Jefferson County Commissioners Approve SENDD Agreement

By Gordon HopkinsJefferson County Commissioners unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with counties would allow SENDD (Southeast Nebraska Development District) to form a 501(c)(3) and hold property at a meeting Tuesday morning, February 10, 2026.SENDD is a voluntary association of counties and municipalities, formed under the Nebraska Interlocal Cooperation Act, with a focus in community, economic, and housing development that identifies common problems. Currently, SENDD is unable by law to purchase property for development. This new agreement will allow SENDD to purchase property using the authority of the counties.Commissioners had opted to table the decision at a previous meeting after commissioner Danielle Schwab expressed concerns over the potential loss of local control.“I’m worried about just giving it away when we’re always fighting to hold it. It’s different. It’s a different mechanism,” said Schwab. “But it still makes me very leery.”Commissioner Mark Schoenrock, who regularly touts the importance of maintaining local control in the face of state and government, said, “I think you’ve brought up some really valid points on that. I think you’ve caused other people to think about it too.”However, the need for economic development is also a major concern.“The other side of the coin, though, that I was thinking about was economic development. I mean, that’s what we need, economic development. Absolutely, we don’t have a specific economic developer like some of the counties do,” said Schwab. “SENDD, because they’re regional, they probably get more opportunities and things like that. It would not necessarily be in their best interest to not work with the county.” Schoenrock pointed out, “All the counties around us have their own economic development director.”Also in attendance at the meeting was former commissioner Gale Pohlmann, who is supportive of the agreement, “All this interlocal agreement does is allow SENDD to purchase property and use it for housing development. And on my time with the SENDD board and the exec committee, I’m aware of how many times here in Jefferson County that we’ve had SENDD assist us with many projects.”Pohlmann said, “So, in my opinion, it’s a no brainer. It’s not going to change anything. We’re not going to lose local control. Any developer could come in here and buy property and build houses on it.”“We don’t have an economic development director. Our neighbors do, and we use SENDD a lot to fill those shoes,” Pohlmann said, echoing Schwab’s and Schoenrock’s comments about economic development. “We need to give them the tools because, in Beatrice, Landmark’s got a big expansion, 150 more employees. Let’s try and house some of them here in Jefferson County, Plymouth, Fairbury. People commute.” In the end, commissioners decided the benefits outweighed their concerns and voted to sign the agreement.After the meeting, Tom Bliss, Executive Director of SENDD, provided FJN with more details about what sort of property SENDD is interested in, “The motivation behind this is our Home ReLift program that allows SENDD to take possession of vacant farmstead houses and relocate them into nearby towns. We will pour a new basement, set the house, and then renovate the interior.”The goal of the Home ReLift program is to create entry-level housing opportunities for families with a price tag of less than $200,000. Bliss pointed out, “Most of the State’s housing programs set this workforce housing mark at $325,000 or higher.”SENDD represents 16 Nebraska counties. Gage County signed the agreement in December of 2025. As of press time, all counties but Johnson and Thayer have signed.

FPS Eliminates High Schools Parent Teacher Conferences For Spring

Bridal Expo

Related Articles

High Winds Fuel Multiple Wild Fires in SE Nebraska

Sen. Ricketts Makes the Case for War

City Offices Closed During Move

A Broken Wire Over Railroad Tracks Leaves City in the Dark