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 September 26, 2006, 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                                          SEPTEMBER 26, 2006

 

         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.Public Hearings:

1)      J & F Associates Subd – located in the E ½ of the NW ¼ 26-8-14 as requested by Eugene, Juanita and

         Diane Schnitzer

2) Administrative Replat of Several lots in Timber Lake Subdivision located in the SE ¼ 30-9-9                                                                                                             

         9:00 a.m. -- Discussion and/or action regarding road and bridge matters

                                    1)   Open bids for 2006 pickup

                                    2)   Discussion and/or action RE: Bridge Project BRO-7066(25) Palmyra Southeast

                                    3)   Discussion and/or action RE: Revision to 1 & 6 Year Road Plan

                                    4)   Miscellaneous discussion

 

        10:00 a.m.Brandi Reimers, Co Assessor – Discussion and/or action RE: Microfilming of assessment records

                              Rick Sedersten, Janitor – Discussion and/or action RE: Storage issues

 

        10:30 a.m. – Ron Ely, Richardson Co Commissioner – Discussion and/or action RE: Creation of an Emergency

                             Management District for Richardson, Nemaha and Otoe Counties

 

        10:45 a.m. – Extension Office Report

       

        11:00 a.m. – Roy Schneider, Duff Nursing Home Administrator – Discussion and/or action RE: Renovation project at the nursing home

       

        

             Other business matters to address when time allows:

                    Discussion and/or action RE: Commissioner Deeds to Land Reutilization Commission

                    Brandi Reimers, Assessor: Discussion and/or action RE: Tax List Corrections

                   Marv Pesek – Discussion and/or action RE: GA applications and cases (executive session)

                   Jackie Smith, Co Treasurer: Discussion and/or action RE: Institution of law suit on taxpayers that are

                          Two or more years delinquent on personal property

                   Miscellaneous Correspondence and other matters that may come before the Board

.                                                                                                                                              

 

       11:30 a.m. Convene as Board of Equalization to review tax exemption status on certain properties                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                    Janene Bennett

                                                                                                                                    County Clerk

 

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.

        

 

 

September 26, 2006

 

The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at 8:30 a.m. on September 26, 2006 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 Stratker and Commissioner Giittinger. None absent.

 

Chairman Schroder informed the public 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.

 

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 with one correction: On Page 3 Paragraph 3, the road being referred to for posting a reduced speed limit sign should be Centennial Avenue and not G Rd. Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.  

 

Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to audit and sign payroll claims and regular claims unless otherwise noted. Voting – Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye; Commissioner Stratker, aye.  Motion carried.

 

Dave Schmitz, Registered Surveyor, presented the J & F Associates Subdivision for Board approval. This parcel is the original homestead of the late Alvin Schnitzer. Eugene and Juanita live there, but in order to settle the estate, the family is subdividing all of the parcels with home sites and transferring ownership to individual names. Commissioner Stratker made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Giittinger to authorize Chairman Schroder to sign the plat map for J & F Associates Subdivision located in the E ½ of the NW ¼ of S26-T8-R14 as requested by owners Eugene, Juanita and Diane Schnitzer. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.

 

Schmitz explained that when Timber Lake Subdivision was developed, a neighboring landowner filed a lawsuit disputing the north boundary line. Now that the Court has made a ruling, the Board needs to approve an Administrative Replat that indicates the new boundary lines of Lots 1, 2, & 3 Blk 4; Lot 1 Blk 3; Lot 24 Blk 1; and Lots 6,7,9,10, & 11 Blk 2 and Outlot A, Timber Lake Subdivision. The Court found that the original fence line of the adjoining landowner is correct; so the subdivision’s boundary lines were moved back, changing the dimensions of the lot size. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to authorize Chairman Schroder to sign the Administrative Replat of Lots 1,2,3 Blk 4; Lot 1 Blk 3; Lot 24 Blk1; Lots 6,7,8,9,10 & 11 Blk 2; and Outlot A, Timber Lake Subdivision located in the SE ¼ of S30-T9-R9.  Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

In his capacity as the Zoning Administrator, Schmitz said he received a phone call from an individual questioning the County’s policy for installing driveway tubes. Commissioner Schroder said this has been discussed at previous meetings, but a written policy hasn’t been finalized yet. Schmitz said he thinks the County should be notified in advance when a landowner wants to construct a driveway and there should be a fee charged for some type of permit. Commissioner Giittinger said that before a tube is installed, it should be properly sized for drainage and the driveway should be located where it provides good visibility of oncoming traffic. Glen Steffensmeier, Highway Supt, agreed that a countywide policy should be adopted so that the County has some control and awareness of what landowners and developers are doing. He thought it should also include consequences for noncompliance.

 

At 9:00 a.m. bids were opened for the purchase of a new pickup for use by the Highway Superintendent. Four dealers submitted the following bids:

                    Dealer                              Description of Pickup                                    Amount

Larson Motors, Nebraska City        2006 Chev ¾ t regular cab                         $22,420

Kastens Ford, Syracuse                  2007 Ford ¾ t reg cab with power options           $19,700

Kastens Ford, Syracuse                  2007 Ford ¾ t reg cab without power options      $19,200

Kastens Ford, Syracuse                  2007 Ford ½ t ext cab with power options            $22,500

Kastens Ford, Sryacuse                  2007 Ford ½ t ext cab without power options    $21,700

Copple Chevrolet, Louisville            2007 Chev ¾ t regular cab                         $20,364

Copple Chevrolet, Lousiville            2007 Chev ½ t extended cab                                 $20,296

Husker Auto, Lincoln             2006 Chev ¾ t regular cab                         $21,985

Husker Auto, Lincoln             2006 Chev ½ t extended cab                                 $22,922

Steffensmeier took the bids to review and  will return later with a recommendation.

 

Regarding BRO-7066(25) Palmyra Southeast: Supt Steffensmeier presented a Supplemental Agreement that defines the percentages of payment for this federal aid project. He said 80% will be paid from the Federal-Aid Bridge Replacement funds; 5 % from State-Aid Bridge funds leaving the County responsible for the remaining 15%. Since the County is out of Soft-Match funds, this project must be paid directly from the County Road Fund. The project was originally accepted into the federal aid program in 1997. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to authorize Chairman Schroder to sign the Supplemental Agreement for bridge project BRO-7066(25) agreeing to the percentage payments listed above. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.

 

Steffensmeier said that new wings need to be constructed on the east side of bridge #01235 located 1 mile east and 1 mile south of Otoe. In order to do this, the project must be added to the County’s 1 & 6 Year Road Plan. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to sign Resolution 2006-47 requesting the Nebraska Department of Roads to add Project C-66(398) to the 2006 1 & 6 Year Road Plan. Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder. Motion carried.

 

Miscellaneous discussion ensued: 1) Steffensmeier noted that the NDOR has hired a team of people to conduct the fractured/critical inspections for all bridges in Nebraska. Upon completion, the bridges will be re-rated for tonnage. However, the County will still be responsible for checking the decks, signs, abutments, etc. 2) He said there are 57 bridges in Otoe County that are not rated. He has been notified to measure and submit a report to the NDOR by March 1st, 2007. These bridges probably were built by the county road crew and were not professionally engineered. If they are 20 feet or longer, they need to be rated. 3) Palmyra has a bridge within its corporate limits that the County has always maintained. Steffensmeier asked if he should inspect the bridge as well. Chairman Schroder did not object to Steffensmeier conducting the inspection, but suggested he gets Village Board approval first.

4) Steffensmeier explained the background color coding for speed limit signs: yellow background indicates a “suggested” speed limit, but it can’t be enforced; white background is regulatory and the speed limit is enforceable; an orange background is used in construction zones. To change regulatory speed limits, a traffic study would need to be conducted; then submitted to the NDOR for approval. 5) He has provided each motor grader operator with maps for them to mark as they grade roads; in this way they can keep a schedule for routine maintenance. 6) He has driven the county roads and created a sign inventory map. He will now determine which signs and how many need to be replaced. He noted that vendors usually offer good specials in the fall for the purchase of new signs. 7) Several farmers have called requesting the road crew to grade minimum maintenance roads in anticipation of the harvest season. They will do their best to accommodate the agricultural community. 8) Steffensmeier questioned if the Board has a material purchasing policy. The Board agreed that if he needs materials valued less than the required amount for formal bidding, he should obtain 3 quotes from vendors; then he and the foremen can determine the best deal and order the supplies. They asked that he submit a “bid” report at the next scheduled Board meeting. 9) Steffensmeier said he would like to be an active member on the Safety Committee. 10) Gartner Construction in Unadilla is going out of business. Several buildings will be sold at auction next week. The County currently pays $1500 a year to rent a bay area for garaging a motor grader. Steffensmeier asked if the Board would be interested in purchasing a building rather than paying rent. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to have one Commissioner and the Highway Superintendent attend the auction and to bid an amount based on the building’s assessed value. Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

Brandi Reimers, County Assessor, said she obtained quotes from Microfilm Imaging to see how much it would cost to scan and/or microfilm her old assessment records. The company quoted 10 cents per page for a total of $10,000 to $12,000. This price includes picking up the documents, scanning/microfilming and recording the information on a CD. After the microfilming/scanning is competed, documents that cannot be destroyed will be sent to the Archives; documents that can be destroyed will be taken to a recycling center. She said the process should be repeated about every 10 to 15 years as the assessment cards are filled. Ms. Reimers feels this would be money well spent in lieu of paying rent for storage. The Company said they could pick up the records this week. After these records are removed, she will be able to store the current assessment records in her office and won’t need any storage space in the basement at all. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to authorize the County Assessor to have the old assessment records microfilmed and/or scanned as required by law; upon completion  archival documents should be sent to the Archives and the non-archival documents should be given to a recycling center; all fees shall be paid from the Inheritance Tax Fund. Voting – Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye. Motion carried.

 

Rick Sedersten said that he has contacted Paper Tiger who will be here next Tuesday with a truck and shredder. He will need someone to help carry boxes of records to the truck where documents will be shredded as they are dumped. He said that office holders can start sorting and pulling records they want destroyed and place them in bins for shredding later. He obtained a quote from Two Men and a Truck who charge $87 an hour to load, haul and unload cargo. It was suggested that he check with another mover to compare cost. Sedersten said he spoke with Mike Hall from American National Bank who will have a store room ready by the end of the week. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to authorize Mr. Sedersten to hire someone to help move papers, files, etc in preparation for the basement renovation. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.

 

Brandi Reimers presented the following tax list corrections for approval. 1) Page 37 of Book 52 should be voided since she discovered a correction for Watermeier Farms had already been done; 2) Cheryl Rudolph – deduct $67.04 – inherited property was recorded incorrectly for assessment purposes. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to approve the tax list corrections as presented. Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

Marv Pesek, General Assistance Administrator, reported that he had no applications or cases for discussion today.

 

Jackie Smith, County Treasurer, came before the Board to discuss the possibility of instituting law suits against two individuals who are over two years delinquent in paying their personal property taxes. The Sheriff has served warrants that have been ignored and the property is no longer available for the Sheriff to confiscate. According to statute, a law suit is the next step. Commissioner Stratker made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Giittinger to direct the County Attorney to file a civil lawsuit against Zech Construction in an attempt to collect back taxes in the amount of $8,798.54 and a second suit against Richard Wellman for $6,321.60. Voting – Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye. Motion carried.

 

The County Attorney prepared nine Commissioner Deeds conveying property to the Land Reutilization Commission who has found buyers interested in purchasing parcels that were not sold at tax sales for want of a buyer. After these parcels are sold to individuals, they will be added back to the tax rolls. Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to authorize the Chairman to sign Commissioner Deeds conveying properties to the Land Reutilization Commission legally described as: Lots 1 and 2 Blk 9, Greggsport Addition to Nebraska City; Lots 4 and 5 Blk 46, Greggsport Addition to Nebraska City; Lot 6 Blk 38, Anderson’s Addition to Nebraska City; Lots 7,8,9,10 and portions of Lots 11 and 12 lying South of the Missouri Pacific Railway right-of-way all in Blk 59, Nebraska City; Lots 2 and 3 Blk 170, Nebraska City Proper; A tract in Lot 12 in the SE ¼ Four Mile, S & S Annexation of S8-T8-R14; Lots 3,4,5, and 6 Blk 19, Elmwood Addition to Nebraska City; Lots 1 and 2 Blk 19, Elmwood Addition to Nebraska City; Fractional Lot 5, all of Lot 6 Blk 31, Greggsport Addition to Nebraska City. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye. Motion carried.

 

Bill Ely, Richardson County Commissioner, came before the Board to ask them to keep the doors open to the concept of creating an Emergency Management District among Richardson, Nemaha and Otoe Counties in an effort to save money for all the counties. He said a similar district was created between Saunders, Dodge, Burt, and Washington counties. Currently, Otoe, Nemaha and Richardson have their own directors. Gregg Goebel, Otoe County EM Director suggested they confer with the State before making any decisions. He said there are some new procedures and regulations being formed that may need to be considered. Ely plans to visit the Washington County EM Director to gather more information on how an Emergency Management District is set up. Commissioner Stratker said he would like to accompany Commissioner Ely when he makes the visit.

 

Steve Zimmers, Extension Educator, gave his monthly report. He said there are fifteen Otoe County 4-H members who have entered exhibits at the Ak-Sar-Ben Show. Mr. Zimmers will be working there with the Swine Division. The 4-H Council manned a food booth during the Otoe County Fair and made enough money to continue several programs throughout the year. They plan to donate the leftover meat to the Syracuse food pantry.  Zimmers said he has agreed to serve on the Bid Committee of the National 4-H Council. He will propose to hold the National 4-H Conference in Omaha in 2011.

 

Roy Schneider, Duff Nursing Home Administrator, came before the Board to discuss the status of drawing up a contract for Ronco, the contractor who was awarded the bid to renovate the entrance and office area of the Nursing Home. County Attorney, Jeff Funke, said he is working out the final details of the contract, but it is not quite ready for approval. He noted that the Board took formal action at the last meeting, giving Chairman Schroder the authority to sign the contract as soon as it is prepared. Schneider said Ronco would like to get started as soon as possible; they would like to have the project completed by Christmas. Mr. Schneider forewarned the Board that there may be a change order to install a steel door that was not included in the renovation project, but needs to be fixed or replaced. He was asked to obtain a quote on the cost.

 

Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to adjourn the meeting. Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

Chairman Schroder called the meeting back to order when he remembered that Supt Steffensmeier had not yet returned to the meeting with a recommendation for purchasing a new pickup.

 

Upon review of the bids submitted, Steffensmeier made several observations. The Husker Auto bid was based on the fleet price contracted with the State of Nebraska. The ½ ton 2006 Chevy pickup was a little higher, but had more options. It has a bigger engine with overdrive so it should have good gas mileage. It is ready for immediate delivery. Copple Chevrolet offered a longer warranty on the 2007 pickups, but they didn’t have as many options. The pickups bid by Kastens Ford would take 8 to 10 weeks for delivery. Steffensmeier said he would prefer a ½ ton pickup with an extended cab where he could store maps, a laptop computer, briefcase and other small supplies. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Giittinger to purchase the 2006 ½ ton Chevrolet pickup with an extended cab from Husker Auto for the bid price of $22,922. Voting – Commissioner Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, 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 Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Stratker to adjourn the meeting, until the next one, which will be on October 10, 2006. Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye. Motion carried.

 

At 11:40 a.m. the Otoe County Commissioners convened as the Otoe County Board of Equalization. Answering present at roll call were Commissioner Stratker, Commissioner Giittinger, and Commissioner Schroder.

 

Brandi Reimers, County Assessor, presented two properties that no longer qualify for tax exemption. The first parcel, legally described as Lot 4 Blk 24 in Nebraska City Proper, was owned by ARC (Association for Retarded Children) and used as a group home for the children. Last March, the property was sold to private individuals who are not qualified for tax exemption. The second parcel, legally described as Lot 8 Blk 15 in Nebraska City Proper, was transferred from the Nebraska City Economic Development Foundation to Kregal Windmill Museum. She said the Museum would probably have qualified for tax exemption, but they failed to file for exemption by the August 1st deadline. Therefore, in order to have the tax exemption status removed from these two parcels, the County Board must take official action.  Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Schroder to accept the Assessor’s recommendation to revoke the tax exemption status for Tax Year 2006 on the two properties legally described as Lot 4 Blk 24 and Lot 8 Blk 15 all in Nebraska City Proper. Voting – Commissioners Stratker, aye; Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye.  

 

Now that the exemption status has been removed, Ms. Reimers said she will need to send a Notice of Change in Valuation to the new owners. She also presented two more properties requiring a change in valuation. A railroad line was vacated running through Unadilla, so the property will now be assessed to Greenwood Farmers Co-op. The second parcel was created when part of S 16th Street was vacated and now is under the ownership of TD Futures. Commissioner Schroder made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Giittinger to direct the County Assessor to send out Notices of a Change in Valuation to Charles & Julie Hagedorn, Kregal Windmill Museum Co., Greenwood Farmers Cooperative and TD Futures LLC on behalf of the Otoe County Board of Equalization. Voting – Commissioners Giittinger, aye; Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye. Motion carried.

 

There being no further business to come before the Board of Equalization at this time, and since all items on the agenda have been disposed of, Commissioner Giittinger made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Schroder to adjourn the meeting. Voting – Commissioners Schroder, aye; Stratker, aye; Giittinger, 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 26th day of September 2006.

 

 

Janene Bennett

Otoe County Clerk