Public Notice No. 5444

Posted

The  County Commissioners’ meeting was called to order on May 5, 2020 at 9:01 a.m. with Chairman Patrick H. Wade, Vice-Chair John Midkiff, Commissioner Elaine Griffith, and County Clerk Becky L. Freeman, present.   Heather Goddard with The Lusk Herald joined the meeting via Zoom.
Chairman Wade led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Road and Bridge- Foreman Fred Thomas met with the Commissioners via Zoom to discuss road and bridge business.   
JD Wasserburger with Buck Creek Freight was also in attendance via Zoom.  The group discussed the next phase of road projects that need work.  Bridger Pipeline has contracted with Buck Creek Freight to begin repairs to roads that were impacted by the Equality Pipeline.  Mr. Wasserburger said he would like to start the project as soon as possible, and Foreman Thomas agreed.
Foreman Thomas said he would be attending the next rural fire district meeting to discuss a new blade and funding options.
 Chairman Wade suggested that as a result of the tough economic times, there could be a lot of equipment for sale and to pursue those options as well.
Old Business- There was nothing new to report on the SLIB easements, District Court audio upgrade, or the proposed 1% Specific Purpose Tax.  Chairman Wade did update the group on the status of the broadband plan and options available.
     Resolution 20-05- 2020 Election Districts- Upon the recommendation of Clerk Freeman, Commissioner Griffith moved to approve
 RESOLUTION 20-05- A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE OFFICIAL 2020 ELECTION DISTRICTS AND PRECINCTS FOR NIOBRARA COUNTY, WYOMING
    WHEREAS, Pursuant to W.S. § 22-7-101, the Board of County Commissioners, with the advice or recommendation of the County Clerk, no later than the first meeting in May in every general election year, shall divide the County into not more than thirty (30) Election Districts; and
    WHEREAS, each district shall be designated by number; and
    WHEREAS, election districts shall be changed only at this designated meeting; and
    WHEREAS, the County Clerk has recommended that the following districts and precincts be established as follows:
Districts & Precincts, Polling Place, Name, Location, Type of Voting Equipment, Type of ADA Voting Equipment
1-2
Warren
Rennard’s Garage
19609 US Hwy 85, Lusk
ES&S DS200
ExpressVote
3-2
Hat Creek
Hat Creek Stage Station
896 Stage Road, Lusk
ES&S DS200
ExpressVote
4-1
Lance Creek
Lance Creek Elementary School

325 20 Mile Rd., Lance Creek
ES&S DS200
ExpressVote
6-1
North Lusk
Niobrara County Fairgrounds
4080 US Hwy 20, Lusk
ES&S DS200
ExpressVote
6-2
South Lusk
Niobrara County Fairgrounds
4080 US Hwy 20, Lusk
ES&S DS200
ExpressVote
7-1
Manville
Manville Town Hall
651 5th St., Manville
ES&S DS200
ExpressVote
    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the above Election Districts and Precincts be set for the next two (2) years in Niobrara County.
    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that an absentee polling place continue to be established in the Niobrara County Courthouse, such polling place to be equipped with an electronic voting machine that will accommodate voters from all districts and precincts within the county.
Adopted this 5th day of May 2020.
                        NIOBRARA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
                        /s/ Patrick Wade, Chairman                                        /s/ John Midkiff, Vice-Chairman
                        /s/ Elaine Griffith, Commissioner
Attest:
/s/ Becky L. Freeman, Clerk
Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded. Motion carried.
County Attorney- Attorney Wasserburger joined the meeting Zoom.  She said she had reviewed the Wyoming Business Council contract and had a couple of questions that she was waiting for answers.  
The group discussed the prevention application and chose to table it until a later date.  
Sheriff Gill joined the meeting Zoom, and the group discussed the proposal they received from Johnson Controls for the replacement of the pneumatic controls in the Justice Center. Sheriff Gill thought the existing controls had been there since the building was built and should be replaced, if at all possible.  
Johnson Controls Proposal- Commissioner Griffith moved to approve the proposal from Johnson Controls for the removal of the old pneumatic controls and installation of new DDC controls at the Justice Center for $18,580.00.  Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, motion carried.
Next, the Commissioners and Sheriff Gill discussed the used vehicles from other counties.  Sheriff Gill had information on vehicles from Glenrock and Weston County that could be used as transport/patrol vehicles because the ones he currently has have high mileage.  Sheriff Gill also mentioned that the County has a 2004 pickup that needs a new engine, and he could get a factory rebuilt engine installed, but it would cost around $5,000.   After reviewing pictures and descriptions of the vehicles, the Commissioners thought it might be a good idea to have the factory rebuilt engine installed
If we put a factory rebuilt engine, we would be shopping locally, and there would be a warranty on the engine. The Commissioners thanked Sheriff Gill for shopping around but thought it would be prudent to purchase the factory rebuilt engine.   
Courthouse Reopening- Emergency Manager James Santistevan, Regional Public Health Nurse Supervisor Dr. Melanie Pearce, Assessor Teri Stephens, Clerk of Court Chrisanna Lund, Treasurer Keri Thompson, Extension Office Agent Denise Smith, Sheriff Cary Gill, County Health Officer Dr. Joleen Falkenburg, and County Clerk Becky Freeman met with the Commissioners to discuss the reopening of the Courthouse, Fairgrounds, and Justice Center.
Treasurer Thompson and Clerk Freeman said it would be best to wait to open the courthouse until the Plexiglas can be installed.  Assessor Stephens and Sheriff Gill concurred. All agreed that public health guidelines need to be followed once the buildings are opened.  The Commissioners and elected officials decided that the county buildings would not open for in-person business until Plexiglass barriers were installed, which is estimated to be May 18, 2020.
Dr. Falkenburg agreed with this course of action.
Chairman Wade asked Sheriff Gill if he had encountered any problems with no inmate visits.  Sheriff Gill said he hadn’t received any complaints.  
Mrs. Smith had concerns about events such as weddings and funerals and how to best proceed.  Dr. Falkenburg said that the fairgrounds could open for business, using their business window, but keep their office doors closed.  Mrs. Smith said they would follow not only the current guidelines but the UW guidelines as well.    
Fair Board President Tandy Dockery called the Commissioners to discuss hiring a general contractor for the auditorium upgrades and associated fees.  Neil Holmes said he would work for 10% of the contract price or about $36,000.  Mrs. Dockery said the fair board doesn’t have the money right now, but they have included it in their new budget.  While the Commissioners thought Mr. Holmes would be a good fit, they suggested further negotiations on the fees.  
Consent Agenda- Commissioner Griffith moved to approve the consent agenda.  Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, motion carried.  Items on the consent agenda were the minutes of the April 21, 2020 meeting and receipts for April from the County Clerk for $3,496.50, from the Sheriff for $325.00 and from the Clerk of District Court for $446.00.
Wyoming Business Council Grant Agreement –Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to sign the Business Ready Community Grant and Loan Program Grant Agreement between the Wyoming Business Council and Niobrara County for upgrades and enhancements of the Niobrara County Fairgrounds Auditorium for $268,084.00 and a County Match of $67,021 for a grand total of $335,105.00.  Commissioner Griffith seconded, motion carried.
Cooperative Agreement for the Implementation of Community Enhancement Grant- Commissioner Griffith moved to approve the above agreement between the Niobrara Conservation District, Niobrara County, and the Niobrara County Fair Board for landscaping at the ONEOK Pavilion at the fairgrounds.  Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, motion carried.   The total cost of the project is $6,025, and the grant is a 75%/25% cost share.  The Niobrara County Fair Board will pay the required 25% match.
Payroll and the following vouchers were approved for payment: Aflac- Supplemental insurance- 8251.37; Allbright’s- Supplies, maintenance- 121.15; Alsco- Shop towels & coveralls- 327.99; Becky Blackburn- Reimburse for supplies- 152.62; BenchMark of Torrington- Engineering fees- 1038.78; Benzel Pest Control- Pest control at fairgrounds- 97.00; Black Hills Chemical & Janitorial- Supplies- 416.07; Black Hills Energy- Utilities- 1359.88; BlueCross BlueShield of WY- Health insurance- 14660; Blue Line Custom Vinyls- New equipment- 200.00; Bluffs Sanitary Supply- Supplies- 106.94; Bob Barker Co., Inc.- Uniforms- 33.75; Body Builders Body Shop- Vehicle repairs- 70.00; Century Link- Telephone- 1249.26; Century Link Business Service- Telephones- 85.65; CenturyLink- E-911 Maintenance Agreement- 3395.29; Connecting Point Computer Centers- Copier service agreements- 245.54; Control Solutions, Inc.- Medical supplies- 70.00; Cory Wilcox- Deputy County Coroner- 100.00; Decker’s Market- Supplies- 478.75; Delta Dental of Wyoming- Dental insurance- 478.75; Dennis C. Meier- Office rent- 1000.00; Double A Properties, LLC. – Office rent- 1000.00; Frank Parts Co.- Parts- 188.36; Fusion Cloud Service- Telephone- 892.14; Geographic Innovations- Professional mapping and county map printing- 1660.00; Goshen Co. Sheriff’s Office- Inmate housing- 220.00; GreatAmerica Financial Services- Copier service agreement- 328.00; Great-West Trust Co.- Deferred Comp.- 18265.00; Hiway Brake & Alignment- Vehicle repairs- 941.01; Honnen Equipment Co.- Parts- 184.47; Jameson Cleaning & Maintenance, LLC.- Fairgrounds cleaning contract- 6800.00; Jerry Post, Psy.D- Employee medical- 2000.00; Jim Tangney- Building maintenance- 130.00; Kath Broadcasting- Prevention Service Implementation- 135.00; Keri Thompson- Reimburse for supplies- 7.50;  Kerry Steward- Telephone- 10.63; Lusk Herald- Publications- 2500.11; Lusk/Niobrara Ambulance Service- Inmate medical- 469.00; MasterCard- Supplies, new equipment, dues, computer expense- 1221.12; Midwest Connect- Postage meter supplies- 59.00; New Jersey Family Support Payment Center- Garnishment- 819.00; Niobrara County Assessor- Supplies- 60.00; Niobrara County Circuit Court- Garnishments- 1338.49; Niobrara County Hospital District- Inmate medical and 1% Option Tax- 40970.04; Niobrara County Library- Deferred Comp.- 1725.00; Niobrara County Public Health- Grant admin fees- 299.26; Niobrara Electric Assoc.- Radio tower fees- 53.01; Office Depot- Supplies, new equipment- 768.57; Palen Law Offices, LLP- Court appointed attorney- 190.00; Pine Ridge Enterprises, LLC.- Courthouse cleaning contract- 4700.00; Quadient Leasing USA, Inc.- Qrtly maintenance payment- 1197.00; Rancher’s Feed & Supply- Parts- 32.35; Rawhide Drug Co.- Inmate medical- 211.81; Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc.- Parts- 169.42; Sashanna Miller- Inmate medical- 875.00; Scott Smith- Pay request 2 & retainage for circuit court security remodel- 22000.00; Slafter Oil- Oil- 840.03; Stephen’s-Peck- Supplies- 100.00; Sylvestri Customization- Prevention Service Implementation- 100.00; The Master’s Touch- Mailing service- 763.67; The Radar Shop- Radio repairs- 473.00; Thomson Reuter-West- Law library- 154.50; Torrington Office Supply- Supplies- 288.13; Town of Lusk- Utilities- 2586.70; Tyler Technologies- Computer expense- 82.69; UW Extension- Co share 4-H educator quarterly salary- 6199.50; Valley Motor Supply- Parts- 57.98; Verizon Wireless- Phones and computer expense- 358.58; Vision Service Plan- Vision insurance- 444.32; Visionary Broadband- I T Expense- 530.34; WEBT- Life insurance- 216.00; Westco- Dyed diesel- 2435.74; Whitaker Oil- Fuel- 1514.64; Wyoming Dept. of Transportation- Co license plates- 5.00; Wyoming Behavioral Institute- Involuntary commitment- 3016.00; Wyoming Co. Commissioners Assoc.- Dues- 300.00; Wyoming Machinery- Parts- 668.76; Wyoming Network, Inc.- I T Expense- 200.00; Xerox Corp.- Copier service agreement- 131.19.  Total 167435.79
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned.

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

Attest:
/s/ Becky L. Freeman, Clerk
Public Notice No. 5444. Published in The Lusk Herald on May 27, 2020.