By Aubreanna Miller
editor@wayneherald.com
County audit contracts and emergency management made up the recent Wayne Commissioner meeting, which occurred Thursday.
The meeting was postponed two days because of poor weather and road conditions last week.
County Clerk Deb Finn updated the board on the 2022-23 Audit for Wayne County.
The previous auditor contracted to perform the audit could no longer do so after his company let him go.
Wayne and other counties the auditor worked for then had little time to find someone to conduct the audits by the deadlines of March 31 (Federal) and June 30 (State).
After sending out a bid, Wayne County heard from an auditor out of Papillion, someone who had never done this work for this area before, but had the qualifications, Finn said. The Board decided to award this person with the contract so the process could begin as soon as possible.
Nic Kemnitz, the county's emergency management supervisor, discussed the recent storm and how organizations worked together to manage complications left behind.
Wayne County declared a state of emergency Jan. 12 as snow blanketed the area.
Kemnitz and his team coordinated with the State Emergency Operations Center, the National Weather Service in Omaha, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, the Nebraska Department of Transportation, stakeholders in Wayne County and other emergency managers across northeast Nebraska.
The discussion centered around road crews and helping supply trucks reach their intended destinations. With the NDA, Kemnitz aided in bringing trucks to four dairy farms in the county.
For the future, Kemnitz explained the county should focus on educating people on preparing for storms. Filling propane, stocking up on non-perishable groceries and buying various winter equipment should occur at the first warnings of upcoming weather.
People should also make informed decisions when mapping their routes, especially when taking country roads. Usually, if a person drives a smaller vehicle, or anything without four-wheel drive capabilities, they should avoid country roads at all costs, Kemnitz explained.
Ending the meeting, Highway Superintendent Kyle Huff gave bridge and road updates. Because of the bad weather, the crews focused on road conditions, but will start up again with other routine inspections this week.
The next meeting of the Wayne County Commissioners will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 9 a.m.
