NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING

 

Otoe County Courthouse

Nebraska City, Nebraska

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that The Board of Commissioners of Otoe County, Nebraska, will meet in Special Session at 1:00 p.m. August 19, 2008, in the office of the Otoe County Clerk, to conduct a budget workshop.  An agenda for the meeting is available for public inspection in the office of the Otoe County Clerk.

 

 

 

AGENDA OF THE SPECIAL MEETING

 

August 19, 2008

 

1:00 p.m. – Open meeting, Roll Call, Accept Agenda

               Discussion and/or action RE: Budgetary matters

 

 

August 19, 2008

 

The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in special session at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 19, 2008, to conduct a budget workshop.  Advance notice of this meeting was published in the Nebraska City News Press, announced on the local radio station KNCY and posted in at least three public places.  An agenda for such meeting was kept current and available for public inspection at the office of the County Clerk during regular business hours.

 

Due to a large crowd, the meeting was moved to the County Courtroom.

 

In addition to Commissioners Haverty, Schroder, and Kreifels many of the elected officials and department heads who are responsible for submitting budget worksheets attended the meeting.

 

Chairman Dale Haverty announced this meeting was being held for the purpose of conducting a budget workshop only. He said the reason for the need to minimize expenses was the lack of sufficient growth in the County and an effort to meet the lid requirements set by the State.

 

Commissioner Haverty asked the County Clerk, Janene Bennett, to explain the budgetary process. Ms. Bennett said there are two lid requirements – a levy lid limit and an expenditure lid limit. The County has no problem meeting the levy lid limit; however, as fixed expenses increase each year it has become more difficult to meet the expenditure limit. By law, the County may increase expenditures 3.5 %. At the August 12th meeting, she reported a shortfall of nearly $300,000 that still needed to be cut from the budget. Since then, she contacted the State Auditor’s Office seeking their suggestions for ways to meet the lid. She was told that if the County would no longer set a separate levy for the Road Fund, the County would not have to allocate tax money to the Cities & Villages for their road/street maintenance. This would save the County between $70,000 and $75,000. She also added $250,000 anticipated FEMA money to the revenue budget. By making these two changes, the County’s budget is now in compliance with the lid limits.

 

Several road employees, family members, union representatives and concerned citizens were in attendance at the workshop. They questioned the Board’s action at the August 12, 2008, meeting, when they voted to disband the Bridge Crew and discontinue the hauling of rock as a means to cut expenses in the budget. This resulted in the termination of seven road/bridge employees. They questioned why the Board could not make cuts elsewhere such as not rebuilding a motor grader. When asked if any other budgets were cut, Commissioner Haverty replied that $20,000 was cut out of General Assistance, about $14,000 from the Sheriff’s budget and one official was denied his request for a full-time clerical assistant. When asked why some of the expenses could not be paid from the Inheritance Tax Fund, Commissioner Haverty replied that he did not want to deplete the fund; it should be kept for emergency use.

 

Several questions were directed to the County Highway Superintendent, Glen Steffensmeier. The crowd wanted to know how the County could save money by contracting out the bridge work and rock hauling. The Union representatives said they requested a cost analysis last week but have yet to receive one. They offered to negotiate with the County Board to find ways to cut expenses without seven employees losing their jobs, possibly a reduction in working days. Commissioner Kreifels asked the people to write down any suggestions they had to make budget cuts and she would review them and take them into consideration.

 

A heated discussion continued for over 2 ½ hours.

 

Chairman Haverty declared the session adjourned about 3:45  p.m.

 

I, Janene Bennett, Otoe County Clerk, 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 19th day of August, 2008.

 

 

 

Janene Bennett

Otoe County Clerk