The regular meeting of the Niobrara County Commissioners commenced on July 2, 2024, at 9:03 a.m. Present were Chairman Patrick H. Wade, Vice-Chairman John Midkiff, and Commissioner Elaine Griffith. Also present were County Clerk Becky L. Freeman and Sheriff Randy L. Starkey. Members of the audience were Brandie Collins with the Lusk Herald, Joe McDaniel and Jeb Hanson.
Road & Bridge- Foreman Fred Thomas met with the Commissioners and discussed the new vehicles being purchased for road and bridge. He said that Bob Ruwart Motors needs documentation signed to finalize the purchase.
Commissioner Griffith moved to sign the purchase agreements for two (2) 2023 Ram 1500 pickups for road and bridge. Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried.
County Attorney- Attorney Anne Wasserburger met with the Commissioners and said the facilities cleaning contract extensions for the courthouse, library, justice center, and fairgrounds were in order, as was the Guardian ad Litem (GAL) contract. She explained that the GAL program is for Child in Need of Supervision (CHINS) cases in which the children receive a state appointed attorney.
She said that she had heard from the State Victim Services program, and they said funds would be forthcoming for her office to handle victim services cases.
Land Use Plan Revision- Rachelle Anderson and Brian Wakefield, engineers with BenchMark of Torrington, met with the Commissioners and discussed the Land Use Plan survey results. Ms. Anderson said they received approximately 113 responses out of almost 1200 surveys mailed out, approximately 10% received. She reviewed the responses with the Commissioners and will provide the survey responses, which will be available on the County’s website at: www.niobraracounty.org. Some noteworthy responses dealt with the shortage of housing, lack of retail services, poor cell service, workforce availability, and elder out of county travel for medical appointments.
She said the plan will be available for public review for 30 days, then planning and zoning must have a public hearing to vote on it. If approved, it will then be advertised for another public hearing for the Commissioners.
She thought a draft would be available by the next meeting.
She then discussed the 2024 Road Rehabilitation Project and said the contractor wants to start the project around the 22nd of July. Work will be done to install six (6) auto gates on Cheyenne River Road from the Zerbst turnoff to the county line. The other portion of the project is on 20 Mile Road near Alvie Manning’s, where a headwall will be installed to better protect the existing culverts.
Elected Officials and Department Heads- Will Arthur, with Nestled Insurance Agency, gave a presentation on the Attentive Preventative Care Management Program.
Emergency Management Coordinator James Santistevan discussed the hazard mitigation plan and the upcoming camporee in Gillette, Wyoming.
Sheriff Randy Starkey said the office has been busy and they are preparing for the Legend of Rawhide, Sturgis, and fair.
Public Health Response Coordinator Monica Wilcox updated the group on PHRC activities.
She said she will need to schedule some mass casualty training classes and she is also trying to get car seats to use in the event of an accident or for those in need.
Assessor Teri Stephens said they are reviewing properties in town and conducting day to day business.
Clerk of Court Chrisanna Lund said there is a jury trial scheduled for the middle of July. She is still working to get the cameras installed and if the company can’t do it, Kelly Dean will install them.
University Extension Education Educator Kellie Chichester said the lights at the fairgrounds are installed and work is being done on the ones by the outdoor restrooms. She said the State Shoot is next week and fair entries are open.
County Clerk Becky Freeman said she and her office are gearing up for elections while conducting day to day business.
Commissioner Elaine Griffith said that there were approximately 72 people that toured the old jail over Alumni weekend.
Justin Kremers, Niobrara County Fire Warden, met with the Commissioners and discussed implementing a fire ban in the unincorporated areas of Niobrara County.
Resolution 20-04 Fire Ban- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to approve Resolution 24-04 implementing a partial fire ban in the unincorporated areas of Niobrara County. Commissioner Griffith seconded, and the motion carried. A complete copy of the resolution is available on the county’s website at www.niobraracounty.org.
2024 Extension Amendment for the Public Health Nursing Grant- Commissioner Griffith moved to sign the agreement between Align and Niobrara County extending the grant for upgrades and repairs to the public health nurse building until December 31, 2024. Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried.
Commissioners Renewal Scholarship- Two applications were received for the one renewal commissioners’ scholarship. After review, Commissioner Griffith moved to award the renewal scholarship to Lillian Krueger. Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried.
Fire Extinguisher Quote- Commissioner Griffith sent out quotes for fire extinguisher inspections at the courthouse, road and bridge, library, public health nurse office, and sheriff’s office, and received a response from Crimson Fire Protection. She said she is still waiting to hear from Summit. A decision will be made at the next meeting.
Guardian ad Litem Contract- Commissioner Griffith moved to sign the GAL contract between the Wyoming Office of the State Public Defender, GAL Program and Niobrara County. Vice-Chairman Midkiff seconded, and the motion carried.
Predator Board Member Appointment- After receiving and reviewing a recommendation letter from the predator board, Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to appoint Hayden Wick as an At-Large member to the board. Commissioner Griffith seconded, and the motion carried.
Treasurer Keri Thompson and Clerk Becky Freeman met with the Commissioners and discussed the courthouse phone systems. The phone system was installed in 2008 and is now reaching its end of life. The technician with Mobius Communications said that used parts might keep it useful for another year. The Commissioners asked the two investigate VOIP Phone systems as well as visit with the company that originally provided the phones.
Consent Agenda- Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to approve the consent agenda. Commissioner Griffith seconded, and the motion carried. Items on the consent agenda were the minutes of the June 18, 2024 meeting, and receipts for June from the County Clerk for $3,161.00.
Payroll and the following vouchers were approved for payment: Bills are listed in the following format: Vendor- Department- Description- Amount- May Payroll- $133,350.05, 14 County Tire- Sheriff- Vehicle repairs- $75.00, Aflac- Various- Supplemental insurance- $7,530.76, Alsco- Road & Bridge- Shop towels, coveralls, floor mats- $673.16, Anne Wasserburger- County Attorney- Supplies, dues- $530.24, BAM Document Destruction & Recycling, LLC.- Various- Shredding- $217.90, BenchMark of Torrington- Various- Land use plan revisions & 2024 Road Rehab Project engineering- $6,275.97, Benzel Pest Control, Inc.- Justice Center- Pest control- $97.92, Black Hills Chemical & Janitorial- Various- Supplies- $377.25, Black Hills Energy- Various- Utilities- $410.44, Canon Financial Services- General County- Copier service agreements- $330.00, CenturyLink- Various- Telephones- $2,024.83, CenturyLink Business Services- Various- Telephones- $70.90, Chantry Filener- General County- New equipment, IT expense- $15,731.00, Charm-Tex- Detention- Inmate commissary account- $879.76, Connecting Point Computer Centers- Various- Copier service agreements- $326.88, Cory Wilcox- Coroner- Deputy coroner stipend- $750.00, Decker’s Market- Detention- Supplies, inmate medical- $23.27, Delta Dental of WY- Various- Dental insurance- $945.45, Dennis C. Meier- Circuit Court Magistrate- Office rent- $1,000.00, Dooley Oil Inc. – NE – Road & Bridge- Oil- $3,088.90, Double A Properties, LLC.- Co. Attorney- Office rent- $1,000.00, Emblem Enterprises, Inc.- Various- Uniforms- $402.88, Empower Trust Company, LLC.- General Co.- Deferred Compensation- $19,605.00, Frank Parts Co.- Road & Bridge- Parts- $238.45, Fusion Cloud Service- Various- Telephones- $1,198.23, Geographic Innovations- Various- Professional mapping services- $2,000.00, Grainger- Facilities- Justice center maintenance- $188.90, GreatAmerica Financial Services- Sheriff- Copier service agreement- $103.00, Hiway Brake & Alignment- Sheriff- Vehicle repairs- $108.00, Holmes Ranch Excavation, LLC.- Various- Project oversight- $5,088.75, Jameson Cleaning & Maintenance- Facilities- Fairgrounds cleaning contract, fairgrounds event booking contract- $8,100.00, Johnson Controls- Facilities- Justice center maintenance- $1,641.98, Jub Jub, Inc. - General County- IT expense- $90.00, Kassidy Miller- Prevention Grant- IT expense, travel expense- $236.74, Kellie Chichester- Extension- Travel expense- $159.86, Ken Brown- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney- $1,368.00, Kremers Construction- Public Health- Maintenance- $150.00, Lexie Painter- Extension- Contract labor- fair board bookkeeping- $600.00, Lusk Herald- Various- Publications- $1,051.80, Lusk State Bank- Various- Payroll taxes - $37,977.54, McKesson Medical Surgical- Public Health- Medical supplies- $107.19, Michael Harberts- General County- IT expense (Apr-Jun)- $840.00, Michelle Kremers- Various- Travel expense, supplies- $26.80, Motorola Solutions, Inc.- Emergency Management- New equipment- $293.28, Niobrara County Circuit Court- Payroll- Garnishment- $571.83, NCIC Inmate Communications- Detention- Telephone- $306.24, Niobrara County Assessor- Assessor- Postage, supplies- $40.67, Niobrara County Hospital District- 1% Option Tax- $19,750.26, Niobrara County Library- Deferred compensation reimbursement- $1,875.00, Niobrara County Public Health- Prevention Grant- Administration- $284.34.00, Niobrara County Weed & Pest Control Dist.- Facilities- Fairgrounds maintenance- $410.00, Niobrara Electric Association- Various- Radio tower electricity- $59.60, Office Depot- Various- Supplies, computer expense- $1,645.59, Plainsman Printing & Supply- County Clerk- Supplies- $712.53, Pomp’s Tire Service, Inc.- Road & Bridge- Equipment repairs- $15,051.08, Porter, Muirhead, Cornia & Howard- General County- Audit consulting fees- $3,550.00, Rawhide Drug Co.- Detention- Inmate medical- $164.49, Rawhide Motel- Sheriff- Travel expense- $183.60, Safe Life Defense- Various- New equipment- $4,043.70, Swanson Services Corp.- Detention- Inmate commissary account- $329.50, Thomson Reuters-West- County Attorney- Law library- $173.89, Torrington Office Supply- Various- Supplies- $90.10, Town of Lusk- Various- Utilities, supplies- $2,697.75, Traci Bruegger- Facilities- Cleaning contract- $4,300.00, Tricia L. Bernstein, RPR, CCR- Clerk of Court- Miscellaneous- $20.00, Tyler Technologies- Treasurer- Computer expense- $82.69, UW Extension Service- Extension- UW car expense- $1,715.87, Verizon Wireless- Various- Phones, base charge $395.22, Visa- Various- Supplies, medical supplies, travel expense, postage, new equipment, IT expense, TANF grant, medical supplies, schools, commissary- $17,646.25, Vision Service Plan- Various- Vision Insurance $404.77, Visionary Broadband- Various- IT expense- $609.04, Westco- Road & Bridge- Fuel- $2,651.97, WY Dept. of Health Public Health Lab- Public Health- Medical supplies- $56.00, WY Dept. of Workforce Services- General County- Quarterly Worker’s Comp., UI interest- $6,640.74, WY Enterprise Technology Services- Various- Computer expense- $77.23, Wyatt Electric, Inc.- Grant- Installation of CH generator- $51,968.42, WYDOT- Financial Services- Sheriff- Fuel, Supplies- $3,849.26, Wyo Lawn & Tree- Facilities- Maintenance- $204.00, Wyoming Assoc. of County Officers- Various- Dues- $750.00, Wyoming County Assessor’s Assoc.- Assessor- Dues, travel expense- $225.00, WCCA- Commissioners- FNRPA/BLM- $276.60, Wyoming Educators’ Benefit Trust- Co Admin- Health & life insurance- $26,855.95, Wyoming Lawn Sprinklers- Facilities- Maintenance- $75.00, Wyoming Machinery Company- Road & Bridge- Equipment repairs, parts- $20,522.77, Wyoming Network, Inc.- General County- IT expense- $200.00, Wyoming Women’s Center- Detention- Inmate Meals- $2,564.99, Xerox Corp.- Co admin- Copier service agreement- $128.50, Zell Heating & Cooling- Public Health- Utilities- $183.00. June Total- $452,317.53.
There being no further business, Vice-Chairman Midkiff moved to adjourn the meeting at 3:30 p.m. Commissioner Griffith seconded, and the motion carried.
NIOBRARA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Patrick Wade, Chairman
Attest:
Becky L. Freeman, County Clerk
Public Notice No. 6124. Published in The Lusk Herald on July 24, 2024.
