Gage County Newsletter

By Don Schuller 8/5/24 Committee meeting:Planning and Zoning Administrator Lisa Wiegand reported that the P & Z Commission recommended denial of the Beatrice well head protection area expansion. She said no well is proposed to be drilled at the present time. It could be next year; it could be 30 years. I was unable to attend the P & Z meeting and public hearing. I do not know the details of the denial. I will learn more before the county board has their public hearing.Road and bridge:Highway Superintendent Mark Kuhnke said landowners are being contacted, some by phone, about trees needing removed in the county road rights-of-way. It is time to mow the roadsides for the last time this season.I asked for the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Kansas Counties of Marshall and Washington to be put on the agenda for the regular meeting Wednesday. This is an issue long overdue to be settled. It pertains to bridge repairs and replacement on the state line. 8/7/24 Regular meeting:Construction has started on the remodeling of the supervisor’s “half circle” desk. A new countertop will be installed. Audio/video equipment will be installed at each of the supervisor’s seated locations. This and other equipment will allow streaming of the meetings for the public to watch.Supervisor Gary Lytle requested a formal report on the P & Z denial decision on the Beatrice well head protection expansion. He and I do not understand the decision.Highway Superintendent Mark Kuhnke reported on the progress of the Pickrell East Bridge. The diversion channel is finished. Excavation for the box culvert has started. Progress is looking good.The board reviewed the tax rate requests for the political subdivision. I made the motion to approve the rates, seconded by Supervisor Swavely. Motion carried unanimously.The Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between Gage County and three school districts, Diller/Odell, Freeman, and Wymore Southern, for support of a school resource officer is ready for approval/denial by the board. County Attorney Roger Harris recommended approval. He said it is a good program that has been working well. Supervisor Lytle, chairman of the law enforcement committee, said it gives the students good, positive, exposure to law enforcement. With this resolution the schools will be sharing the cost. Originally, as a pilot program, the county paid for it. The cost is $72,000 per year with the schools paying half and each school paying one-third of the half, $12,000, for each school district. The schools will pay over a ten-month period. The county will pay the other half of $36,000. Supervisor Lytle made the motion to approve the MOU, Swavely seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. One- and six-year plan public hearing:Highway Superintendent Kuhnke reviewed the highlights. He said he is aggressive in replacing culverts with 12 planned to be replaced in the one-year plan. There were members of the public present, no one commented. Lytle made the motion to approve the one- and six-year plan with the inclusion of moving the Clatonia blacktop overlay project into the one-year plan at Supervisor Haxby’s request. She explained having the project moved up helps in obtaining a grant for the project. This project is on the list of priority road projects. If funds do not become available, the project can be delayed to another year. Swavely seconded the motion, it carried unanimously.Chairman Tiemann stated the county has budgeted for a grant writer.Prohaska & Associates is asking for an additional $3500 for an assessment on a juvenile detention facility. The law enforcement committee said they understood the assessment already completed included this. Supervisor Terry Jurgens made the motion to deny the additional expense, seconded by Supervisor Eddie Dorn. Supervisor Lytle asked Sheriff Gustafson to check the contract to determine if juvenile assessment was included. County Attorney Harris said he would investigate it. If it is in in the contract, Prohaska & Associates needs to provide the assessment or refund us funding. Motion was amended accordingly. Motion carried unanimously.The Kansas Department of Transportation has corresponded with the board asking for an MOU between adjoining Kansas counties, Marshall and Washington Counties, regarding bridge replacement and repairs for the shared bridges on the state line. The Marshall County MOU states Gage and Marshall share inspection and repairs equally. Washington County’s MOU agreement presented to us states they are 100 % responsible for inspection and Gage County 100% responsible for repairs. All board members do not agree with this. Harris will amend the agreement with Washington to read the same as the Marshall County agreement. In addition, in both agreements, Harris will amend to include a statement saying that in the case of replacing a bridge or major reconstruction, all counties will abide by state statutes of both Kansas and Nebraska in the process of competitive bidding. The amended MOU’s will be presented to both Kansas counties for review.Tiemann addressed the recently passed LB34 property tax reduction bill. He stated the county can survive. He said he personally isn’t opposed to the cap. For me personally, I am opposed to the cap. This bill is not good for the county. If we need to replace a bridge, for example, we may have to do a bond and hope it passes. Even in an emergency. Law enforcement is not capped.Supervisor Terry Jurgens left the meeting.The board was presented the final tax levy authority for the townships, fire departments, Gage County Agricultural Society and the Historical Society. The Ag Society and the Historical Society were left the same as last year. Supervisor Haxby objected and requested additional funds for the Ag Society. Chairman Tiemann said he was asked informally by the Ag Society for more funding, and he had told them they would be left level as would the Historical Society. The board does have a formal letter requesting an increase of $10,000 with justification for the increase from the Historical Society. I do not know when either of these entities last received an increase other than it was before the Beatrice Six judgement. Haxby moved to approve the budget with a $40,000 increase for the Ag Society to $175,000 and $10,000 for the Historical Society to $41,000, seconded by Swavely. I moved to amend the motion to include a $10,000 increase for the Historical Society only, seconded by Lytle. My reasoning was we have a formal request from the Historical Society and not from the Ag Society. Motion failed with a 3 to 3 vote with Swavely, Dorn and I voting yea. Haxby, Lytle and Tiemann voted nay. The vote on the original motion by Haxby/Swavely resulted in Haxby, Swavely and Lytle voting yea and Tiemann, Dorn and me voting nay. Motion failed with 3 to 3 votes. Haxby left the meeting. I made the motion to approve the final authority for the Townships, Rural Fire Districts, Gage County Historical Society, and the Gage County Agricultural Society as presented with no changes. Motion carried 5 to 0.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.

Judith Ann White

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