Gage County Meetings

By Don Schuller 1/22/24 Committee MeetingEmergency Manager Lisa Wiegand declared the county an emergency disaster for road conditions due to the snow and extreme cold weather. This will provide state funding to assist with road clearing expenses.This was the first major snow storm since Highway Superintendent Mark Kuhnke took the position. He said he learned some things and intends to make some changes. There was a long discussion on how the snow clearing operation went. Some things will be done to make the next snow removal operation better.Kuhnke said the loader-mounted snow blower was used for the first time since its purchase in 2009 or 2010. He said a few shear bolts and chains were broken and it plugged once. Other than that, it worked well. He said there is a learning curve to operating it, but he’s grateful the county has it. Hopefully we don’t need it for at least another 14 years.It was announced the annual Township Association meeting social hour starts at 6:00 p.m., (dining is available at your own cost) meeting at 7:00 p.m., February 8th, Veterans Club, Beatrice.The board discussed changes to the highway department rock and gravel policy for the townships. Now the townships will be allowed to choose what they want for material on their road, whether it is rock or gravel. Availability will be a factor. They also can choose the size of rock they want. They will be able to trade all miles for rock rather than gravel for the 2024 allocation and the county will cover the cost as usual. I am pleased with these changes. I have brought this up to the board on behalf of townships in my district. I believe, as a unit of local government, the townships should be allowed to make their own decisions. They were established to provide local control and know what is best. Let them do their job.1/24/24 Supervisors’ meetingMargaret Haith spoke during public comment. She said there are odor issues at the new Summit Pork Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) in Hanover Township. She asked the board to extend the half-mile setback when reevaluating the zoning regulations. No comment from the board is allowed during public comment.Marcella Rademacher intended to speak during public comment, but Chairman Tiemann directed her to instead address the board later in the meeting during discussion of Planning & Zoning. Tiemann reasoned that since we had talked about the smell from the Summit Pork CAFO at the committee meeting, he wanted her to address the board when they could ask her questions.Buildings and Grounds:The board expressed their gratitude to the buildings and grounds manager David Jones and his assistant Adam Suden for their hard work during the snow and cold weather. They are dedicated in keeping the grounds safe.Law Enforcement:Sheriff Millard Gustafson introduced Wymore Police Chief Bobby Martinez, who has been on the job since August 2023. Martinez told the board he is in the process of hiring a deputy officer.Planning and Zoning:Administrator Lisa Wiegand stated the next P & Z meeting is 7:00 p.m., Feb. 22nd, Supervisor’s Room, Courthouse; a public hearing for a commercial Ag business will be conducted.After the P & Z Commission received a letter from the county board requesting them to review Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulations, they in turn requested that the board put together a panel of three members of the board, three members of the P & Z Commission, and individuals from the public to review all zoning regulations and conduct a town hall meeting to gain public input. Today Chairman Tiemann announced this will not happen. Instead, he appointed a three-person committee from the board to review CAFO regulations. He selected Supervisors Haxby, Dorn, and Swavely for the committee. Haxby said that turnout for town hall meetings won’t be good enough to satisfy the purpose.I did not have opportunity to be involved with this decision. I commented it is our duty to provide the opportunity for the public to be involved. We should respect the request made to us by P & Z.Tiemann said there will be an opportunity for the public to comment on potential changes to livestock regulations at the county board committee meeting 8:00 am Monday, February 5th. There will be P & Z meetings the public can attend. I encourage people to get involved and attend.Marcella Rademacher spoke to the board with concerns of the strong odor from the Summit Pork CAFO in Hanover Township. She said the incinerator is operating all of the time and has a strong smell, in her opinion. She described it as being unusual and different than typical swine operations.I learned since the meeting the Nebraska Department of Energy and Environment inspected the Hanover site. They found minor record-keeping deficiencies that will be corrected. It was determined that the incinerator is designed for 100 pounds per hour. The NDEE permit allows 250 pounds per hour. Records indicate the incineration usage rate is at the top end of the design range. There is no indication in the report the incinerator is operating more than normal for this kind of operation. I will share the information on my Facebook Page and with my email list. It is available to the public on the NDEE website.I spoke with Summit Pork representative Carl Jacobson following the meeting. He said they are replacing a 3/8 inch propane line with 1/2 inch line under the assumption that the incinerator is not burning hot enough. He believes this will solve the problem.Public Hearing:The Blakely Township communications tower was discussed, with Wiegand and the construction manager for the project answering questions on the project. There was no opposition. The vote to approve or disapprove will take place at the next meeting in two weeks.Road and Bridge:It has been a tough couple of weeks due to frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall. Conditions have been very difficult. The board appreciates the hard work and long hours the motor grader and snow plow truck operators put in for the county and townships.This highlights the portions of the county meetings I feel are most relevant to my constituents. Use the link below to view the actual minutes and hear audio of the board meeting, when posted.https://gagecountynebraska.us/board_meetings/enhanced_minutes.aspxSee this on Facebook: Don Schuller – Public Servant.

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