by Theodore Wiesehan

    Seward County Commissioners asked Sheriff Joe Yocum tough questions at their Feb. 20 board meeting regarding accounting snags in the jail commissary fund.
     Auditors uncovered approximately $8,500 of expenditures over the last three years from revenue generated by the jail's commissary fund which did not pass through the county treasurer's office. The sheriff's department also failed to produce receipts for many of the purchases.
     "Three or four years ago we had a similar problem keeping track of the commissary," Chairman Joe Ruzicka said. "How can this fund generate this much money and not be turned in to the General Fund?"
     Yocum told the board that all expenditures were necessary for the jail's operation. He took responsibility for the problem and told commissioners his office had put measures in place to correct the issue and prevent it from happening in the future.
     "We made an error in judgement and we're taking responsibility for that," he said. "That's what we're here for today. We've got a correction for this."
     Yocum said Jail Administrator Terry Kamprath had created an accounting worksheet to track sales and expenditures from the commissary and he would report to Commissioner Scott Stuhr every two weeks. Yocum will also file a monthly report to the board.
     Ruzicka also pointed out that no budget line item exists for commissary expenses. Instead purchases are placed under prisoner boarding, making it difficult to gauge just how much revenue the commissary generates.
     "We can't even tell if it's even making a profit," he said.
     The board directed Yocum to obtain receipts from all purchases made from the fund. It also told Yocum to calculate the cost of operating the commissary in terms of money and time to see if the county would be better off turning it over to the food service company.
     The commissary provides hygiene items to prisoners for a small charge. The jail provides the items at no cost to prisoners unable to afford them.
     "My feeling is, the (inmates) that are indigent we provide the little tubes of toothpaste or whatever. The ones that aren't - they buy it through food service," Commissioner Ron Minchow said. "Let's get out of this business."
     In other business, the board authorized the chairman to sign a contract with Don Stockley for computer/information technology services for Seward County.
     County Attorney Wendy Elston told commissioners that some county offices expressed concerns over using Stockley's services on the county network, because of a conviction of attempted violation of a protection order, a Class I misdemeanor, relating to a Sept. 30, 2005, incident.
     Stockley was sentenced to 24 months of probation and 90 days of jail. His jail time was waived and he successfully completed anger management classes.
     Stockley's probation was to continue through the end of the year, but the Hon. Alan Gless signed an order releasing Stockley from probation Feb. 22.
     "The past is the past," Minchow said. "I'd like to give the young man an opportunity. He's very talented in this area."
     Stockley has been employed by the Seward County Road Department as a sign officer for the past two years, County Road Superintendent Russ Daehling said.
     "Because of him we've increased the technology available to us and improved a lot of programming," Daehling said. "A lot of it was with Donnie's knowledge. It's helped out a lot."
     Daehling said that he has no concerns regarding Stockley's abilities or his past.
     Minchow said that offices still concerned with utilizing Stockley's work could still contact the county's previous technician.
     In an unrelated matter, the board approved a conditional use permit for Ag Country Partners Real Estate on 448th Road between O Street Road and I-80 after a public hearing in which no one spoke against the proposal.
     Ag Country Partners President Dave Connelly said the company would construct a building on the site and offer crop sampling services.
     In other business, the board:
     - denied a general assistance request due to the applicant being over income guidelines;
     - approved a request from the Fourth of July committee, represented by Steve and Sharon Hambeck, to use the courthouse lawn July 4 for a craft show;
     - authorized the chairman to sign the LB 193 County Aid Grant from the Nebraska Crime Commission;
     - authorized Daehling to advertise for culvert bids to be opened at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 13;
     - approved a resolution to receive soft match credit for work on 350th Road between Saltillo and Rokeby roads;
     - approved a resolution to perform a road study on the north half-mile of 406th Road between McKelvie and Alvo roads to determine whether or not to abandon said road and right-of-way; and
     - authorized the chairman to sign the environmental assessment draft for the state's Highway 15 improvement project.
     The board also held a Feb. 23 meeting to approve February claims totalling $825,670.10.