENDA OF THE NEXT
MEETING
meeting, Audit and Sign payroll and regular
claims
1)
BRO-7066(28)
2) Resolution for BRO-7066(39) 7)
Driveway Tube Policy
3) Resolution
for Vertical Panel Signs 8) Weed
Mowing Policy
4) Utility
Permits 9)
Applications for Highway Supt position
5) Restock
tube inventory 10)
Miscellaneous
James Cook:
Discussion and/or action RE: Proposed road project south of P-70 east side
Discussion and/or action RE: Storage space solution
Other business matters to address when time allows:
Jackie Smith,
Treasurer: Pledged Security(s); Survey results; Office Furniture
Janis Riege:
Discussion and/or action RE: Cooperative Agreement for Child Support
Enforcement
Discussion and/or action: Cancel Check
#06050071
Brandi Reimers,
Assessor: Tax list corrections
Marv Pesek: Discussion and/or action RE:
Region V Rental Assistance Program; Copier purchase;
GA cases/applications (exec session)
Miscellaneous Correspondence and other
matters that may come before the Board
Janene
Bennett, Otoe
Immediately following
adjournment from regular session, the Commissioners will convene as the Board
of Equalization to discuss and/or act upon an Application for Tax Exemption and
to Review Overvalued and Undervalued Property
The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at
The meeting was called to order by the Chairman of the Board, Joy W Schroder. Answering present at roll call were Commissioner Schroder, Commissioner Stratker
and Commissioner Giittinger. None absent.
Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to accept the agenda as posted. Voting --
Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker,
aye; Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Giittinger 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 Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder,
aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner
Schroeder to audit and sign payroll claims and regular claims unless otherwise
noted. Voting – Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder,
aye; Commissioner Stratker, aye. Motion carried.
The Renovation Committee appeared before the Board to review
construction proposals and make recommendations. Item 1: The wooden flooring
(that had been refinished about a year ago) on the second floor was marred
during the renovation process. The committee was given several options: Restore
the wooden floor to the condition it was in before construction began; Replace
the original wood with new wood or laminate flooring; Cover the wooden floor
with carpeting. Ronco would apply $1500 towards
options 2 & 3 if we choose not to restore the wooden floor. The Committee
recommended restoring the present wooden floor at no additional cost. Item 2: The
vault door in the Register of
The Committee also discussed ending the contract with the architect.
According to the
Foremen Rich Kuenning, Wally Pohlman and Lynn
Topics of discussion included:
Bridge project BRO-7066(28) located west of
Bridge project BRO-7066(39) located northeast of
Resolution for Vertical Safety Signs – A few months ago the NDOR announced
that the Federal Highway Administration will grant money to the NDOR to provide
safety markers for county bridges. However, it is stipulated that the County
must provide labor to put them up. After taking an inventory of signs needed, Mainelli will be making a request for over 400 signs. After
the signs are received, the road crew will have 18 months to install the signs.
Upon completion, a Certificate of Compliance must be signed and submitted to
the NDOR. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to authorize Chairman Schroder
to sign Resolution 2006-22 resolving to install the signs as specified and
issue a Certificate of Compliance when completed. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye;
Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.
Several utility permits were received requesting the County’s permission
to occupy county road right of way while installing utility lines. Commissioner
Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker
to approve issuance of 4 permits to OPPD at the following locations: west of
the SE corner of S14-T9-R9; west of the NE corner of S6-T7-R9; west of the SE
corner of S4-T8-R11; and south of the NE corner of S33-T9-R13; and to issue 2
permits to Alltel - one located east of the SW corner of S28-T8-R9 and the
other east of the NW corner of S28-T9-R9.Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder,
aye. Motion carried.
The foremen requested authorization to purchase enough metal culverts to
take them through the fall construction season. Commissioner Giittinger made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to
advertise for bid the purchase of various sizes of metal culverts as listed by
the foremen. Voting – Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder,
aye; Stratker, aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Stratker said he received a
request to place a speed limit sign on
There was a brief discussion regarding implementation of a driveway tube
policy. Commissioner Schroder said landowners are
installing tubes without permission or notice to the County. A resolution was adopted
in 1995, but it addressed subdivision parcels only. Commissioner Giittinger
said the County should adopt a policy following the same requirements as those
specified in the utility permit policy. Mainelli will
work on revising the old resolution to add specific criteria.
Jim Myers, who is contracted to serve as the Otoe County Weed
Superintendent, was asked to read the proposed weed mowing policy regarding
roadside ditches. The policy is based on Nebraska State Statute 39-1811 whereby
landowners are responsible for mowing the roadsides adjacent to their property.
If they are not mowed before July 15th, their names will be given to
the
Commissioner Stratker made a motion to go into
executive session to discuss the matter of hiring a highway superintendent,
however the motion was withdrawn. The
Mark Mainelli gave the following report:
The Federal Highway Administration reviewed the bridge files of
He discovered a flaw in the design of the dam structure located south of
J-60; no drain pipes were installed causing serious erosion. He will contact
the NRD who shared the cost of this project.
Regarding Bridge Project BRO-7066(35) east of Julian - He will be
working with the contractor and Corps of Engineers to correct a drainage
deficiency problem; he noted that a change in design will generate additional
costs.
He has received several calls from individuals who are requesting the
application of calcium chloride on county roads for dust control. Some have
offered to pay the cost. Commissioner Schroder
suggested placing gravel on the roads in lieu of crushed rock to alleviate
dust.
Martin Marietta Aggregates notified its customers that rock will
increase by 50 cents a ton on July 1st. He suggested purchasing and stockpiling
rock at the
Mainelli had been asked to determine the best method
for advertising and securing rock hauling bids. He said in
He had also been asked to research the concept of contracted motor
grader maintenance. He couldn’t find any other entity that does it. When he looked
at liability issues, contractors and insurance companies alike considered
grader maintenance to be high risk; insurance would be very costly. Mainelli recommended the hiring of summertime help to get
the job done rather than contracting it out.
James Cook came before the Board to ask what the County was planning for
the east side of Road 70 south of
Dale Haverty, representing the
Architect Jerry Berggren and Chief Probation Officer Jodi York appeared
before the Board to review the architectural design for creating suitable
probation office space on 2nd floor and in the basement of the
Courthouse. According to the drawings, the southeast storage rooms will be
converted into a large meeting room than may be shared with Emergency
Management personnel. Berggren also thought it could serve as a waiting area
for those applying for driver’s licenses. The EMA office will be expanded to
the south and the northeast storage unit would become a multi purpose/computer/food
service room. Ms. York said she received notice that the State has authorized
nearly $45,000 to furnish the space used for day reporting. Ms. York said she
will be hiring three new officers for this area; some of the probationers
assigned to the Day Reporting System will come from
Berggren presented the following list of change orders: 2. Relocate the
east wall in former Appraisal Room, allowing more space in the County Court’s
file room ($6,980); 3. Add microphone jacks in the floor of the
Goebel noted that he received the final payment of the 2003 Homeland
Security Grant. Communication equipment has been ordered and will be installed
soon by using funds received from a 2004 grant. The 2005 grant is on hold until
the 800 megahertz re-banding is completed. He recently applied for a $235,039
grant for 2006.
He announced the County was awarded $34,078 for tire recycling. Commissioner
Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker
to grant him permission to set up a collection site for used tires at the
Nebraska City Road Shop on Saturday, July 8th. Voting –
Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye. Motion carried.
Representatives from Blue Cross, NACO and Midwest Insurance and
Associates were present to review their health insurance proposals and answer
questions. Sue Warner from Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the County’s current
carrier, noted that the NACO BC/BS premium cost increased only 4%. The most
notable change was on the prescription side as BC/BS is moving from a 3 tier
plan to a 4 tier plan. NACO will continue to offer a disease management program
and a $10,000 life insurance policy to each employee.
Ray Meyer, with Midwest Insurance and Associates, said he made some revisions
from his May 23rd proposal that is a better match to NACO’s plan. He added a dental plan to his partial self-funded
health plan that he alleges would save the County $69,000 the first year as
long as there were no catastrophic claims. His plan also includes routine care
services in an effort to prevent major problems. Questions and comments were
opened to the audience. There were several people expressing concerns about the
County’s health history which deterred two other agents from submitting quotes.
Self funding is risky business, especially if it is known that there are some
employees with major medical issues. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion,
seconded by Commissioner Schroder to remain with our
present carrier and accept the Blue Cross/Blue Shield NACO health insurance
plan as presented and currently administered. Voting - Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker, no;
Giittinger, aye. Motion carried. The policy period will be effective from
Teresa Johnson, Child Support Enforcement Officer, reviewed the proposed
contract submitted by Stephen Kraviec as the
Authorized Attorney for child support enforcement. It would be his duty to
provide legal services to establish paternity and secure financial support for
children receiving ADC and other minors needing assistance in obtaining child
support orders. He has held this contracted position for the past several
years. This year he is asking for a $50 per month increase due to the price of
gasoline, bringing his total monthly fee to $1050. He visits the County one to
three times per month, but is available for consultation at any time. Commissioner
Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker
to authorize Chairman Schroder to sign the Child
Support Enforcement Contract as submitted, extending the contract period from
Janis Riege, Clerk of the District Court,
explained the contents of a Cooperative Agreement for Child Support Enforcement
between the County and the
At the previous meeting, four audit proposals were opened and publicly
read. Tim Cortney of
Chief
Other business matters were addressed at this time.
Assessor Brandi Reimers presented the
following tax list corrections for approval: Jim & Carol Chaney – deduct
$34.28 and Jeff & Lisa Esser - add $34.28. The N
20’ of a vacated street in Blk 4, Greggsport
Addition should not have been transferred to Lots 11 and 12 (owned by Chaneys), but should have remained with Lots 9 and 10
(owned by Essers). Commissioner Giittinger made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to approve
the tax list corrections as described above. Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder,
aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to cancel check #06050071 in the amount of $200.00
issued in error. Voting – Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder,
aye; Stratker, aye. Motion carried.
Jackie Smith,
At the previous meeting Ms. Smith had requested the Board to consider
keeping the Courthouse open on Arbor Day. She was asked to take a survey of the
other County Office Holders to obtain their opinions regarding her proposal. She
said they all agreed they were willing to give up Arbor Day as a paid holiday
and preferred a floating holiday for its replacement. However, if the Board felt
they needed a specified day, they would choose Good Friday. The advantage of a
floating holiday is that office functions aren’t inhibited when employees are
allowed to have a paid day off of their choice. The Court Systems, who are
under the jurisdiction of the State, would have to close on Arbor Day since it
is a declared state holiday. No action was taken at this time.
Ms. Smith reported that sales agents from All Makes Office Equipment have
taken measurements in the Treasurer’s Office,
Marv Pesek, General Assistance Administrator, said
he had no GA cases or applications to discuss. However, he reported that Region
V Systems is coordinating a Rental Assistance Program (RAP) for the 16 counties
in southeast
Mr. Pesek obtained three price quotes for the
purchase of a copy machine. Business Solutions quoted $1200 for a refurbished
Konica copier with a $20 per month maintenance contract; Solution One quoted $1995
for a new Muratec copier with $25 per month
maintenance; and Modern Methods offered a new Lanier copier for $1495 and a $29
monthly maintenance contract. Since Pesek said he has
enough money left in his budget to purchase a copier this year, no Board action
was required. The purchase will be left to his discretion.
There being no further business to come before the Board at this time,
and since all items on the agenda have been disposed of, Joy W Schroder, Chairman of the Board, declared this meeting adjourned,
until the next one, which will be on June 27, 2006.
At
An application for tax exemption on real property located in Pt lots
1-6, Blk 106, NC Proper, was received from the First
Baptist Church, Nebraska City. The lots contained an old house that was once a
parsonage, but has been rented for several years. It was not exempted from
taxes due to the revenue received from rental fees. About a month ago, the house
was torn down; the area will be seeded and used for Church activities. Assessor
Reimers recommended approval for tax exemption due to
the change in its use. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by
Commissioner Schroder to approve exemption from taxes
on Parcel 002209500 as requested by the
Ms. Reimers noted that applications for
Assessor Reimers presented a list of 270
parcels that received an increase in valuation by mistake, mainly due to an
error in coding. She said the properties need to be reverted back to the 2005
valuation. In accordance with the property tax assessment guidelines for
“overvalued” property, Commissioner Schroder made a
motion, seconded by Commissioner Giittinger to
approve rolling the valuations of the listed properties presented by the
Assessor back to the 2005 rates, which will be attached and become a part of
the official minutes. Voting – Commissioners Schroder,
aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.
I, Janene Bennett,
Janene Bennett
Otoe