During the Seward County Commissioners’ June 26 meeting, the board:
• approved an agreement with Region V Systems for emergency protective care services.
• approved the E-911 budget for around $700,000, including 2 percent salary raises for employees.
• amended the 2017-18 budget for the sheriff’s department. The amendment increased the sheriff’s equitable sharing fund by $100,000. Equitable sharing money comes from drug and drug money seizures, so no additional tax money is needed.
On June 29, County Clerk Sherry Schweitzer said this increase was needed in part because a federal audit required the sheriff’s department split its equitable sharing fund to segregate money it receives from the department of justice and the department of treasury.
With that, the fund received more money than was budgeted. In order to spend those funds, the budget needed to be amended.
• approved bids for rock and the supplying and hauling of gravel per the highway superintendent’s recommendation. More details on the bids can be viewed in the meeting minutes, found on the county’s website.
• opened bids for repairs to Denton Road. Highway Superintendent Georgia Stockley said there has been some settling on the pavement.
“It’s turned into quite the dip,” Stockley said.
The county received a bid from Pavers Inc. of Waverly for almost $40,000. A second bid came from Vankirk Brothers Contracting of Sutton for more than $48,000.
The bid was to be awarded at the board’s July 3 meeting.
• approved a short form plat to create the Eberspacher Second Division near Rokeby and 476th roads.
• revoked a plat known as the Dobesh-Buresh Addition along 280th Road, between Ashland and Little Salt roads. Zoning Superintendent Becky Paulsen said when the addition was created, it was put in the wrong spot. The plat needed to be revoked to correct it.
• authorized the chairperson to sign the county’s application for the state Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Friendly County designation.
• heard from Jonathan Jank, president/CEO of the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership. He asked the county to sign a public membership agreement with the organization and to renew its funding.
Last year, the county gave $50,000 to SCCDP.
This year, Jank asked that the county provide $55,000.
The board will consider the proposal during budget discussions.
• heard a request from Sheriff Joe Yocum to change a job description and give a larger raise for the senior executive assistant in his office. He said this employee has taken on more duties and needs a larger raise.
Commissioner Whitney Fleischman said it’s premature to give larger raises until the county’s salary study is completed. The study likely won’t be completed in time for the budget process, however.
Commissioner Roger Glawatz said the board needs more information and will look at the issue more at budget time.
• Yocum also discussed hiring a sixth deputy for the night shift. The board asked him to add the employee cost to his budget projection.
