Public Notice No. 5271

NIOBRARA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS’ MEETING NIOBRARA COUNTY, WYOMING MAY 7, 2019

Posted

Public Notice

NIOBRARA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS’ MEETING
NIOBRARA COUNTY, WYOMING
MAY 7, 2019

The  County Commissioners’ meeting was called to order on this date at 8:56 a.m. with Chairman Patrick H. Wade, Vice-Chair John Midkiff, Commissioner Elaine Griffith, and County Clerk Becky L. Freeman, present.  
Road and Bridge- Melvin ZumBrunnen met with the Commissioners and Foreman Fred Thomas to ask if road and bridge could blade the road from his house, which is not a county road, to the Kirtley cemetery because there is an upcoming burial.  The Commissioners stated it would set a precedence as far as blading roads on private land and would create discontent with landowners who have raised concerns over the conditions of their county roads.  Mr. ZumBrunnen thanked them for their time.
Mr. Thomas and the Board discussed the condition of Boner Road. Foreman Thomas said there were plans to work on it, but the weather hasn’t cooperated.  He acknowledged there were a few washouts and some areas where the road was boggy.  The Commissioners mentioned putting down shale rock, but Mr. Thomas felt that material was too soft.  He said the road needs crowned and that he will go out there when the weather clears and place material in the bad areas as a temporary fix.  
Mr. Thomas also said that WYDOT would be closing the crossing at the railroad tracks in Manville some time later this summer. Mr. Thomas said that traffic would need to be diverted to the West around Nelson Road and that road needs some improvements.  He said he has had conversations with WYDOT regarding the county providing the gravel, hauling it and laying it and WYDOT reimbursing the county for trucking expenses.  Mr. Thomas did say there were questions as to easements on a portion of the road but said he would visit with the affected landowner(s) to see if they would be willing to sign an easement for this project.    
Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to authorize Mr. Thomas to move forward to obtain all necessary paperwork with all parties involved to facilitate the repairs to the UP railroad crossing at Manville.  Commissioner Griffith seconded, motion carried.    
The group reviewed and discussed the county road crossing permits for Goshen County that were sent by BenchMark of Torrington.
Wyoming Child and Family Development (WYCFD) - Martha Bridge, Lusk Center Coordinator, met with the Commissioners to discuss WYCFD program and update them on programs available to the children they serve.  Also in attendance were Terry Jensen and Sarah DesEnfants with WYCFD and children from the class, who presented the Commissioners with various flyers and handouts about the program.
County Attorney- County Attorney Anne Wasserburger met with the Commissioners and discussed county business.  
 Frank Urman with WEBT insurance met with the Commissioners and Elected Officials and Department Heads to introduce himself and the company, and provide any information and answer questions anyone might have regarding WEBT’s health insurance quote provided to the county.
    Elected Officials & Dept. Heads - James Santistevan, Emergency Management Coordinator; Cary Gill, Sheriff; Teri Stephens, Assessor; Denise E. Smith, UW Extension Educator; Keri Thompson, Treasurer; Chrisanna Lund, Clerk of District Court; Dell Atkinson, Long Term Recovery Manager, and Corky Fosher and Tandy Dockery, Fair Board members, met with the Commissioners and discussed county business.
James Santistevan updated the group on the status of the regional hazard mitigation plan, Emergency Management and Homeland Security grants and said he had taken a National Traffic Incident Responder class.  

Teri Stephens said the appeal period ended May 1st with no appeals having been filed.  She said her office will start field reviews next week.      
Dell Atkinson updated the group on grants he is trying to obtain for the Town of Manville to repair/replace fire hydrants and water and sewer lines in Manville.  He also discussed grants for the fairgrounds and applying for a Brownfield grant for Art’s Auction and Country Garden Floral, businesses which were heavily damaged by the 2015 flood.   
Cary Gill discussed a meeting he attended in Casper pertaining to WASCOP.  He said there might also be a grant available for the Prison Rape Elimination Act program.  
Chrisanna Lund said she is still experiencing computer issues and is running out of room to store files.  She also stated that Judge Peasley will be hosting a courtroom safety meeting.  
Keri Thompson noted that the second half of property taxes are due on May 10th and said that approximately 86% of total tax dollar amounts have been collected.
Elaine Griffith said that the traveling Vietnam Memorial wall will be in Lusk on July 10th.  
Teri Stephens remained and the group discussed mileage reimbursement rates for the Assessor’s Office personnel if someone takes a personal vehicle vs. using the Assessor’s vehicle.  She thought that if they used their own vehicle then they should be reimbursed at the current General Services Administration (GSA) rate, which is essentially reimbursing only for the cost fuel.   The Commissioners agreed and Mrs. Stephens will implement these polices for her office.
Denise Smith informed the Commissioners that the auditorium floor is cracking in the SE corner of the room.  She also noted that Shawn Leimser and the Honor Camp inmates will paint the outside of the building on the 13th if everything works out.  She said they will be hosting business after hours on May 23rd.
She said they are working on a program called 4-H Fridays.  They will provide activities for school age children on Fridays.  Activities will range from sewing to science to animals, etc., and they don’t have to be in 4-H to attend.   
She updated them on grants and summer help.  
Tandy Dockery and Corky Fosher, Fair Board members, met with the Commissioners and presented information for electrical quotes for lighting for the beef, pig and horse barns as well as putting electricity in the maintenance shed.  They would also like to purchase a washer and dryer so the extension office doesn’t have to take items home to wash them.  
They received three quotes ranging from $ 8,100.00 to $23,000.00 for the electricity and those quote did not include the maintenance shed.    
They asked the Commissioners if there was any way the County could assist with funding for these projects.  After some discussion, Commissioner Griffith moved and Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, to transfer $10,000.00 out of the Fairgrounds, Library, Courthouse O & M account to help fund the electrical projects at the fairgrounds upon completion.  Motion Carried.
Executive Session- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved and Commissioner Griffith seconded to enter into Executive Session at 2:46 pm to discuss personnel matters.  Motion carried.  Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved and Commissioner Griffith seconded to reconvene the meeting at 3:02 pm.  Motion carried.  No action was taken.
Surplus County Vehicle for Conservation District- Chairman Wade visited with the Board and said that the Conservation District approached him and asked if the County had any surplus vehicles they could have.  Sheriff Gill was also in attendance.  After some discussion,   
    Commissioner Griffith moved and Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, to transfer ownership of a 2007 Ford Expedition from the Sheriff’s office to the Niobrara Conservation District.  
    PREA Audit Contract- Commissioner Griffith moved and Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, to approve the PREA audit contract.  Motion carried.
Memorandum of Understanding- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved and Commissioner Griffith seconded to approve the MOU between the Niobrara County Sheriff’s Department and the Lusk Police Department for Law Enforcement Extraterritorial Assistance and Activities.  Motion carried.
Repayment Agreement between Niobrara County and the Hospital District- Commissioner Griffith moved and Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, to approve the repayment agreement of $500,000.00 from the Hospital Operations and Maintenance funds the District received from the County.  Motion carried.     
Consent Agenda- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved and Commissioner Griffith seconded to approve the consent agenda.   Motion carried.  Items on the consent agenda were the minutes of the April 16, 2019 meeting and the minutes of the April 18, 2019 Emergency Meeting, receipts for the month of April from the County Clerk for $5,681.43, from the Sheriff for $1,211.25 and from the Clerk of Court for $755.50 and from the months of February and March for $505.00 and $803.00, respectively.  
Commissioner Scholarships- The Commissioners received three applications for the Commissioners scholarships.  Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved and Commissioner Griffith seconded, to award the scholarships to Sadie Sturman, Peyton Kottwitz and Makena Engleker.  Motion carried.
    Payroll and the following vouchers were approved for payment: Absolute Solutions- New equipment- $290.00; Allbright’s True Value- Parts, supplies, maintenance, new equipment- $459.31; Alsco- Shop towels & coveralls- 457.78; Anna Foreman- Reimburse for supplies & postage- 12.66; Anne Wasserburger- Schools, continuing ed.- $100.00; BAM Document Destruction & Recycling, LLC- Document shredding- $789.90; Becky Blackburn- Reimburse for supplies- $13.77; Benzel Pest Control- Pest control- $89.02; Birch Communication- Telephone-$867.04; Black Hills Chemical & Janitorial- Courthouse & fairgrounds cleaning supplies- $1,590.66; Black Hills Energy- Utilities- $1,379.07; Bob Ruwart Motors, Inc.- Vehicle repairs- $776.45; Boldon Diesel Service- Equipment repairs- $1,193.83; Brown Family Property Trust- Storage unit rental fees- $45.00; Cally Lund- Rent- $500.00; Canon Financial Services, Inc.- Copier service agreement- $380.00; CenturyLink- Telephone- $1,357.26; CenturyLink Business- Telephone- $87.05; Clerk of the District Court- Jury fees- $1,908.96; Connecting Point Computer Centers- Copier service agreements- $453.64; Cory Wilcox- Deputy Coroner- July-Apr (minus Aug)- $825.00; Decker’s Market- Inmate meals, medical, supplies, jury supplies- $376.34; Dell C. Atkinson- Long Term Recovery Mgr. Salary & travel reimbursement- $6,316.60; Dennis C. Meier- Office rent- $1,000.00; Dept. of Health- Co. qrtly share of public health nurse salary- $4,351.42; Doyle J. Davies- Reimburse for dues- $200.00; Federal Safety Compliance Center, Inc.- OSHA safety book- $298.50; Frank Parts Co.- Parts- $29.44; Geographic Innovations- Professional mapping- $1,300.00; GreatAmerica Financial Svcs. Copier service agreement- $354.00; Harris Govern Ft. Collins User Group Inc.- Dues- $150.00; Herbert K. Doby- Court appointed attorney- $50.00; Hiway Brake & Alignment- Vehicle repairs- $662.79; Hiway Super Service- Fuel & oil- $883.02; Idemia Identity & Security USA, LLC.- Computer expense- $1,116.74; Jameson Cleaning & Maintenance, LLC.- Fairgrounds contract, painting at fairgrounds- $7,676.33; John Midkiff- Reimburse for travel expense- $117.16; Johnson Controls- Justice center maintenance HVAC- $7,205.00; Jordan Towing – Abandoned vehicle towing fee- $219.00; Jub Jub, Inc.- I T expense & domain name renewal- $80.00; Kath Broadcasting- Publications- $80.00; Kerry Steward- I T expenses, operational support, telephone; Law Office of Robert Casteel- Court appointed attorney- $775.00; Long Building Technologies, Inc.- Maintenance- $354.00; Lori Himes- Reimburse for travel expense- $162.40; Lusk Herald- Publications- $3,049.30; MailFinance- Quarterly postage meter payment- $1,197.00;  MasterCard- Travel expense, supplies, subscriptions, publications, computer expense- $2,203.20;  Miller Construction- Install door at road & bridge- $1,731.39;  Mobile Concrete Inc.- Rip rap/road improvement- $5,502.60;  Monika D. Davies- Office rent- $500.00;  Mountain States Lithographing, LLC.- Supplies- $154.92; Niobrara County Clerk- Reimburse petty cash for postage & supplies-$32.48;  Niobrara County Fair Board- Reimburse for payment made in error for library board bill- $531.00;  Niobrara County Hospital District- Inmate medical- $9,604.50 & 1% option tax- $13,460.49; Niobrara County Library- Library Deferred Comp.- $1,725.00; Niobrara County Sheriff’s Office- Reimburse for postage, travel expense- $88.00; Niobrara Electric Association- Radio tower- $53.32; Office Depot- Supplies, new equipment- $216.71; Peterbilt of Wyoming- Parts- $81.29; Pine Ridge Enterprises, LLC.- Courthouse cleaning contract- $4,700.00; Rancher’s Feed & Supply, Inc.- Supplies- $109.04; Rawhide Drug Co.- Inmate medical- $417.45; Security Transport Services, Inc.- Inmate transport- $564.96; Stephens-Peck, Inc.- Supplies- $90.00; Sun Ridge Systems, Inc.- Final payment RIMS software- $21,863.75; Sylvestri Customization- Prevention Coalition technical assistance- $600.00; The Master’s Touch, LLC. - Mailing service- $837.54; Thomas Y Pickett- Professional appraisals- $3,000.00; Thomson Reuters-West- Subscription- $150.00; Timberline Services, Inc.- Retainage due- $11,964.17; Torrington Office Supply- Supplies- $1,115.77; Town of Lusk- Utilities- $2,446.39; Tyler Technologies- Computer expense- $82.69; Valley Motor Supply- Parts- $111.39; Verizon Wireless- Cell phones, computer expense- $300.91; Visionary Broadband- I T expense- $520.03; Wal Mart Community- Supplies- $57.72; Walt’s Lathe & Machine- Parts- $140.45; Westco- Diesel- $5,805.67; Whitaker Oil- Fuel- $2,699.90; WY Enterprise Technology Services- I T expense-$11.61; Wyoming Child Support Association- Dues- $60.00; Wyoming Dept. of Transportation- Lance Creek BROS- $294.10; Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy- Schools- $333.00; Wyoming Machinery- Rentals, parts, repairs- $5,419.66; Wyoming Network, Inc.- I T expense- $200.00; Wyoming Women’s’ Center- Inmate meals- Aug- Oct. 2018- $12,309.40; Xerox Corp.- Copier service agreement- $131.41.  
Grand Total- $164,288.48

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned.

    NIOBRARA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
    /s/ Patrick H. Wade, Chairman

Attest:
/s/ Becky L. Freeman, County Clerk
Public Notice No. 5271. Published in The Lusk Herald on June 5, 2019.