NOTICE OF MEETING

Otoe County Courthouse

Nebraska City NE  68410

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Regular meeting of the Otoe County Commissioners of Otoe County, Nebraska will be held at 8:30 o’clock a.m. on August 28, 2007, in the County Courtroom (108) of the Otoe County Courthouse.  The meeting will be open to the public.  An agenda for each meeting is kept continuously current, and is available for public inspection at the office of the County Clerk at the Courthouse, but the agenda may be modified at such meetings to include items of an emergency nature only.

 

AGENDA OF THE NEXT MEETING                                          AUGUST 28, 2007

         

         8:30 a.m. -- Open Meeting; call roll; accept agenda; accept minutes from  

                                previous meetings; audit and sign payroll claims and regular claims

                 

         8:45 a.m. – Dave Schmitz, Zoning Administrator

Public Hearing: D & E Wellman Subd located in part SE ¼ SW ¼ and part SW ¼ SE ¼ 26-7-10

            Public Hearing: Proposed amendments to Otoe County Zoning Regulations regarding

1)      Definition of Existing Farmstead; 2) Reduction of offsets on existing farmsteads;

2)      Reduction of offsets on lots smaller than 1 acre located in multiple lot subdivisions;

4)   Requirement of certificate of zoning compliance for non-residential farm buildings

                      

         9:00 a.m. -- Open Bids: For replacement of Bridge C66022030

         9:30 a.m. – Open Bids: For construction of a Road Shop in Village of Otoe

 

Discussion and/or action regarding other road and bridge matters

a) Resolution to change the road classification on County Road 50 between Roads C & D

                         b) Discussion and/or action RE: Documents related to public assistance for declared disaster

                         c) Miscellaneous

                

       10:00 a.m. – Public Hearing: To grant a Revolving Fund loan in the amt of $20,000 to Nebraska City Economic

                         Development Foundation to complete a conceptual land use plan in an effort to develop Red Fox

                         Run Industrial Park

                                   

       10:15 a.m. – Public Hearing: To grant a Revolving Fund loan in the amt of $10,000 to River Country Economic

                          Development Corp to initiate and administer a job training program for Diversified Foods &

                          Seasonings; Discussion and/or action RE: An agreement to disburse said funds to RCEDC 

 

       10:30 a.m. – Sara Dean, SENCA – Quarterly Report

 

       10:45 a.m. – Discussion and/or action RE: Resolution to vacate a portion of county roadway designated as

                             19th Street, otherwise referred to as “Bagel Drive

                      

        Other business matters to address when time allows:

Therese Trombino, Dept Co Assessor: Discussion and/or action RE: Tax list corrections;

      Presentation of list of exempted properties

                    Jackie Smith, Co Treasurer: Discussion and/or action RE: Tax refunds

                    Discussion and/or action RE: Levy allocation to political subdivisions

                    Discussion and/or action RE: Official’s Inventory Statements submitted for approval

                    Discussion: Budget workshop

                    Marv Pesek, GA Administrator: Discussion General Assistance Applications/Cases (Executive Session)

                    Miscellaneous Correspondence and other matters that may come before the Board

.                                                                                                                                              

Janene Bennett

                                                                                                                                                Otoe County Clerk

 

 

The County Board reserves the right to go into executive session when and if they deem it necessary.

Individuals requiring physical or sensory accommodations, including interpreter service, Braille, large print or recorded materials, please contact Janene Bennett, County Clerk, Otoe County Courthouse, P O Box 249, Nebraska City, NE 68410, (402) 873-9505), no later than 12:00 noon the day before the meeting.  

 

 

 

 

    AUGUST 28, 2007

 

The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at 8:30 a.m. on August 28, 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. None absent.

 

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 Thummel 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.

 

Deputy County Assessor, Therese Trombino, provided Board Members with a list of organizations that qualify for tax exemption for tax year 2007. Pursuant to State Statute 77-202.03(5) the list shall be published in the county designated newspaper on or before September 30th.

 

Ms. Trombino presented the following tax list corrections for approval. 1) Deborah Fox – deduct $76.14 for tax year 2006 – corrected error on property tax card. 2) Beatrice Concrete Co. – deduct $8,593.54 for tax year 2006 – property was overvalued and needed to be equalized with similar property. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to approve the tax list corrections as presented. Voting -- Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.

 

Dave Schmitz, Zoning Administrator, withdrew the plat map for D & E Wellman Subdivision noting that the 2006 taxes have not been paid in full. He will bring the plat back to the next meeting for Board approval.

 

At 8:45 a.m. a public hearing was held for the purpose of hearing support or opposition to four proposed amendments to the Otoe County Zoning Regulations. Schmitz said the Otoe County Planning Commission approved the amendments at their August 16, 2007, meeting. However, since then, he has been working with County Attorney, Dave Partsch, to revise some of the language in proposed amendments 1, 2 and 3. The amendments include the definition of an “existing farmstead”, reducing setback requirements for some areas and enforcing the requirement of a certificate of zoning compliance for non-residential farm buildings. The County Board recommended that Schmitz take the revised amendments back to the Planning Commission for their approval. Upon the Planning Commission’s approval, the County Attorney will draw up a resolution defining the proposed amendments; then bring it before the County Commissioners for their consideration and adoption. The next scheduled Planning Commission meeting is September 20th.  

 

Glen Steffensmeier, County Highway Superintendent, Wally Pohlman, Rich Kuenning and Lynn Denniston, Road and Bridge Foremen came before the Board to discuss road and bridge matters.

 

At 9:00 a.m. bids were opened and publicly read for the purchase of bridge materials that will be used to construct a single span concrete deck slab bridge known as Structure #C006622030. Vendors submitting bids were:

Oden Enterprises, Wahoo ……………………. $61,959.07……..…Delivery 2-4 weeks

Midwest Service & Sales, Schuyler……………$62,843.79 ………Delivery 4-8 weeks

Husker Steel, Columbus ………………………. $69,556.00………Delivery 1-2 weeks

Steffensmeier said the bids included materials only; the bridge crew will provide the labor to build the new bridge. He said he would like to review the bids and return later with a recommendation.

 

Steffensmeier presented a resolution to change the road classification of a 1 mile portion of County Road 50 between Roads C & D from minimum maintenance to local road status. He said the road has been built up to standard specifications and is ready to be rocked. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to sign Resolution 2007-19 requesting the Nebraska Department of Roads to change the functional classification of the 1 mile section of N 50th Road between Roads C and D from Minimum Maintenance to Local Road Status. Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

The Board directed Steffensmeier to proceed with the overlay project on County Road C near the Woodland Hills Subdivision.  He will prepare specs and go out for bid this fall.

 

At 9:30 a.m. bids were opened and publicly read for the construction of a new county road shop within the Village of Otoe. Steffensmeier said the road crew will demolish the existing shop. The Farmer’s Co-op owns adjoining property and has a building encroaching on a portion of county property. However, the manager has agreed to swap property of similar size and value to the County, so that the new building will have controlled access. The following vendors submitted bids:

1) WJH Construction, Syracuse – Base bid $21,145.91 – Options – Add $500 for frost free footing under doors; Subtract $1000 if using Galvalume steel in lieu of white colored steel.

2) Zahn Construction, Syracuse - $20,182.34 if Galvalume steel is used; $21,299.59 if colored steel is used.

Wick Buildings, Nebraska City - $29,882.00 if galvanized steel is used; $30,719.00 for 29ga colored steel; $34,765.00 for 26ga colored steel.

 

Steffensmeier noted that there was about $1000 difference between galvanized and colored steel in all of the bids. Commissioner Haverty commented that since the building will be located in a town, the colored steel would look better. Others thought the plain steel building would be fine and the County should save the difference of $1000. Steffensmeier will review the bids and return later with a recommendation.

 

Other business matters were addressed.

 

Jackie Smith, County Treasurer, presented the following tax refunds for Board approval – $95.50 to Janene L Heyen and $61.36 to Stephanie and John Shrader as a result of assessment errors on their property cards for tax year 2006. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to approve the tax refunds as presented above.  Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye. Motion carried.

 

In accordance with State Statutes 77-3442 and 77-3443, it is the County Board’s responsibility to determine the allocation of levy authority to the Rural Fire Districts, Hospital Districts and Ag Societies. The County Clerk noted that all of the entities have complied with the statutory limits and requested from 0% to 3.5% increase over last year’s request. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to sign and adopt Resolution 2007-22 allocating levies to meet the tax requests submitted by the political subdivisions listed above. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.

 

Per State Statute 23-347, it is the duty of county officers to file an inventory statement with the County Board within two months after the close of the fiscal year listing all personal property in the custody of each office holder.  Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Haverty to approve the inventory statements as submitted by the elected officials and other department heads. Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

Marv Pesek had no general assistance cases or applications to bring before the Board for discussion today.

 

At the previous meeting, Mr. Pesek had asked the Board if it would be possible for the Veterans’ Vans to fill up with gasoline at the fuel pumps located in the yard of the Nebraska City Road Shop. The County could save money by letting them use fuel from the bulk tank. The vans are used to transport veterans for medical treatment. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to allow the Veterans Vans to fill up at the County Road Shop; however, the gasoline must be metered and paid for from the Veteran’s Aid Fund. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye. Motion carried.

 

In May of 2007, Otoe County suffered from heavy rain and flooding causing severe damage to public roads and bridges. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has asked that a contact person be appointed to represent Otoe County who would be responsible for making application to FEMA for disaster relief. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to appoint Glen Steffensmeier, the Otoe County Highway Superintendent, to represent Otoe County when making application for federal disaster relief to repair or replace damaged roadways and bridges in Otoe County. Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

A public hearing was held for the purpose of hearing support or objections to the award of a $20,000 Revolving Fund loan to the Nebraska City Economic Development Foundation. Pat Haverty, Executive Director for River Country Economic Development Corp, came before the Board to recommend that the Board approve the award and explained how the money would be spent. He said the money will be used to develop a conceptual land use plan for marketing businesses to locate in Red Fox Run Industrial Park. The site consists of 24 acres, but plans are to subdivide it into 5 acre lots that will attract small businesses. It is located on a hard surfaced road with all utilities readily available. New businesses will boost the economy, increase the county’s tax base and provide new employment. There being no objections, Commissioner Thummel made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Schroder to authorize the Chairman to sign Resolution 2007-23, approving the Revolving Fund loan of $20,000 to the Nebraska City Economic Development Foundation and to authorize the Chairman to execute all necessary documents on behalf of the County and the Regional Economic Development Loan Fund to complete this loan project.  Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye. Motion carried. Commissioner Haverty abstained.

 

A second public hearing was held for the purpose of hearing support or objections to the award of a $10,000 Revolving Fund loan to River County Economic Development Corp that will be used to initiate and administer a job training program for employees of Diversified Foods & Seasonings Inc. Pat Haverty said the money would be used to train and certify employees as forklift operators. Southeast Community College will provide onsite training. In addition to a Resolution to approve the loan, he presented an agreement between the Nebraska City/Otoe County Regional Economic Development Loan Fund and RCEDC whereby RCEDC agrees to administer the job training program, monitor the program to ensure that specified criteria is met, document records, and act as the paying agent to Diversified Foods & Seasonings Inc. Commissioner Thummel made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Schroder to authorize the Chairman to sign Resolution 2007-24 approving the Revolving Fund loan of $10,000 to RCEDC that will be used to fund a job training program for new employees of Diversified Foods & Seasonings Inc. Voting - Commissioners Haverty, abstained; Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel; aye. Motion carried. Subsequently, Commissioner Thummel made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Schroder to authorize Chairman Schroder to sign and enter into an agreement with RCEDC who will be responsible for administering the job training program for Diversified Foods & Seasonings Inc. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty, abstained. Motion carried.

 

Sara Dean, Local Director of Southeast Nebraska Community Action (SENCA), came before the Board to give a statistical report of services rendered from October 2006 through July of 2007. She said they provided utility, rent, or emergency assistance to 47 families and provided 2,815 days of food. Last June, she raised over $200 from the proceeds of a bake sale that was deposited in the emergency fund account. Recently, SENCA collected school supplies in conjunction with the staff from St Mary’s Hospital. They filled over 40 back packs with school supplies and distributed them to needy children. Right now, her biggest demand is finding affordable housing for families that are looking for three bedroom homes.

 

Glen Steffensmeier returned to the meeting with a recommendation to purchase bridge materials for Bridge Structure #C006622030 from the low bidder, Oden Enterprises in the amount of $61,959.07. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to award the bid to Oden Enterprises for the purchase of bridge materials in the amount of $61,959.07. Voting – Commissioners Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

After reviewing the bids for the construction of a road shop in the Village of Otoe, Steffensmeier said there was only a difference of $36.43 between Zahn Construction and WJH Construction. WJH had offered an option to construct frost free footings for the doorways for and additional $500 which he thought was a good idea. He said the Galvalume steel has a finish that looks white in the light, not dull gray. Therefore, he recommended awarding the bid to WJH Construction as the low bidder, using Galvalume steel to construct the building and pouring a frost free footing for the doorways. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to accept the bid proposal from WJH Construction in the amount of $20,645.91, using Galvalume steel and frost free footing. Voting – Commissioners Haverty, aye; Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye. Motion carried. The building should be completed by the end of October.

 

Dave Partsch, County Attorney, said a public hearing was held at the last Board meeting regarding the vacation of a portion of 19th Street aka Bagle Drive. Since there were no objections, he prepared a resolution with a legal description and survey attached, that officially declares the designated roadway be vacated on the condition that the disposition of the title and all right-of-way to any portion of the vacated roadway shall revert solely to the private ownership of Diversified Foods & Seasonings, Inc. Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to sign Resolution 2007-25, approving the vacation of the portion of 19th Street, known as Bagel Drive, and conveying said portion to the private ownership of Diversified Foods & Seasonings Inc. Voting -- Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty, 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, Commissioner Haverty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Thummel to declare this meeting adjourned, until the next one, which will be on September 11th, 2007. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Thummel, aye; Haverty, aye. Motion carried.

 

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 28th day of August 2007.

 

 

Janene Bennett

Otoe County Clerk