This is a synopsis of the Saline County Board of Commissioners’ September 17th, 2019, regular meeting proceedings. A complete set of the proceedings is on file in the Board of Commissioners’ Journal, is of public record in the Saline County Clerk’s office and at our website: www.co.saline.ne.us SALINE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS The regular meeting of the Saline County Board of Commissioners was called to order at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 17th, 2019, by Chairperson, Marvin A. Kohout. Present were Kohout, Janet Henning, Phil Hardenburger, Stephanie A. Krivohlavek and Russ Karpisek, Commissioners, County Clerk Daryl Fikar and Administrative Assistant Tim McDermott. County Attorney Tad Eickman was present between court commitments. Notice of said meeting was posted in the County Clerk’s Office, on the Saline County Website, and published in all three county newspapers prior to the meeting, in compliance with State Statutes. Let the record show that all proceedings are electronically recorded. Kohout advised those present of the open meetings law posted at the back of the room. The Board: Approved the agenda as presented; Approved the minutes of the September 3rd, 2019, meeting; Under citizens’ forum, Dwayne Thomas presented the Board with a list of 18 concerns that he had which involved the proposed road haul agreement with Milligan Wind 1 LLC. This agreement is on the agenda for consideration at 11:00. Mr. Thomas asked that the Board consider whether the plan is preliminary, as stated, or a final contract. He also asked that the County look at Milligan 1Wind LLC’s financial statements to determine whether that company can afford to hold the County harmless under certain conditions. He also questioned the timing of any road repairs that will need to be made and whether the $1,500,000 letter of credit would be in place prior to commencement of construction; Next up was Sandra Koll, who questioned the quality and accuracy of the map that was provided with the road haul agreement. She noted that the map does not show the access roads what will be required and does not even have the county roads labeled. She informed the Board that she believes that there is land on the map that appears to be available for wind tower placement that was not included in the conditional use permit. Also, since the lawsuit filed by Marilyn Capek has not been settled, would any future approve right of way occupancies be legal? She also questioned whether the decommissioning plan for the wind towers has been approved; Gary Veprovsky spoke next, questioning whether the bond, as promised in the agreement was valid and he also doubted whether the restrictions for overhead line “blowout” would provide enough protection during high wind conditions. He also commented that the map provided with the road haul agreement was insufficient to determine where the wind towers would be placed, as there are no labels for properties or roadways. He also mentioned that there are two properties that were in the area that were not approved by the Board; Veteran Service Committee member Lyle Bartels and Veteran Service Officer Forrest Doyle introduced veteran Robert Kasl, who was presented a Certificate of Appreciation by Board Chairman Marvin Kohout. The certificate reads “The Saline County Commissioners wish to Recognize your military service to the United States of America. Throughout our Nation’s history, it is the effort of the men and women, such as yourself, that have provided the freedoms we, as Americans, dearly enjoy today. Please accept our deepest gratitude and appreciation. Let us never forget your demonstrated sacrifice, service, love, and commitment to your country. Thank You, God Bless You, and God Bless the United States of America”. After which, Mr. Kasl thanked the Board and received a standing ovation; Opened the public hearing to discuss the 2019-20 budget. Brian Blobaum, CPA, explained the budget process, noting that there will be a 3% overall increase in the county tax request for the 2019-20 budget year. Raising the levy by 3.0% will mean an increase of $217,364.00 increase in revenue over last year. This, combined with the County property valuation decrease of 1.02%, results in a levy rate increase from .311719 to .317807 cents per $100 in valuation. County taxpayers would pay $9.26 more per $100,000 in valuation this year compared to last year. The tax request for 2019-2020 would be $7,462,819 compared to $7,245,455 last year; Prior to approving the budget, Chairman Kohout noted that during the previous budget year, the budget was set to balance by using $1,279,000 of inheritance tax funds, but only about $300,000 was actually used. He recommended that, instead of raising the levy by 3%, and not using all of the funds, that the Board raise the levy by 2%, which he believes would be more realistic; Blobaum informed the Board that a 2% overall increase in the county tax request would mean an increase of $144,909.00 in revenue over last year. This, combined with the County property valuation decrease of 1.02%, results in a levy rate increase from .311719 to .314722 cents per $100 in valuation. County taxpayers would pay $6.17 more per $100,000 in valuation this year compared to last year. The tax request for 2019-2020 would be $7,390,364 compared to $7,245,455 last year; Closed the public budget hearing; Approved a 2% increase in the budget over last year; Approved Resolution #2019-079, approving a general fund property tax request of $6,722,358, a jail bond property tax request of $35,000 and a courthouse bond fund property tax request of $633,006; Approved Resolution #2019-080, Resolution of Adoption and Appropriations; Extension Educator Leanne Manning informed the Board that the course of the 2019 Crete Fun Run needed to be altered due to recent flooding. She noted that part of the course is now on county roads, and the Board approved the use of the road; Reviewed two bids for the modifications to the HVAC system in the County Courtroom. The bids were from Pribyl Plumbing and Heating, Inc. of Crete for $20,500.00 and from McCormick’s Heating and Air Conditioning of York for $17,895.00 After discussion concerning the fact that, were it not for the large difference in the amount of the bids, it would be best to hire within the County, approved the bid from McCormick’s Heating and Air Conditioning; Approved the 2019 office and shop inventories; Approved the Clerk of the District Court report of fees for April, totaling $82,974.48; Approved the Sheriff’s report of fees for April: writ fees $1,554.00, mileage $1,268.00, vehicle inspections $660.00 and gun permits $50.00, totaling $3,532.00; Approved the County Clerk’s report of fees for April, totaling $13,873.75; Approved Resolution #2019-081 transferring $8,200.00 from the #0100 General Fund to the #2250 Aging Services Fund, to be reimbursed when funds become available; Approved a memorandum of understanding between Saline County, Ana Perez Mendez and Crete Public Schools to implement the school intervention workers program; Under correspondence, heard reports receiving a thank you to the County Commissioners from the Nebraska Czechs of Wilber for the use of the Extension Office building for the quilt display during Czech Days, and the August 25th meeting minutes of the Saline County Historical Society. Under report of officials, heard of attending a Region V Board meeting, heard that the Sept. 5th LEPC meeting was cancelled, heard reports of participating in the hazardous household waste collection, checking abandoned cemeteries, investigating several road complaints, heard that the tire collection was a success, visiting with the Boards of Jefferson and Gage Counties and Blue Valley Community Action, participation in the Professional Development Academy and negotiating with Unite Private Networks as a possible alternative to Windstream. Coming up, an Employee Wellness Committee meeting, a Public Health Solutions Board meeting, a Planning and Zoning Committee meeting, a Veteran Service Committee meeting, a Saline County Aging Service full board meeting, a CURB/Coalition meeting, and a reminder that the annual flu shot clinic will take place on October 15th. Approved the claims as presented: GENERAL FUND General Payrolls, Salaries, 107,655.94; Anytime Plumbing, Bldg Rpr, 1,485.71; Black Hills, Util, 576.06; Bob Barker Co, Spls, 357.00; Brown's Tree Svc, Lawn Care, 825.00; City of Wilber, Util, 5,868.16; Consolidated Mgmt, Trng, 29.66; Crete Ace Hdw, Spls, 170.87; Crete Med Ctr, Hlth, 3,381.75; Culligan, Spls, 232.00; Eakes, Off Spls, 873.19; Elieff, Michelle, Court Costs, 208.80; Farmers Coop, Fuel, 910.27; First Concord, Ins, 500.50; First Wireless, Uniforms, 58.00; Fort Western, Uniforms, 104.98; Friend Med Ctr, Hlth, 165.00; Gage County Clerk, Budget, 11,042.36; Hajek, Lou, Mil, 12.76; Heath Sports, Uniforms, 1,105.96; Jirovec, James, Hlth, 242.00; Kalkwarf, Randy, Reimb, 101.07; Keystone, Equip Rpr, 239.25; Language Line, Interpret, 61.97; Maly Construction, Prop Maint, 9,450.00; Manning, Leanne, Reimb/Mil, 217.87; McDermott, Tim, Mil, 71.92; Microfilm Imaging, Equip Rent, 150.00; MIPS, Data Proc, 2,284.17; Murray, Joseph, Atty, 1,175.00; NE APCO/NENA, Trng, 250.00; NE Dept of Rev, Trng, 175.00; NE Law Enforcement Trng, Trng, 52.00; Nifco Mechanical, Inspect, 475.00; O'Keefe Elevator, Cntrct, 308.88; Officenet, Off Spls, 160.63; Osborn, Tyson, Uniforms, 37.43; Price, Wayne, Court Costs, 143.82; Pryor, Randy, Reimb/Mil, 427.22; Region V, Inst, 2,354.00; Sack, Spls, 54.33; Saline County Court, Court Costs, 438.00; Saline County Dist Court, Court Costs, 411.00; Saline County Sheriff, Court Costs, 516.00; Sapp Bros, Fuel, 1,540.79; Schwarz Paper, Spls, 288.86; Seward County Ind, P&P, 986.90; Shop Qwik, Fuel, 186.82; Shredding Solutions, Equip Rent, 45.00; Stanard Appraisal, Cntrct, 4,150.00; Stehlik, Eric, Mil, 100.34; Summit Food, Spls, 12,663.05; Thomson Reuters, Sub, 137.00; US Postal Svc, Box Rent, 76.00; UNL Extension, Reimb, 665.55; US Bank, Off Equip, 215.00; Visa, Off Equip, 26.78; Visa, Trav/Trng, 1,121.68; Visa, Pstg, 671.05; Visa, Fuel, 87.43; Visa, Travel, 44.40; Visa, Trav/Fuel, 57.61; Visa, Sub/Trng, 63.39; Visa, Off Spls, 20.00; Visa, Off Equip, 0.99; Walker Uniform, Spls, 49.08; Windstream, Phone, 7,008.60; 41 Auto, Equip Rpr, 639.40 ROAD FUND Road Payroll, Salaries, 24,364.30; Action Auto, Spls, 8.40; Beatrice Concrete, Gravel, 47,859.94; City of Crete, Util, 222.48; City of Friend, Util, 286.77; City of Wilber, Util, 68.14; Crete Ace Hdw, Spls, 67.52; Crete Auto, Equip Rpr, 304.76; Farmers Coop, Fuel, 18,655.71; Farmers Union Coop, Equip Rpr, 1,102.60; Johnson Sand, Gravel, 24,002.39; Kerford Limestone, Gravel, 6,881.67; Matheson Tri-Gas, Spls, 180.55; NE IA Indust Fasteners, Spls, 76.01; NMC Exchange, Equip Rpr, 314.59; Norris, Util, 232.08; O'Reilly Auto, Equip Rpr, 29.88; Plains Equip, Equip Rpr, 414.52; Pogue Construction, Mark Pavement, 4,150.00; Pomp's Tire, Equip Rpr, 152.00; Praxair, Spls, 70.14; Rock On, Gravel, 3,613.22; Sanitary Garbage, Garbage, 21.00; Sapp Bros, Fuel, 2,539.62; Seward County Ind, P&P, 53.20; Skala's Tire, Equip Rpr, 67.48; Steve's Repair, Equip Rpr, 85.40; Village of Swanton, Util, 63.50; Visa, Trav, 21.81; Walker Uniform, Uniforms, 27.64; Waste Connections, Garbage, 201.74; Weldon Parts, Equip Rpr, 206.72; Wick's, Equip Rpr, 348.98; Young's Welding, Equip Rpr, 197.94; 41 Autos, Equip Rpr, 59.95 BAILIFF FUND Bailiff Payroll, Salaries, 1,143.79 VISITOR PROMOTION FUND NE Czechs of Wilber, Adv, 900.00 EMPLOYEE WELLNESS FUND McDermott, Tim, Mil, 24.36; Visa, Spls, 211.77 AGING SERVICES FUND Aging Services Payroll, Salaries, 2,492.42; All Floors, Bldg Rpr, 2,235.00; Eakes, Off Spls, 4.99; Farmers Coop, Fuel, 49.20; Food Mesto, Spls, 30.04; Friend Comm Healthcare, Meals, 45.00; Moldenhauer, Lori, Mil, 85.84; Purfoods, Meals, 865.50; Sack, Bldg Rpr, 47.85; Visa, Prgm/Pstg, 48.78; Visa, Prgm/Pstg, 1,114.46; Wilber Care Ctr, Meals, 755.87; Wilber Plumbing, Bldg Rpr, 377.03 DRUG COURT FUND Redwood Tox Lab, Testing, 181.65; Verizon, Phone, 120.03; Walmart, Off Spls, 154.31 JUVENILE SVCS AID PROGRAM FUND Perez Mendez, Ana, Prgm, 198.00; Stougard, Anita, Prgm, 833.00 INHERITANCE TAX FUND Berggren, Architect, 2,072.50 911 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FUND Windstream, Phone, 159.33 911 WIRELESS SERVICE FUND Windstream, Phone, 700.97 COMMISSARY FUND Barnas, Spls, 222.89; Bob Barker Co, Spls, 604.20; Eakes, Spls, 176.24; Food Mesto, Spls, 2.00; Summit Food, Spls, 3,470.47; Visa, Spls, 85.92 ALL FUNDS First State Bank, Fed Tax, 14,236.31; NE Dept of Rev, State Tax, 6,192.99; First State Bank, Soc Sec, 28,029.44; Ameritas Life, Retire, 22,845.03; Delta, Dental Ins, 2,216.78; VSP, Eye Ins, 467.83; AFLAC, Ins, 1,436.76; MassMutual, Def Comp, 2,253.00; Colonial Supp Ins, Ins, 272.30; Teamsters, Dues, 287.50; Madison Nat'l Life, Life Ins, 43.14; Madison Nat'l Life, Dis Ins, 183.74; First Concord, Café, 1,925.55; New York Life, Ins, 118.90; NE Child Support, Garnish, 197.08; NE Child Support, Garnish, 188.77; Bryan LGH Med Ctr, Garnish, 180.14 Highway Superintendent Bruce Filipi presented the EDF Milligan 1 Wind LLC road haul agreement. Discussion followed concerning the agreement, including perceived ambiguities with the terminology in the document. Involved in the discussion was EDF Program Manager Dwynne Igau. It was decided that, before the Board will vote on the agreement, there will be several changes made: (1). There was confusion between the responsibilities of the County Board and the Highway Superintendent, so those titles were deleted or separated, (2). The insurance company hired by EDF Milligan 1 Wind LLC was required to have a minimum of a B+ rating, this will be changed to an A rating: (3). It was stated that the County shall not draw on the letter of credit until 15 days after the mailing of written notice to Milligan 1 Wind LLC. This timeline will be changed to 5 days and (4). Milligan 1 Wind LLC will supply a new, clearer, more detailed map of the area in question. County Attorney Eickman advised the Board not to vote on the agreement until the changes are made and a new document presented. The decision is tabled until a later meeting. There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 12:34 p.m. The next meeting will be on October 1st, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. in the Saline County Commissioners’ Room, Court House, Wilber NE. ATTEST: Daryl Fikar, County Clerk Janet J. Henning Marvin A. Kohout, Chairperson Stephanie Krivohlavek Phil Hardenburger Russ Karpisek, Vice-Chairperson I, Daryl Fikar, County Clerk in and for Saline County, do hereby certify that the minutes of the September 3rd, 2019, meeting were presented and approved as presented. Daryl Fikar, County Clerk Janet J. Henning Marvin A. Kohout, Chairperson Stephanie Krivohlavek Phil Hardenburger Russ Karpisek, Vice-Chairperson CR — September 25, 2019
