Gage County Newsletter

By Don Schuller 7/22/24 Committee meeting:Planning and Zoning Commission Administrator Lisa Wiegand announced P & Z will conduct a public hearing for the reopening of the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Paddock Township 7:00 pm, Aug 15th, supervisors room, second floor of the courthouse. Wiegand said P & Z will be busy this fall. The commission will be reviewing the City of Beatrice’s Well Head Protection Area expansion proposal; Nextlink inquired about a new tower in section 34, Island Grove Township; and there is a permit application from Norris Public Power for solar arrays. Nextlink has also requested permission from the village of Barneston to put equipment on their water tower for servicing the fiber to be installed in Barneston. Wiegand reviewed the description of the upgrade of the Steel City Flats wind turbines. At present, no special use permit is needed. Wiegand announced that the Gage County Tire Amnesty Event will be held Aug 8th -9th, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, at the fairgrounds parking lot north of the race track. For more information, contact the Gage County Extension Office at 402-223-1384 The three miles of Virginia Road left to be hard surfaced remains on the one- and six-year plan. The project may be funded once the priority roads are finished. 7/24/24 Regular meeting:Supervisor Lytle was absent.The consent agenda included an action by the county board to submit a letter to the county attorney requesting recovery of $15,000, the cost for cleanup of the trailer house that broke down on Liberty Road one mile west of Liberty. The consent agenda was approved unanimously. Chairman Eric Tiemann reported that he met with University and Extension officials about the county’s contract with extension. In the past, the employees provided by the county were county employees, but supervised by extension personal. This posed certain problems, such as a difference in observed holidays by the employees and their supervisors. In the proposed contract, the employees will be university employees with the county reimbursing the university for employee costs. All other expenses covered by the county, such as office space and maintenance, will remain the same. Highway Superintendent Kuhnke reported that utilities are being moved for the East Pickrell Bridge project. Construction will start as soon as the move is completed. The special use permit for a commercial diesel repair business in Lincoln Township was approved unanimously. Chairman Tiemann asked the supervisors if there were any questions on the 2024-25 budget proposal which he and County Clerk Dawn Hill have been preparing. Tiemann believes the tax asking will increase. In the past two years this number went down. I asked for an explanation. Valuations have gone up, in some cases I hear, 14 to 17%. Tiemann explained that the mill levy could go down due to the increase in valuations, but the tax asking will go up due to cost increases for labor, materials, and suppliers. Tiemann said the county takes what it needs, not what it can take. He is hoping the increase in tax asking will be under 2%, and that the mill levy will go down. He said not all taxing entities operate this way; some take as much as they can. The county has not and will not operate this way. At the county level, the tax asking is the amount of tax dollars needed to cover the county budget. In determining the budget needs, costs of proposed projects such as the overlaying of Odell and Christ Lutheran Pickrell blacktop roads are included. The county received a 5.4-million-dollar grant for this, but will not receive the money before the project is started. The county has to be prepared to cover the cost initially. How elected county officials use their budget is entirely up to them. But all departments have been very good about allowing extra budget funds to return to the general fund at the end of the fiscal year if the money isn’t needed, even though they don’t have to. The county board does not follow a “spend it or lose it” budget; their budget is based on needs. A department may go a few years with little or no special purchases such as new equipment or furniture. Some, I am sure, is figured into the annual budget, but there can be a year with additional needs. The county board takes this in consideration for budget needs. The board praises the department heads for doing their job to hold the line on spending and staying under budget when they can. Tiemann noted the sheriff’s department has been under budget for three years. That isn’t by accident. It takes effort. 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.aspxFacebook: Don Schuller – Public Servant.

Bryce Hecht

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Gage County Newsletter