Minutes, May 23, 2011

ELLSWORTH COUNTY COMMISSIONER MEETING

                                                                                 

MINUTES

 

MAY 23, 2011

 

The Board of Ellsworth County Commissioners convened this 23^rd day of May 2011 at the Ellsworth County Courthouse. 

 

                                                            Members Present:

                                                            Albert W. Oller, 1^st District Commissioner

                                                            Kermit Rush, 2^nd District Commissioner

                                                            Terry L. Kueser, 3^rd District Commissioner

                                                           

                                                                                                                       

OPENING BUSINESS:

 

Chairman Kueser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.

 

Commissioner Rush moved to approve the Agenda.  Commissioner Oller seconded the motion.  Motion carried 3-0.

 

Commissioner Rush moved to approve the Minutes of May 16, 2011.  Commissioner Oller seconded the motion.  Motion carried 3-0.

 

Billy Kryger, Pastor of the Smoky Hill Baptist Church in Ellsworth, was in attendance but did not wish to address the Commissioners.

 

APPOINTMENTS:

 

Roger Masse, ECMC Administrator, presented the financial reports for April showing that the hospital and clinic had a modest income for the month.  They are working on the deed for the Wilson Clinic and plan on building 2,300 square feet of space.  Chairman Kueser moved to go into executive session to consult with County Attorney, Joe Shepack, on matters that would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship from 9:22 a.m. until 9:40 a.m.  Commissioner Rush seconded the motion.  Motion carried 3-0.  The Commissioners returned to open session at 9:40 a.m. and Commissioner Kueser moved to return to executive session for the same reasons as previously stated from 9:40 a.m. until 9:50 a.m. Commissioner Rush seconded the motion.  Motion carried 3-0.  Included in both sessions were Roger Masse, ECMC Administrator and Jan Andrews, County Clerk.  The Commissioners returned to open session at 9:50 a.m. and no action was taken.

 

Tracy Ploutz, Sheriff, asked that the Commissioner hire an electrical engineer to look at the jail facility and ascertain the problems and what is needed in order to make the jail electrically sound.  The Commissioners asked the County Clerk to look into getting those professional services.  He has been trapping rats by the gas line and has set bait stations outside the jail.

 

Sylvia McNeal, Dorothy Thomas, Kevin Shoemaker, Willis Schultz and Sabrina Allen, representing the Ellsworth Senior Center, presented their budget request for 2012 of $58,000, an increase of $36,712. 

 

Rick Nondorf, Road & Bridge Supervisor, reported they had staked out the right-of-ways on 12^th road where the wind farm transmission line will be.  The stakes do not indicate where the poles will be only the right-of-way.  The Commissioners discussed some of the complaints they have received on recently graded roads and asked why grader operators had county vehicles to drive back and forth to work.  Mr. Nondorf shared a map of the operator's routes and explained the time saved when they go directly to their graders rather than coming to the office and then going back out to the site.  Also, if there are any problems in the route areas, they are very knowledgeable about the area and can respond much quicker to those problems.  If the operator does not live in the area that he is grading, then they do not get a pickup, but come in to work and go to the site.  The Commissioners thanked Mr. Nondorf for the information as it gave them a better understanding of the situation.  A discussion was also held on the pros and cons of going to a ten hour day-four day week work schedule in the summer as well as road graders working on Saturday if the conditions were right to grade a road.  Mr. Nondorf felt that grading a road on Saturday was no problem as long as the grader was willing to give up that day, however, the ten hour day he felt was not a productive alternative.  Two new employees have been hired.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

 

The Commissioners briefly discussed the burn permit but tabled any action until they could visit with the Fire Chiefs again and the County Attorney.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

 

The Commissioners gave permission to contract with Alex Vodraska for changing our broadband frequencies to narrowband ones as required by federal law by January 1, 2012.  There are three frequencies that will need to be changed.

 

The Commissioners declined the request by Austin Peters Group to participate in a salary survey.  That information is available from other sources at no cost.

 

ADJOURNMENT:

 

Chairman Kueser adjourned the meeting at 11:45 a.m.

 

 

_________________________________________

Janet L. Andrews, Ellsworth County Clerk