County Commissioners quickly passed two resolutions before moving into considerations coming up in 2023 at their Dec. 6 meeting.
After approving the consent and regular agendas for the morning's meeting, the County Commissioners voted to designate a representative and alternate to cast a ballot for Wayne County at the National Association of Counties (NACO) at its 2022 officer election.
Commissioner Jim Rabe will serve as the representative and Dean Burbach will hold the title of alternate.
They then passed the approval of two bond payments. Those include the Highway Allocation Fund Pledge Refunding Bonds, Series 2019, for $197,366.75 and a $200 agent fee, and the highway refunding bond for the 2021 year, totaling $141,930 also with a $200 agent fee.
Resolution 22-22 authorized the County Treasurer to reinvest county funds.
Those funds, as determined with the passing of Resolution 22-23, will be invested in the Elkhorn Valley Bank of Wayne, F&M Bank of Wayne, Wayne County Bank of Winside and the Nebraska Bank of Carroll.
The meeting ended with several discussions regarding the building maintenance for the courthouse and other plans to discuss at the start of the new year.
Jill Brodersen, a city council member and architect, presented the commissioners with plans for new courthouse windows.
The new windows, Brodersen said, would be energy efficient and single hung to reduce the price.
In early January, Brodersen plans to have prices for the board to consider.
Pat Brentlinger then offered a list of updates the courthouse may have to undergo within the next few years.
"The list is in no particular order, but we want to be on top of problems before they become major," Brentlinger said.
Along with new windows, the list included a water heater, replacing the previous one from 2003, the water sewage system and security concerns.
Furthering the conversation around security, a safety committee member for the courthouse brought concerns of security to the commissioners.
Several times, according to the report, the Sheriff's office was called to handle unruly people attending court.
Commissioner Dean Burbach said the group has held many discussions regarding safety concerns in recent weeks.
They hope to come to a solution that works best for all the different facets of the courthouse such as a security system.
Next, the commissioners discussed future uses of the ARPA Funds. Currently, they plan to use the money toward the window replacement project.
Finally, the meeting adjourned with talks regarding the bidding process for future equipment purchases and employee raises for 2023.
The potential for employee raises resulted from the increase in minimum wage and cost of livings, the commissioners said.
No decision was made and the topic was moved to early January for further deliberation.
The Commissioners will meet next in regular session on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 9 a.m. at the Wayne County Courthouse.
