**This is a condensed version of the Banner County Board of Commissioners meeting minutes. These minutes are not the official approved version. For a complete and/or approved version of the Banner County Board of Commissioner meeting minutes, please contact Katie West, Banner County Clerk, during regular business hours.**

 BANNER COUNTY

COMMISSIONERS PROCEEDINGS

The Banner County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. in the courtroom of the Banner County Courthouse.

Notice of the meeting was published in the Western Nebraska Observer. Meeting notices posted in Harrisburg, Nebraska at: Post Office, Banner County School, and the Banner County Courthouse.

The agenda for the meeting was kept current and was available during the regular business hours at the office of the Banner County Clerk.  A copy was emailed to each board member on June 19, 2023.

Chairperson Darnall called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. Roll call showed all members present. Also present: County Clerk Katie West; County Treasurer Kathy Natale; Sheriff Zane Hopkins; Road Superintendent Tom Neal and Weed Superintendent Tim Grubbs.

Chairperson Darnall stated that the open meetings act is posted in the back of this courtroom by the entrance.

Gifford said prayer.

Pledge of Allegiance was said.

Agenda: Motion by Anderson to approve agenda. Second by Gifford. Roll call vote: Anderson yes; Darnall yes; Gifford yes. Motion carried.

Minutes from June 6, 2023 meeting were examined. Motion by Gifford to approve the minutes as presented. Second by Anderson. Roll call vote: Anderson yes; Darnall yes; Gifford yes. Motion carried.

Correspondence: a) Banner County Public School Foundation: Gifford stated that we normally do an ad in the calendar for the school, and we donate to the foundation. Gifford stated that he would like to make the donation in the next meeting running it through the claims. b) Enbridge: Pipeline Safety Information - Board reviewed the information.

Public Comments: Ron Bright stated concerns regarding Road 73. Bright stated the ditches have been made very deep and he is concerned for the safety of drivers. Darnall stated the roads seem narrow, and she agrees that the ditches are too steep. Neal stated roads are 28 feet, shoulder to shoulder. Neal said they follow the State rules for a 3 to 1 and they are trying to clean the shoulders and reshape the roads.

Reports:

Highway Superintendent: Tom Neal reported Chelsea has been working on employee vacation time that has been carried over for 18 months. Tom stated there is roughly 450 hours of vacation time that has gone unused by employees. Tom recommended paying out these hours rather than allowing the roads department to use vacation time and be gone for weeks. Tom received a rental invoice for $6300, which needs to be paid by July 21, 2023. This rental invoice is to finish off what is owed on the loader. Tom said that they are working on washouts on long run and road 65. Tom stated road 63 needed material added to it.

Sheriff Hopkins: Sheriff Hopkins reported the grand jury convened. The grand jury came back with No True Bill, meaning no criminal conduct was found on the part of the Sheriff. The grand jury recommended adding a deputy position to assist the Banner County Sheriff. Other than that, it has been business as usual.

County Attorney: Mark Kovarik reported he has been busy with traffic citations, district, and county court.

County Treasurer: Kathy Natale reported tax collections have wound down, so it has been mainly DMV work. Natale attended a workshop last week, where she learned about changes that are coming due to changes in the legislature. There were 80 of the 93 Treasurer’s in the state that attended the meeting at the Gering Civic Center. Kathy was contacted by Banner Capitol Bank regarding the monies that were transferred from Banner Capitol Bank. Banner Capitol Bank would like to see Banner County move the funds back to the Banner Capitol Bank. New computers have been installed in all the county offices.

Anderson moved to amend his earlier motion to approve agenda to specify approval of the agenda available in the Banner County Clerk’s office Friday, June 16, 2023 agenda which was a result of error due to computer hardware and software upgrades and lost files. Second by Gifford. Roll call vote: Anderson yes; Darnall yes; Gifford yes. Motion carried.

County Clerk: Katie West reported fire and safety cam to re-install the panic buttons and check the fire extinguishers. Seventeen fire extinguishers will need to be replaced next year. Katie stated the grand jury convened and she learned a lot from the experience. Slowly things are starting to work well. The budget could not be printed, once the new computers are accessible, Katie will be able to print it.

County Assessor: Kacy Krakow absent.

County Surveyor: Carl Gilbert stated Drop Box for the Surveyor is full. Carl asked to update Drop Box which requires a subscription fee. Carl stated he also has two projects in T57 R56. He is working on another project in T19 R24. Carl stated the wind farm is pending and he is not sure why. He also talked to the Air Force, and they are getting ready to look at easements, thinking there would be more corners and that it would take some time.

Weed Superintendent: Tim Grubbs reported there was not much to report. The creek road looked pretty good. They did find twelve spots while flying that he is going to take a closer look at.

Commissioner Committee Reports:

Gifford; Panhandle Area Development District (PADD) - nothing to report from the meeting; Office of Human Development (OHD); Panhandle Public Health District (PPHD)

Anderson: Office of Aging and Region 1 Behavioral Health - nothing to report.

Darnall: Region 22 Emergency Management - next meeting is July 20. Darnall attended training in Kearney for the Board of Equalization. She learned about the Assessor’s duties regarding protests and budget. Darnall attended a session on Emergency Management. Her position in the Emergency Management for Banner County will change somewhat. Darnall will be touring the Kimball Transit facility and construction of the new hospital in Kimball.

Items of business before the board:

  1. Road Signs: CindyJean Stover stated wanting to spread awareness of driving on county roads, as it can be dangerous and she is not sure how to fix the situation. Stover stated the only way to do anything is to advertise it or just spread the work and stay on your side of the road. She mentioned possibly putting up signs on the blind corners. It was explained that there are advisory signs. Stover stated her only motive was to get the word out, and driver’s stay in their lane and pay attention.

  2. Two - Week Payroll - Road Department: Jay Dove stated that two - week payroll for the road department had been on the Commissioner’s agenda at the beginning of the year, and was denied. Dove stated some of the employees have asked about it for years. Dove stated it would alleviate a lot of confusion at the end of the month. Hourly workers are estimating the hours on the last two days of the month. Dove stated this would be something that the two - week pay period would solve. Dove recommended the two - week pay period would be on the 15th, and the 30th of each month. Payroll would always pay a week behind. Dove also stated the other reason is that it would open hiring opportunities, because there have been quite a few people that would like to work for the county, but when they were told about the once a month pay, they turned it down. Tabled until July 11, 2023 meeting.

  3. District Court Contract: Katie West stated the District Court contract with Deb Diemoz will be up in July. West advised she is not quite ready to be doing District Court by herself. West stated she would like to continue to have Deb Diemoz continue for the next six months. Motion by Gifford to renew the District Court contract and keep Deb Diemoz on for another five months. Second by Anderson. Roll call vote: Anderson yes; Darnall yes; Gifford yes. Motion carried.

  4. Health Insurance: Anderson stated Nick Lease with NextGen Insurance provided estimates on County health insurance. Black Hawk lowers the deductible and out of pocket by $2,000. The total annual cost for the insurance would be approximately $213,000. Banner County would be saving approximately $88,000 per year. Nick recommended that we keep the HSA/HRA accounts for now. Nick stated he will be at the courthouse to answer questions on Wednesday. Motion by Anderson to accept the NextGen benefits using Black Hawk Bronze, keeping the HSA and HRA benefits the same, authorizing the Chairperson to sign. Second by Darnall. Roll call vote: Anderson yes; Darnall yes; Gifford no. Motion carried.

  5. QuickBooks: Katie West stated she would like to purchase QuickBooks. One user QuickBooks Pro is $549/year. QuickBooks Premier is $749/year, and QuickBooks Premier is $1,000/year. Technical support is included in the pricing. Motion by Gifford to purchase the one user QuickBooks Pro for $549/year. Second by Anderson. Roll call vote: Anderson yes; Darnall yes; Gifford yes. Motion carried.

  6. Bytes Quotes: Katie West stated it is not really a quote, but a statement. Keeping this contract will help maintain computer software and installation for new devices. The best thing about what was accepted by the previous Board was the amount of security it has on the computer software. The Bytes monthly service is $1,939.00.

  7. Surplus Office Furniture: Bids were reviewed and accepted by the Board. Motion by Darnall to accept the bid on #1 (computer desk) for $35 to Larry Pahl; #8 (card holder) for $10 to the Banner County Museum; #2 (desk) for .50 cents, and #7 to Robby Cross; and have items #3, #4, #5, #6, #9, and #10 will be abandoned items. Second by Gifford. Roll call vote: Anderson yes; Darnall yes; Gifford yes. Motion carried.

  8. The following claims for June 20, 2023 were audited. Motion by Gifford to approve claims, with the exception of claim #2306078 to Level 3 Communications, and warrants ordered drawn on respective funds. Second by Anderson. Roll call vote: Gifford yes; Darnall yes; Anderson yes. Motion carried.

CLAIMS

General: US Bank $393.37 supplies; Western Pathology $1,000.00 autopsy; CenturyLink $661.24 telephone; Banner Capitol Bank $100.00 HSA; Banner County Court $51.00 court cost; Bytes $1457.68 computer hardware; Carrot Top Industries $124.91 flags; Crowne Plaza $279.90 lodging; DAS $63.64 tech support; Ellison, Kovarik, & Truman $1845.97 lawyer fees; Tim Grubbs $125.21 chemicals; GWorks $263.00 Assessor programs; High West Energy $478.95 lights; Home Depot $100.38 lights; Level 3 $1269.18 IP and data services; MIPS $225.00 data; Nebraska Association of County Officials $125.00 training; Nebraska Safety and Fire $47.00 fire extinguishers; William C. Peters $573.50 (?); Quadient $300.00 postage; Robinson Electric $45.49 fuse.

Roads: US Bank $689.72 shop supplies; BC Steel $50.32 shop steel; CenturyLink $84.83 telephone; Diffendafer/Sandberg Family Trust $50.00 gravel; Floyd’s Trucking $182.18 repair parts; Frank Parts $1.69 repair parts; High West Energy $56.65 lights; Murphy Tractor $42,700.00 motor grader; Murphy Tractor $9,119.55 repair parts & labor; NIRMA $42,231.00 vehicle & equipment insurance; Nebraska Machinery $4,700.54 repair parts & labor; PT Hose & Bearing $624.09 repairs; Verizon $376.18 vehicle trackers; Verizon $32.38 vehicle trackers; ZM Lumber $203.04 shop supplies & signs; Home Depot $47.95 shop supplies.

Sheriff: CenturyLink $82.58 telephone; DAS $22.00 tech support; Scottsbluff County $16,278.02 9-1-1 system & radio; US Bank $497.59 office supplies;

Adjournment: Motion by Gifford to adjourn meeting at 9:04 p.m. Second by Anderson. Roll call vote: Anderson yes; Darnall yes; Gifford yes. Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m.

The next regular meeting will be held July 11, 2023 at 8:45 a.m. or at the call of the clerk. An agenda of the matters to be considered at such date and time is kept continually current and is available for public inspection during normal business hours at the office of the Banner County Clerk in the Courthouse in Harrisburg.