Public Notice No. 5881

Posted

Public Notice

The County Commissioners’ meeting was called to order on January 3, 2023, at 9:03 a.m. with Chairman Patrick H. Wade, Vice-Chairman John Midkiff, Commissioner Elaine Griffith, and County Clerk Becky L. Freeman present. Members of the audience included Judy Lucas with The Lusk Herald, and Sheriff Randy Starkey.  
Road and Bridge- Foreman Fred Thomas met with the Commissioners and discussed road and bridge business.  He submitted a quote from Caterpillar for $358,380.000 for a blade.  He said they would give us $68,500.00 as a trade-in for the 140H blade.  He also mentioned that John Deere has a five year warranty while Caterpillar has an eight year warranty.   
Chairman Wade asked Foreman Thomas to provide a list of blades and the number of hours on each one.
Sheriff Starkey extended his thanks to Foreman Thomas and the road and bridge employees for helping get roads open during the recent storms.
Old Business- The Commissioners discussed the Community Services Juvenile Board Grant Program. Commissioner Griffith said Kyle Borger, Program Director with WYO HELP, will act as the youth alternatives coordinator for Niobrara until someone is hired here.
Public Health Nurse Building Remodel- Commissioner Griffith updated the group on the status of the remodel. She said she had met with Neil Holmes at the public health nurse building to review the proposed remodels and asked if he would be interested in being the owner’s representative for this project.  He would coordinate with contractors and oversee the general progress of the project.
Elected Officials and Department Heads- Darcey Cowardin, Public Health Nurse Supervisor, reported on applications for additional funding for the building remodel.  She said if Niobrara County is approved for the grant, the work must be done by May 31, 2023.
She noted they are still offering COVID and flu shots and have had some requests for COVID testing, but aren’t performing as many.   
Sheriff Starkey said his office is staying busy.  He has made a conditional job offer for a dispatch position. He said there is work that needs to be done to the southeast corner of the sheriff’s office roof, because it leaks into the office when there is significant moisture. Vice-Chairman Midkiff stated he would contact Miller Construction to see if he could look at it and possible work on it.
Treasurer Keri Thompson said her office has been extremely busy collecting tax payments and processing year end.
Assessor Teri Stephens said they are busy inputting information and she noted she had sent out Declarations on Friday.  
Clerk of Court Chrisanna Lund said she did not have a jury trial after all this month as it has been rescheduled.  

UW Extension Educator Kellie Chichester said they had problems with the furnace during the recent cold snap. She was able to contact someone and they came down the next day to work on it.
Emergency Management Coordinator James Santistevan said he had to set up an emergency shelter at the fairgrounds for travelers who were in town due to roads being closed and motels being full. He said there were approximately 24 individuals that used the shelter and he extended his thanks to John Midkiff and Becky Freeman for their help in setting up the shelter.  He addressed the heater issue and said it wasn’t working during the sheltering.  He also wanted to thank the Wyoming Women’s Center for their assistance in washing all the blankets used once the shelter had closed.  
County Clerk Becky L. Freeman said her office was busy conducting day to day business.
County Attorney- Anne Wasserburger met with the Commissioners and discussed county business.  She presented an independent contractor agreement between Niobrara County and Holmes Ranch Excavating, LLC., for the Commissioners to review.
Sheriff Starkey asked the County Attorney if she could draft a resolution authorizing the Sheriff or County Commissioners to declare “no unnecessary travel on county roads” when the weather is bad.  Chairman Wade felt the Sheriff should have this authority to declare this through the resolution.  
Appointment of Chairman and Vice-Chairman- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to appoint Patrick Wade as the chairman of the commission. Commissioner Griffith seconded, and the motion carried unanimously
Commissioner Griffith moved to appoint John Midkiff as the Vice-Chairman of the commission.  Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
Wyoming County Commissioners’ Association (WCCA) Voting Member- Commissioner Griffith moved to appoint Patrick Wade to be the voting member to the WCCA.  Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
Resolution 23-01- Commissioner Griffith moved to approve Resolution 23-01, ACTION SUPPORTING COUNTY CUSTOM, CULTURE, AND HERITAGE IN DECISION MAKING REGARDING FEDERAL LANDS IN NIOBRARA COUNTY, STATE OF WYOMING. Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously. A complete copy of the resolution is on file in the county clerk’s office and on the county’s website- www.niobraracounty.org/commissioners/resolutions.
Resolution 23-02- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to approve Resolution 23-02, ACTION SUPPORTING COUNTY CUSTOM, CULTURE, AND HERITAGE IN DECISION MAKING REGARDING STATE OR PRIVATE LANDS IN NIOBRARA COUNTY, STATE OF WYOMING.  Commissioner Griffith seconded, and the motion carried unanimously. A complete copy of the resolution is on file in the county clerk’s office and on the county’s website- www.niobraracounty.org/commissioners/resolutions.
Resolution 23-03- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to approve Resolution 23-03 E-911 Surcharge Fees. Commissioner Griffith seconded, and the motion carried unanimously. A complete copy of the resolution is on file in the county clerk’s office and on the county’s website- www.niobraracounty.org/commissioners/resolutions.
Designation of Depository for Public Funds- Commissioner Griffith moved to designate Lusk State Bank as the County’s Depository for Public Funds. Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
Authorization of Investment of Public Funds- Based upon the recommendation of the County Treasurer, Commissioner Griffith moved to authorize the investments of public funds in the following depositories: Lusk State Bank, Multi-Bank Securities, Inc., Wyoming Government Investment Fund, and Wyoming State Treasurer/WYO-STAR and WYO-STAR II. Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
The Commissioners acknowledged receipt of a letter from Keri Thompson, County Treasurer, disclosing all of her interest in any banking institutions in which Niobrara County has funds invested. Treasurer Thompson disclosed that she conducts personal business with Lusk State Bank.
Weed and Pest Director Appointments- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to appoint Lee Hales to Area III and Jim Wasserburger Area V for the Niobrara County Weed and Pest Control District. Commissioner Griffith seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
Canon Full Service Contracts- Commissioner Griffith moved to approve two Canon Copier Full Service Contracts for copier models IRA-DXC3730.  Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
Independent Contractor Agreement- Commissioner Griffith moved to approve the independent contractor agreement between Niobrara County and  Holmes Ranch Excavating, LLC. By and through Neil Holmes, to manage the construction project regarding the upgrades for the Niobrara County Public Health Building for $5,000.00. Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
Consent Agenda- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to approve the consent agenda.  Commissioner Griffith seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.  Items on the consent agenda were the minutes of the December 20, 2022, meeting, and receipts from the County Clerk for December for $3,848.09.
Visionary Broadband- Stacie McDonald with Visionary Broadband, met with the Commissioners to update them on the status of the broadband project in Lusk.  Also in attendance were Joe McDaniel and Cindy Starkey.  
Payroll and the following vouchers were approved for payment: Bills are listed in the following format: Vendor- Department- Description- December Payroll- $118,656.25, Allbright’s True Value- Various- Parts, supplies- $70.96, Alsco- Road & Bridge- Shop towels & coveralls- $114.66, Anne Wasserburger, Co. Attorney- Supplies, dues- $29.67, Becky L. Freeman- County Clerk- Travel expense- $174.88, BenchMark of Torrington- County Road Fund- Engineering fees, planning and zoning manual work- $12690.81, Benzel Pest Control- Detention- Pest control- $89.02, Black Hills Chemical & Janitorial- Various- Cleaning & maintenance supplies- $1021.66, Black Hills Energy- Various- Utilities- $3272.56, Canon Financial Services- Various- Copier service agreements- $380.00, CenturyLink- Various- Telephones- $2148.87, CenturyLink Business- Various- Telephones- $78.77, Civil Air Patrol Magazine- Sheriff- Publication- $195.00 Connecting Point Computer Centers- Various- Copier service agreements- $601.73, Cory Wilcox- Coroner- Deputy coroner stipend - $150.00, Cummins Sales & Service- Facilities- Equipment maintenance- $523.10, Dash Medical Gloves- Detention – Supplies- $285.36,  Decker’s Market- Various- Supplies, inmate medical - $72.90, Delta Dental of WY- Various- Dental insurance- $1110.85, Dennis C. Meier- Circuit Court Magistrate- Office rent- $1000.00, Dept. of Workforce Services- General County- Unemployment insurance & quarterly workers’ comp. payment- $10,230.38, Double A Properties, LLC.- Co. Attorney- Office rent- $1000.00, Elaine Griffith- Commissioners- Reimburse for safety meeting expense- $100.00,  Frank Parts Co.- Road & Bridge- Parts- $713.06, Geographic Innovations- Various- Professional mapping - $1300.00, Great-West Trust Co., LLC.- Various- Deferred compensation contribution- $18573.08, GreatAmerica Financial Services.- Sheriff- Monthly copier service agreement- $103.00, Hiway Brake & Alignment- Sheriff- Vehicle repairs- $103.00, Hiway Brake & Alignment- Sheriff- Vehicle repairs- $447.13, Honey Badger Towing & Recovery, LLC.- Sheriff- Abandoned vehicles- $512.00, Honnen Equipment Company- Road & Bridge- Parts- $167.36,  Jameson Cleaning & Maintenance- Facilities- Fairgrounds cleaning contract- $7500.00, Jub Jub, Inc.- General County- IT Expense- $30.00, Katie Krein- Prevention Grant- Phone, IT expense, operational supports- $112.52, Ken Brown- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney- $1270.00, Long Building Technology- Facilities- Library & courthouse boiler maintenance- $1882.50,  Lusk Herald- Various- Publications- $486.00, Lusk State Bank- Various- Payroll taxes- $36046.69, MasterCard- Various- Supplies, travel, postage, inmate commissary, telephone, schools, IT expense, new equipment- $5266.15, Matthew Bender & Co., Inc.- Clerk of Court- Supplies- $168.10,  Matthew Gordon- Public Health Response Coordinator- Travel expense- $68.75, Michael G. Mayville- Facilities- Snow removal- $640.00, Michael Harberts- General Co. - IT expense- $535.00,  Motorola Solutions, Inc.- Dispatch- IT Expense- $865.10, Niobrara County Assessor- Postage, supplies, vehicle repairs- Reimburse petty cash- $36.57,  Niobrara County Hospital District- 1% Option Tax - $17673.33, Niobrara County Library- General Co. - Deferred compensation- $1725.00, Niobrara County Public Health- Prevention Grant- Indirect costs- $152.79, Niobrara Electric Association- Various- Radio tower expense- $51.95, Rancher’s Feed & Supply- Facilities- Supplies- $14.80, Source of Strength- Prevention Grant- Prevention Service Implementation- $5000.00,  Stinker Stores (FKA Whitaker Oil)- Various- Fuel- $3989.39, Swanson Services Corp.- Detention Center- Inmate Commissary- $84.03, Thomson Reuters-West- County Attorney- Law library- $168.83, Torrington Office Supply- Various- Supplies- $263.90, Town of Lusk- Various- Utilities- $2899.55, Traci Bruegger- Facilities- Cleaning contract- $4300.00, Tyler Technologies- Various- Computer expense & annual financial package software support/license- $28686.89, Valley Motor Supply-Road & Bridge- Parts- $275.63, Verizon Wireless- Various- Cell phones, computer expense & base fee- $370.67, Vision Service Plan- Various- Vision Insurance $423.48, Visionary Broadband- Various- I T expense- $342.50, WEBT- Co admin- Health & life insurance- $19542.94, Westco- Road & Bridge- Fuel- $1808.30, WY Association of County Agricultural Agents- Extension- Dues- $100.00, Wyoming Enterprise Technology- Various- IT expense- $10.00, Wyo Lawn & Tree- Facilities- 2023 lawn care- $874.00,  Wyoming County Commissioners’ Association- Commissioners- Registration fees- $300.00, Wyoming Machinery Co.- Road & Bridge- Parts- $102.12, Wyoming Network, Inc.- General County- IT expense- $200.00, Wyoming Sheriff’s Association- Various- Dues- $687.00, Wyoming Women’s Center- Detention- Inmate meals- $1505.28, Xerox Corp.- Co admin- Copier service agreement- $129.880,  Payroll Deductions & Accounts payable total- $209768.59
Grand total for December- $ 328424.84
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned.  
                    NIOBRARA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Patrick Wade, Chairman
Attest: Becky L. Freeman, County Clerk

Public Notice No. 5881. Published in The Lusk Herald on January 25, 2023.