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 9:00 A.M. on November 10, 2009, in the County Courtroom (108) of the Otoe County Courthouse at Nebraska City.  The meeting will be open to the public.  An agenda for such 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                                       November 10, 2009

 

8:30 a.m. -- Open Meeting, Call roll, Open Meetings Act posted; Accept agenda; Accept minutes from previous

                   meeting; Audit and Sign payroll claims; Audit and sign regular claims

 

8:45 a.m. – Gregg Goebel, Emergency Management Director: Discussion and/or action RE: Public Safety

                   Scholarship payment

 

8:50 a.m. – Steve Zimmers, Extension Educator: Quarterly Report

 

9:00 a.m. – Public Hearing to hear support or objections to the issuance of a Catering License to Glacial Till

                    Vineyard & Winery located at 344 S 2nd Rd, Palmyra NE; Discussion and/or action to approve

 

9:05 a.m. – Joe Miller, Insurance Agent: Discussion and/or action RE: Property values

9:10 a.m. – Safety Committee Report

9:15 a.m. – Open bids: Patrol vehicles for Sheriff’s Department; Discussion and/or action to award bids

 

9:20 a.m. – Discussion and/or action regarding road and bridge matters:

                   1) Discussion and/or action to award bids for the following projects:

a.      Installation of triple corrugated metal pipes to replace Bridge #C006604705P located

                             East of R-46

b.      Materials to replace Bridge #C006604705P located East of R-46

c.      Construction of concrete box culvert to replace Bridge #C006622020 located

      East of J-16

d.      Installation of twin corrugated metal tubes Southwest of Lorton – East of O-44

e.      Materials to construct/install corrugated metal tubes Southwest of Lorton-East of O-44

2)      Discussion and/or action RE: Closing of bridge at Intersection S-40

3)      Discussion and/or action RE: Temporary closing 1 mile section of Road S between Roads 2 & 4

4)      Discussion and/or action RE: Bridge C66(444) expenses with Northern Natural Gas

5)      Discussion and/or action RE: Road items discussed at 5 county special  meeting held 11-3-09

6)      Discussion and/or action RE: Pending road & bridge projects

7)      Miscellaneous

 

 Other business matters to address when time allows:

            Jackie Smith, County Treasurer: Discussion and/or action RE: Pledged Security(s)

            Discussion and/or action RE: Lease/purchase of networked copier/scanner/printer

            Discussion and/or action RE: Sub-committee report regarding storage of county records and property

            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 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.

 

 

November 10, 2009

 

The Otoe County Board of Commissioners convened in regular session at 8:30 a.m. on November 10, 2009 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. Advance notice of this meeting was published in the Nebraska City News Press and Syracuse Journal Democrat, announced on KNCY Radio Station and posted in at least three public places. 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 Chairman of the Board, Timothy Nelsen. Answering present at roll call were Commissioner Nelsen, Commissioner Lade, Commissioner Crook, Commissioner Kreifels and Commissioner Freshman.

 

Chairman Nelsen 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. He asked that all attendees turn off their cell phones or set them to vibrate while present in the meeting room.

 

Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Freshman to accept the agenda as posted. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Nelsen, Lade, Crook, Kreifels and Freshman. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

Commissioner Kreifels made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Crook to accept the minutes from the previous regular meeting and not have them read as each member was furnished with a copy of same. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Lade, Crook, Kreifels, Freshman and Nelsen. Nay – none. Motion carried. 

 

Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Crook to accept the minutes from the Special Meeting held November 3, 2009, and not have them read as each member was furnished with a copy of same. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Crook, Kreifels, Freshman, Nelsen and Lade. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

Commissioner Kreifels made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Freshman to audit and sign payroll claims. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Kreifels, Freshman, Nelsen, Lade and Crook. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

Having reviewed the regular claims in advance of this meeting, Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Kreifels to approve payment of the regular claims. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote.  Voting aye were Commissioners Freshman, Lade, Crook and Kreifels; Commissioner Nelsen approved payment of all claims except those claims submitted by the Public Defender’s Office to which he abstained. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

Two proposals were submitted for the lease or purchase of a color copier/scanner/printer that can be networked to all courthouse offices. Modern Methods quoted a price of $152.52 per month to lease the machine, including a stapler and hole punch unit; without the stapler & hole punch the monthly cost would be $126.10; quarterly maintenance fee was $75. Solution One’s quote was $215 per month for all features; the quarterly maintenance fee was $105. Both vendors offered an outright purchase option. Modern Methods’ price was $6,732.52 and Solution One quoted a price of $9,399. Chairman Nelsen said he preferred the lease offer from Modern Methods with the option to purchase the machine at the end of 48 months. Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Freshman to enter into an agreement with Modern Methods to lease a Lanier 525C copier/printer/scanner; to eliminate the stapler and hole punch options; and to authorize the Chairman to sign said agreement. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Nelsen, Lade, Crook, Kreifels and Freshman. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

Chairman Nelsen said $20,000 was set aside in the FY09-10 budget to be used as a public safety scholarship for emergency personnel who are interested in acquiring an EMT certification. The Nebraska City and Dunbar Rescue Squads applied for and received a grant from a local charitable foundation to cover the certification costs for their personnel; therefore personnel from the remaining rescue squads will be eligible for the County’s scholarship grant. Gregg Goebel, Emergency Management Director, said the cost is approximately $4000 per student; the classes start in January and continue for 18 months. They will be held in Nebraska City. So far, only two people have indicated an interest. The Board authorized Goebel to administer the grant application process.

 

Jackie Smith, County Treasurer, requested the release of a pledged security with Commercial State Bank in the amount of $100,000.00 and replacing it with a security of the same amount. Commissioner Kreifels made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Freshman to adopt Resolution 2009-70 approving said transaction. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Lade, Crook, Kreifels, Freshman and Nelsen. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

Commissioner Kreifels gave a report of the storage study that she and Commissioner Crook conducted together. After visiting the rented storage units, they found that over half the items could be sold for surplus. There were many boxes of Christmas decorations and records that cannot be destroyed. Last spring, the Highway Superintendent’s Office was moved into the courthouse, freeing up two rooms in the Nebraska City Road Shop. Since titles are no longer issued in the County Clerk’s Office, the County Clerk moved back into the main office, vacating Room 103. Therefore, they proposed the following steps:  Move the permanent records to the available rooms at the road shop where they can be locked; store the Christmas decorations and other items that are used occasionally at the road shop; Use Room 102 as a multi media room where employees can share office equipment such as the laminator, paper shredder, network printer/copier, etc.; Move office supplies to the multi-media room and break room (may have to install some additional shelving units) where they will be more accessible to all offices; Convert the old office supply room into locked storage for the Clerk of the District Court; Sell all surplus items. Bill Oliver said the Nebraska City School Board was planning to have an auction of their surplus items – maybe the County could consign its items with the school’s auction.  Commissioner Freshman made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Lade to approve all recommendations as presented by Commissioners Crook and Kreifels in an effort to resolve some of the storage issues. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Crook, Kreifels, Freshman, Nelsen and Lade. Nay – none. Motion carried. How to dispose of surplus items will be decided at a later date.

 

At 9:00 a.m. Chairman Nelsen opened a public hearing to hear support or objections to the issuance of a catering license to Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery as requested by owner Mike Murman. Two of his sons were present at the hearing. They said the catering license would allow them to sponsor more activities outside the building that is currently listed on their liquor license. They will still have to apply for a Special Designated License, but with a catering license the $40 per day fee is waived and the number of events allowed is unlimited. There being no other comments, Chairman Nelsen closed the public hearing. Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Kreifels to make a recommendation of approval to the Liquor Control Commission to issue a catering license to Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery. There being nor further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Kreifels, Freshman, Nelsen, Lade and Crook. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

Tom Farrell, representing Miller Monroe Insurance Company, came before the Board to present a compilation of properties owned by Otoe County. Joe Miller personally inspected, measured and took pictures at each site; then calculated a value for each building. Farrell furnished each board member with a written report for them to review and make sure that all buildings are insured properly.

 

Commissioner Lade gave a brief report of the latest topics discussed at the Otoe County Safety Committee meeting held November 4, 2009. They hope to have the safety manual in final form for the County Board to review at the December 8th meeting. Floor mats will be purchased to place at the top of the stairs, on the landing and just outside the elevator door. Committee members will conduct walk-thru inspections of the Nebraska City and Syracuse Road Shops on November 18th.

 

Commissioner Crook noted that Mary Ann Holland, Cass County Extension Educator, presented a “Budget Wise” workshop to Otoe County employees on November 9th in an effort to teach employees how to budget and prepare them for once a month payroll that will take effect in January 2010. The Clerk was asked to attach an explanation and payroll calendar to the November 24th payment stubs.

 

At 9:15 a.m. bids were opened for the purchase of two sheriff patrol vehicles. Two dealers submitted the following bids:

               Dealer                                 Vehicle             Outright price            With Trade-in    

Larson Motors, Nebr City      2010 Ford F150 pickup     $27,926;      2001 Crown Vic - $26,926

Larson Motors, Nebr City      2010 Ford F150 pickup     $28,262       2006 Crown Vic - $23,726

Larson Motors, Nebr City      2010 Dodge Ram PU        $28,980       2001 Crown Vic - $27,980

Larson Motors, Nebr City      2010 Dodge Ram PU        $28,980       2006 Crown Vic - $24,480

Kastens Ford, Syracuse        2010 Ford F150 pickup     $26,718       2001 Crown Vic - $26,518

Kastens Ford, Syracuse        2010 Ford F150 pickup     $26,718          2006 Crown Vic - $25,518

The County Attorney and County Sheriff were asked to review the bids; then return later with a recommendation.

 

Lynn Denniston, Lead Supervisor for the Road Department, and Mark Mainelli, Consulting Engineer, came before the Board to discuss road and bridge matters.

 

Mainelli reported that he and Commissioners Nelsen and Lade met at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 9, 2009, to open bids for several bridge projects. Mainelli compiled an itemized bid tabulation sheet and made a recommendation to award bids to the lowest bidders.

Project C006622020 located east of J-16 – Construct concrete box culvert. Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Freshman to award the bid to ME Collins Construction, Wahoo, in the amount of $130,076.71. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Freshman, Nelsen, Lade, Crook and Kreifels. Nay – none. Motion carried.

Project C006604705P located east of R-46 – purchase of metal tubes, etc. Commissioner Kreifels made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Crook to award the bid to Ace – Eaton Metals, Kearney, for the purchase of triple 120” x 47” metal tubes with headwalls and wingwalls in the amount of $45,121.68. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called fro a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Nelsen, Lade, Crook, Kreifels and Freshman. Nay – none. Motion carried.

Project C06604705P – installation of metal tubes, headwalls and wingwalls. Commissioner Kreifels made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Lade to award the bid to ME Collins, Wahoo, in the amount of $49,428.90. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Lade, Crook, Kreifels, Freshman and Nelsen. Nay – none. Motion carried

Project Lorton Southwest located east of O-44 – purchase of metal tubes and headwalls. Commissioner Lade made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Freshman to purchase the materials from Ace – Eaton Metals, Kearney, in the amount of $27,399.60. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Crook, Kreifels, Freshman, Nelsen and Lade. Nay – none. Motion carried.

Project Lorton Southwest – installation of metal tubes and headwalls. Commissioner Crook made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Lade to award the bid to Midwest Underground Inc, Lincoln, in the amount of $28,811.00. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Kreifels, Freshman, Nelsen, Lade and Crook. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

The bridge at Intersection S-40 was closed due to its unsafe condition. The bridge is located on the Johnson County/Otoe County line road. Johnson County would like to share the cost to repair the bridge so Mainelli was asked to design a plan with an estimated cost.

 

Commissioner Lade said that he ordered the closing of a mile section of S Road (a Minimum Maintenance Rd) between Roads 2 and 4 due to unsafe washouts.

 

On November 3, 2009, Commissioners Nelsen, Lade, Crook and Kreifels met in joint session with other Commissioners from Johnson, Nemaha, Richardson and Pawnee counties. The purpose of the meeting was to review new federal regulations involving federal aid highway projects and the frustrations counties have encountered. All agreed the two main problems causing delays in road/bridge projects are the requirement to have a fulltime county employee become a qualified ”Responsible Charge” person who must monitor each project and the Corps of Engineers strict interpretation of the permitting process. They plan to seek assistance through NACO, the Legislature and our U S Senators and Congressmen.

 

Miscellaneous: Chairman Nelsen said the Board needs to determine how much of the 2.5 million highway allocation money has been spent before planning more projects. He noted that he plans to enter into an interlocal agreement with Nebraska City to use their “Responsible Charge” person for federal aid projects until the County’s Road Foreman, Jonathan Brinkman, gets certified.

 

Sheriff Gress returned to the meeting with the following recommendations for purchasing two pickups as patrol vehicles. He recommended purchasing a 2010 F150 pickup from Larson Motors using the 2006 Crown Vic as a trade-in for the quoted price of $23,726 and to purchase a 2010 F150 pickup from Kastens Ford using the 2001 Crown Vic as a trade-in for $26,518. Commissioner Kreifels made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Freshman to agree with Sheriff Gress’ recommendation to purchase one pickup from Larson Motors and one pickup from Kastens Ford. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Nelsen, Lade, Crook, Kreifels and Freshman. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

At 9:35 a.m. Commissioner Nelsen made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Freshman to go into executive session to discuss terms that will be negotiated with Northern Natural Gas involving bridge project C66(444). Voting aye were Commissioners Crook, Kreifels, Freshman, Nelsen and Lade. Nay – none. Motion carried. In addition to the County Board Members, the County Clerk, County Attorney and Consulting Engineer Mark Mainelli were asked to remain during the closed session.

 

At 9:45 a.m. Commissioner Nelsen made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Lade to go back into regular session. Voting aye were Commissioners Kreifels, Freshman, Nelsen, Lade and Crook. Nay – none. Motion carried. No action was taken while in executive session.

 

At 9:46 a.m. Chairman Nelsen called for a short recess. At 9:52 a.m. the meeting resumed with all members being duly noted as present.

 

Commissioner Freshman made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Lade to authorize the Chairman to meet with personnel from Northern Natural Gas to negotiate a cost sharing plan involving a gas line located in county right of way beneath Bridge #C66(444) and to authorize the Chairman to sign a facility agreement between Northern Natural Gas and the County. There being no further discussion, Chairman Nelsen called for a vote. Voting aye were Commissioners Freshman, Nelsen, Lade, Crook and Kreifels. Nay – none. Motion carried.

 

After adjournment Chairman Nelsen said Board members were going to remain to discuss the progress of road/bridge projects with Supervisor Denniston and Engineer Mainelli, but there will be no action taken.

 

There being no further business to come before the Board at this time, and since all items on the agenda have been disposed of, Chairman Nelsen declared this meeting adjourned at 9:55 a.m. The next regular meeting will be held on November 24, 2009.  

 

I, Janene Bennett, County Clerk of 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 the county seal this 10th day of November 2009.

 

 

 

Janene Bennett

Otoe County Clerk