January 21, 2020
North Platte, Nebraska
Meeting of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners. Present were Commissioners Joe Hewgley, Bill Henry, Kent Weems, Walt Johnson, Jerry Woodruff and County Clerk, Rebecca Rossell. Weems offered prayer. Henry called the meeting to order at 9:00 A.M.
Chairman Henry announced the Open Meeting Act with amendments is posted for public review and the county board will comply with the open meeting requirements.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Woodruff to approve the minutes regarding the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners meeting held on January 13, 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Johnson, seconded by Weems to withdraw Commissioners Johnson’s motion at the January 6, 2020 Commissioner’s meeting to nominate Commissioner Weems as Lincoln County Board of Commissioners Chairman for 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Hewgley to elect Commissioner Henry as Chairman of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners for 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Woodruff, seconded by Johnson to elect Commissioner Weems as Vice-Chairman of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners for 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Woodruff to receive and order filed the treasurer’s receipts. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Woodruff to adopt Resolution No. 2020-04 approving the withdrawal of securities with NebraskaLand Bank as pledged to the Lincoln County Clerk. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Sheriff Kramer reported that the agreement with Control Master would be better for Lincoln County.
Commissioner Hewgley asked if this would integrate into the new detention center addition.
Kramer replied yes.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Johnson to authorize the Chairman to sign a proposal with Control Masters for Lincoln County Law Enforcement Center Touchscreen/PLC Integration Upgrade for specialized equipment in the amount of $39,708.00. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Woodruff, seconded by Hewgley to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the Special Designated liquor permit submitted by Pals Brewing Company for the cornhole league at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds on February 20, 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Johnson, seconded by Weems to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the Special Designated liquor permit submitted by Pals Brewing Company for the cornhole league at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds on February 27, 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Hewgley to authorize the Chairman to sign the right-of-way permit submitted by Dawson Public Power District. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Weems to receive and order filed the Condition of the Treasury of Lincoln County, Nebraska from July 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners recessed at 9:22 A.M. and the Lincoln County Board of Equalization convened.
Chairman Henry announced the Open Meeting Act with amendments is posted for public review and the county board will comply with the open meeting requirements.
County Assessor, Julie Stenger appeared.
Motion by Woodruff, seconded by Johnson to approve the minutes regarding the Lincoln County Board of Equalization meeting held on January 13, 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
No certificates of correction or refund submitted by the County Assessor.
The Lincoln County Board of Equalization adjourned at 9:23 A.M. and the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners reconvened.
Public hearing concerning continuing to elect the County Surveyor for The county of Lincoln, Nebraska was opened at 9:31 A.M.
Commissioner Weems asked that the legal notice of the public hearing be marked as Exhibit 1.
Bernice Zeigler commented that as a registered voter she knows nothing about the County Surveyors position in Lincoln County. She questioned what her duties were, who the elected County Surveyor was at this time, where is the office located, what is the salary and if there were any additional qualifications for the position. She asked why the County Board does not want this to be an appointed position.
Commissioner Hewgley explained that County Surveyors must hold a license in the State of Nebraska when filing for office. The reason for the position is to set section corners in the county. They are elected every 4 years and the current salary is approximately $14,500. Her office is located in the Lincoln County Department of Roads building.
Zeigler asked if it would be better to appoint rather than elect this position.
Commissioner Weems commented that he felt the people should have a choice and thinks it should be continued as an elected position.
Zeigler stated that in her opinion the County Board would have more knowledge on how to obtain a qualified professional surveyor than the public electing someone to the position.
Boni Edwards, the current elected County Surveyor, said that is her responsibility to re-set any section or quarter corners in the county. If you were to appoint a person they probably would not be from Lincoln County and they might not do the proper research. Her office works closely with the County Assessor and Register of Deeds to make sure the mapping is correct.
The public hearing was closed at 9:53 A.M.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Johnson to adopt Resolution # 2020-05 to continue to elect the county surveyor for The county of Lincoln. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Tami Ramsey, appeared to represent the North Platte Jaycees for the annual Putt N Crawl fundraiser. She explained that each team has a designated driver.
Sheriff Kramer asked about adequate training and security.
She responded that all servers are trained and they will have contracted with a security company.
Motion by Woodruff, seconded by Johnson to approve the special designated liquor permit submitted by North Platte Jaycees for a fundraiser at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds Livestock Barn on March 7, 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Commissioner Weems reported that he did not see anything in the reviews done for the appointed officials that caused him concern.
Motion by Johnson, seconded by Weems to approach (vote on) the appointment of the department heads individually. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Woodruff to approve to reappoint Todd Herndon, as Lincoln County Noxious Weed Supt. for 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Weems to reappoint Carla O’Dell as Lincoln County Highway Supt. for 2020. (License # S-1052, Class A License, Appointment: January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020)
Commissioner Johnson stated that areas in the county have roads that have not been attended to as they should have been. Roads the County Board inspected last September have not been touched and the Road Department knows about it.
Commissioner Hewgley asked Johnson to clarify what roads he was referring to.
Commissioner Johnson replied there is still a safety situation on Johnson Road. There is a hole that extends 2 foot out into the main road.
Commissioner Weems commented that his concern with the reappointments was the disconnect in timing of the evaluations and the time of reappointment. Road issues should be addressed during the year as needed. The County Board needs to be more proactive as well as fair and equitable.
Commissioner Johnson responded that a safety situation should not be overlooked as it is a liability to the county. Safety should be a priority.
Deputy County Attorney, Joe Wright, suggested the possibility of putting the subcommittees on the agenda to do reports.
Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems and Henry voted “aye”. Johnson and Woodruff voted “nay”. Motion carried.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Johnson to approve the reappointment of Brandon Myers as Region 51 Emergency Management Director for 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Woodruff to approve the reappointment of Paul Cooper as Lincoln County Veterans Service Officer for 2020. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Johnson, seconded by Hewgley to approve to set the appointed officials salaries individually. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Weems to set the salary for Noxious Weed Supt. effective January 16, 2020 at $20.40 per hour or $42,432.00 annually.
Commissioner Woodruff asked if raises are based on merit.
Commissioner Hewgley responded that it is set on comparable rates, cost of living increases, education or training. It is a combination of items.
Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Weems to set the salary for the Lincoln County Highway Supt. effective January 16, 2020 at $59,072 annually or $28.40 per hour which includes a 2% raise. Hewgley, Weems, Henry and Woodruff voted “aye”. Johnson voted “nay”. Motion carried.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Weems to set the salary for the Region 51 Emergency Management Director at $54,700 annually effective January 16, 2020 which includes a 2% increase plus $1000 for additional duties. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Weems to set the salary for the Lincoln County Veterans Service Officer effective January 16, 2020 at $25.65 per hour based on a 35 hour week or $46,683 annually which includes a 2 % increase. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Brandon Myers of Region 51 Emergency Management reported that it had been decided by all eleven hazmat teams in the State to group together to form one unified group. It would solve a lot of issues being under one umbrella and in the future it could mean more grant dollars. They have requested Lincoln County to be the fiscal agent for the group.
Commissioner Weems asked about the mechanism and authority needed to join the teams.
Myers told board members that all eleven counties voted to have Lincoln County be the fiscal agent.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Woodruff to approve designating Lincoln County to be the fiscal agent for all eleven Hazmat teams in the State of Nebraska.
Commissioner Henry commented that this will increase the Region 51 budget by a good amount but it will be a wash as the revenue amount will balance it out.
Commissioner Johnson asked how much it would increase his workload.
Myers replied there would be some increase.
Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Johnson, seconded by Woodruff to approve entering into an Access and Utility Easement agreement, in which The county of Lincoln grants Dawson Public Power District, a public corporation, an electrical easement across Lincoln County Department of Roads Brady Shop, located in the Village of Brady, Nebraska and authorize the Chairman to sign. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Johnson to adopt Resolution No. 2020-06 for the
Lincoln County Attorney to maintain a petty cash fund of $1,000, an increase from $500.
Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays,
none.
Motion by Weems, seconded by Woodruff to adopt Resolution No. 2020-07 that
establishes an account for the Lincoln County Drug Board to accept deposits of federal
forfeiture funds so that such funds can be immediately transferred to the Lincoln County
Treasurer’s Federal Fund account. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry,
Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye’. Nays, none.
Sheriff Kramer gave the 2019 Detention Center report which included the rehabilitation programs being offered at the Detention Center for inmates.
Motion by Woodruff, seconded by Johnson to go into closed session at 11:34 A.M. concerning strategy session regarding litigation and to protect attorney client privilege, which is clearly necessary to protect the public interest. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Chairman Henry restated the motion for the closed session.
Motion by Hewgley, seconded by Woodruff to go into open session at 11:48 A.M. Upon roll call vote Hewgley, Weems, Henry, Johnson and Woodruff voted “aye”. Nays, none.
Commissioner Woodruff reported that he had contacted three vendors concerning the
fencing that needs to be done for the South River Road Project. However, in order
to get accurate informal bids the right-of-way needs to be staked out.
Commissioner Johnson asked if the County Surveyor could stake out the right-of-way.
Also there was no cost estimate from Mainelli Wagner & Associates, Inc. for this
service.
The agenda item concerning giving Mainelli Wagner & Associates, Inc. permission to
stake out the right-of-way property line regarding the South River Road Project was
continued to the January 27, 2020 board meeting.
Hear concerns from Elected Officials, Department Heads and their representative.
Approved the following claims as presented for payment:
The meeting was adjourned at 12:32 P.M.
Advance notice and the agenda for the January 21, 2020 board meetings were sent to the county board and all others requesting the same. Advance public notice (includes agenda) of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners meeting and the Lincoln County Board of Equalization meeting was posted at the Lincoln County Courthouse, City Hall and the Lincoln County website on January 17, 2020; and was also emailed to the media on January 17, 2020.
The agenda for the meetings to be held on Monday, January 27, 2020 will be kept
continually current and open for inspection at the office of the Lincoln County Clerk. The regular meeting of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners will be at the Lincoln County Courthouse in the Commissioners Room at 9:00 A.M. The regular meeting of the Lincoln County Board of Equalization will be at the Lincoln County Courthouse in the Commissioners Room at 9:15 A.M.
Rebecca J. Rossell
Lincoln County Clerk
