Gage County Supervisor’s Meetings
By Don Schuller
6/12/23 Committee meeting:
Carl Jacobson of Summit Pork reported that the soils test results have been completed by the state for the Hanover Township swine operation. There is no perched water table at the proposed site. The state will continue with the procedure for approving the permit. A thirty-day public notice will be issued for the permit hearing. This time-frame should put it on the agenda for the July 26th county board meeting.
Law enforcement and jail committee:
Supervisor Gary Lytle, chairman of the committee, stated that now is a good time to start looking at options for the county jail. “We need to develop a plan and do what is best.” Lytle suggested a committee be formed to study this. It will be discussed at the regular meeting.
Solar discussion continued due to Supervisor Haxby’s dissatisfaction with the off-grid industrial use language in the regulations. She asked to have the resolution be on the agenda for the regular meeting for discussion of a possible amendment. Board Chairman Erich Tiemann granted her request. I agreed. I believe we should always be willing to discuss and consider changes.
There was discussion about the final vote on the solar regulations. It was in the audio recording of the previous meeting that the vote was 6 to 1 with Haxby voting nay. I recorded the vote in my notes this way and believed this is what occurred. Haxby said she failed to switch her vote from nay to yea in a timely manner. Chairman Tiemann missed it and so did I. Others weren’t sure. County Clerk Dawn Hill will research.
Road and Bridge:
I asked Highway Superintendent Mark Kuhnke about putting gravel on roads that have been getting rock. He said that we are not getting enough gravel from the pits to keep up with the need. There is a large demand for gravel and we can only get a couple of dump trucks per day.
I asked Kuhnke about roadside mowing and tree removal in the county and township easements. Roadside mowing, the first time, is to be done by July 15th. If the landowner does not mow, they will receive letters asking them to do so. Kuhnke will begin sending out letters for removal of trees soon. He needs to receive a plan from the landowner for tree removal. Kuhnke said if nothing occurs, the county will take action on both and add the cost to the landowner’s taxes.
6/14/23 Equalization meeting:
County Assessor Patty Milligan is urging people planning to file a protest of their property valuation to do so early to give adequate time to hear protests. She said the big change this year is a significant rise in residential and commercial valuations which is being driven by market conditions.
Senator Myron Dorn, present at the meeting, said, “The Nebraska Legislature has taken significant steps to provide property tax relief, but the higher valuations could still have a big impact, depending on what local governmental subdivisions do with their tax rates.” He said that the state has increased property tax relief that will be seen later in income tax credits. It doesn’t show up on the tax statement. There are significantly more funds set aside for tax relief than last year. Chairman Tiemann reminded everyone that County Assessor Milligan sets the valuation only, not the taxes. The county’s levy will go down due to the valuation increase.
Regular meeting:
Former candidate for Beatrice Mayor, Ashley Mason, addressed the board during public comment. She was critical of the board, excluding Haxby and Dorn, for their decisions on solar regulations. She stated that the remaining five of us are serving the industry rather than our constituents. She proceeded to name each of us and the mistakes, in her opinion, we had made. She thanked me for speaking out on how I feel, then claimed I ignored my constituents who attended the Planning and Zoning (P & Z) meetings. There was only one at the P & Z meetings as far as I know. I consider all my constituents, not just those who attend a P & Z meeting. No dialog can take place between the public and the board during public comment.
Chairman Tiemann formed a committee to research jail options for the future. The committee will be comprised of the three members of the Law Enforcement and Jail Committee, the County Sheriff, the Beatrice Chief of Police, the Jail Manager, the County Attorney, and three members of the public to be appointed. If a new jail is determined to be necessary it would not be because the present one has been neglected; it has been well maintained. It would be for the safety of the employees. I agree with this action although I am not saying I agree with building a new jail. That remains to be seen. I am a strong believer in planning and researching options even if no change of action is taken in the end. It is not time wasted. We need to know if we are doing what is right.
Chairman Tiemann announced that the final payment to the Beatrice 6 judgment had been made and it’s time to close the account set up for it. He stated an interesting fact: 40% of the special sales tax came from out of county for the payoff. The levy was lowered by nearly 5 cents when the current budget was approved in anticipation of the judgment being paid. Motion was approved and seconded with a unanimous vote to close the account.
Supervisor Haxby asked the board to reconsider an amendment to the solar resolution for offsite regulations for a self-using industry with electricity not entering the grid. She suggested the entity request a second special use permit for an offsite solar array. Chairman Tiemann asked for a motion to change accordingly. No motion was made. Regulations remain as voted on at 5/31/23 meeting.
Haxby’s vote of nay at that meeting was changed to yea after research by the County Clerk, making the vote 7-0.
The board voted unanimously to remove the moratorium on solar permits with a 6-0 vote, with Supervisor Lytle absent.
I now have a Facebook page called Don Schuller – Public Servant. You can find my press releases and other information on the page. Please check it out.
The minutes and the audio of the Board meeting, when posted, can be found at:
https://gagecountynebraska.us/board_meetings/enhanced_minutes.aspx
