In a relatively short meeting, the Wayne County Board of Commissioners revised the road plan, accepted a plan to bury telephone cables and received an update from the county's emergency manager.
Highway Superintendent Kyle Huff came before the commissioners to request an amendment to the county's One and Six Year High Plan. This is necessary because of a change in a bridge project.
Huff also brought forward information on a request from Eastern Nebraska Telephone (Fastwyre) for utility placement in Wayne County's right-of-way.
Commissioners shared a list of requirements for the placement of these utilities and talked about the timeline for completing the project. This included the fact that work would be done this fall in an area in District 2 (70 miles), District 3 (8 miles) and along Highway 98 and 35 (7 miles). Concerns included interfering with harvest along these roads.
Following discussion, commissioners voted to approve the request as long as satisfactory answers are received to several of the commissioners questions.
Emergency Manager Nic Kemnitz thanked the commissioners and all those involved with the set up, maintenance and break down of the emergency management equipment at the Wayne County Fair. He told the commissioners that during a storm on Sunday during the fair, an awning on the Emergency Management trailer was damaged. He is looking into options for repair of the awning and will check to see if the damage is covered under insurance.
He also requested permission to attend the South Dakota Emergency Management Association (SDEMA) Conference in Oacoma, South Dakota Sept. 11 and 12.
Commissioner Terry Sievers said he felt that the opportunity is "a good idea" and the conference would allow Kemnitz the opportunity to see how other agencies handle different situations.
Commissioners approved Resolution No. 24-06 which will transfer money back to the Road/Bridge Fund.
Due to changes in the county's budget program, a correction needed to be made to get the money back into the correct fund. This involved District 2 and District 3 and did not make any change in the actual budget.
Wayne County Sheriff Jason Dwinell presented a report on distress warrants currently active on personal property in the county.
Originally, there were 24 such warrants, but that number has been narrowed to five with a total tax money owed on these properties at $1,483.46. It was noted that the Sheriff's Office is working with the county treasurer to get these taken care. Several have been on the list for a number of years.
Commissioners also met with Mike Pommer on Tuesday in a budget work session.
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners will next meet in regular session on Tuesday, Aug. 20 at the Wayne County Courthouse.
