The majority of Tuesday's meeting of the Wayne County Commissioners focused on the history of the courthouse and preparations for the upcoming Q125 celebration.
Dawn Nelson, a member of the Q125 committee, was at the meeting to talk about what the group has done throughout the year and plans for the coming months.
Nelson said the group had participated in the Chicken Show Parade, ordered a large Christmas tree for the courthouse, employees purchased t-shirts (at their own expense) and an article on the early history of the building had been published in the Wayne Herald.
She said the committee would like to purchase industrial strength garland to be placed on the courthouse prior to the Dec. 13 Chamber Coffee to be hosted at the courthouse. The cost for this is approximately $1,000 and commissioners gave their approval to move forward with the purchase.
In addition, Nelson talked about installing permanent lighting at several locations outside the building.
Discussion was held on how this lighting could be used (change colors throughout the year) and the cost for this project.
No action was taken on the request.
Adam Endicott with Agri-City Insurance was at the meeting to present the county with a check for $11,552.12. This amount represents the county's premium refund from United Health Care for the county's health insurance.
Endicott thanked the county for trusting the firm with their health insurance coverage and said, "Agri-City appreciates the partnership with the county. You are a valued customer and we look forward to working with the county in the years to come."
Endicott and the commissioners discussed the fact that the county's insurance rates went up 5.9%, which was considerably lower than that faced by other counties.
In other action, the commissioners received an update from County Treasurer Lisa Lindsay on 2022 Distress Warrants.
She told the commissioners that of the 24 warrants that had been issued, there were only four that remained unpaid. This includes three trailer houses and one piece of personal property.
Commissioners approved moving forward with changing how the elevator in the courthouse operates moving forward.
Pat Brentlinger told the commissioners that the elevator currently operates on a "direct contact" mode and the new system will be a "soft start." This will allow for better performance on the equipment and last longer.
The cost for this change is $5424 and work will be completed by KONE Elevator from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
County Assessor Dawn Duffy came before the commissioners to discuss a needed update on her office's computer software.
She said she needed to replace her computer recently and the current software is not compatible. She also explained what the new software will be capable of doing.
The cost for this is $2620 and will be paid from the county's miscellaneous fund.
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners will next meet in regular session on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. in the Wayne County courtroom.
