Chairman Burke called the meeting to order in the Board Room, second floor of the County Courthouse, 515 Box Butte Ave., Ste 202, Alliance, NE at 9:00 a.m., January 6, 2025, following an opening prayer. Notice of meeting was published December 25, 2024, in the Alliance Times Herald. Affidavit of publication has been received in the office of the County Clerk. Agenda was emailed and posted on the county’s website: boxbuttecountyne.gov, January 3, 2025. Roll call: Mike Sautter, present; Brett Ditsch, present; Steve Burke, present. Martie Burke, County Clerk, recorded the proceedings of the meeting. County Attorney Marissa Curtiss was present. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Chairperson Burke acknowledged that this meeting will follow the open meeting act posted on the North wall of the County Board Room. Burke moved to accept the agenda, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. REORGANIZATION 2025 Sautter nominated Steve Burke as Chairman, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Sautter nominated Brett Ditsch as Vice-Chairman, seconded by Burke. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Burke moved to appoint Commissioner Ditsch to the Welfare Board (Vice-Chairman), Box Butte Development Corporation Board (BBDC), Northwest Community Action Board, Region 23 Emergency Management Agency, and Box Butte County Extension Board, seconded by Sautter. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Burke moved to appoint Commissioner Sautter to the Box Butte General Hospital Board, Panhandle Public Health Board, Box Butte County Planning and Zoning Board, and Senior Citizens Board, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Sautter moved to appoint Commissioner Burke to the Welfare Board (Chairman), Region 1 Behavioral Health Authority, Region 1 Office of Human Development Board, Area Agency of Aging Board, E911 Advisory Board, and Box Butte County Prairie Dog Advisory Board, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. No public comment on the agenda items (9:05 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.). Burke moved to appoint the Commissioners as Building & Grounds Directors, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Sautter moved to appoint Barbara Keegan as Road Superintendent, Brett Lauder as Weed Superintendent, Mike Johnson as Zoning Administrator, Scott Bossé as County Surveyor as needed, Sarah Foland as Veteran’s Service Officer, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Sautter moved to designate Banks as Depositories as presented, seconded by Burke. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. BMO BANK NA (ALLIANCE BRANCH); WELLS FARGO BANK; NPAIT; FIRST INTERSTATE BANK; FNBO; NEBRASKA BANK (Alliance & Hemingford Branches); SANDHILLS STATE BANK; PLATTE VALLEY BANK. Burke moved to designate Alliance Times-Herald as County Newspaper, seconded by Sautter. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Burke moved to designate KCOW/AM & KAAQ/FM as County Radio Stations, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Burke moved to designate www.boxbuttecountyne.gov as the official County Website, seconded by Sautter. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Burke moved to approve the Payroll Processing Resolution 2025-01 allowing the Clerk and Chairman to act on behalf of the Board for payroll authorization amending Resolution 2024-18, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Sautter moved to approve the Consent Calendar, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. The Consent Calendar included the following items: Minutes – December 16, 2024; Elected Officials and Office Reports – Clerk, Clerk of the District Court, Sheriff, and Zoning; Correspondence. Burke moved to open BOARD OF EQUALIZATION at 9:15 a.m., seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Burke moved to accept the Application for Exemption Form 457 for Human Services, Inc, Evangelical Free Church of Alliance, and Iglesia Bethel presented by Treasurer Valery Bell, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Burke moved to close BOARD OF EQUALIZATION at 9:17 a.m., seconded by Sautter. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Commissioners reported on meetings they had recently attended and upcoming meetings. Val Jansante, Congressman Adrian Smith’s staff member, gave a brief update on federal and state matters, including the Farm Bill, BOI reporting, and the USMCA violation. Box Butte County Weed Superintendent, Brett Lauder, presented the annual Noxious Weed Control Plan for 2024. Burke moved to sign the Activity Report, Budget Report, Weed Control Authority Board Roster, Noxious Weed Control Plan, and the Noxious Weed Infestation Report, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Shawn Hunter, representative of the Prairie Dog Management Board presented Complaint 2024-13: S½NE¼ (S-T-R: 26-25N-49W) and the board’s recommendation for force control. Burke moved to start the forced control process on Prairie Dog Management Complaint 2024-13, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Road Superintendent Barb Keegan provided a road and equipment report. Sautter moved to allow the Chairman to sign the title on the 2001 International Tractor Truck being sold on Purple Wave, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. The 1 & 6 Road Plan Public Hearing has been scheduled for 8:00 a.m. on February 19, 2025. Colin with Fuller Construction conducted the January elevator progress meeting. Leroy Svatora, Berggren Architects, attended via zoom. Building and Grounds employee, Lori White, discussed District Court accessibility. Burke moved to accept the Semi-Annual Report as presented by Treasurer Valery Bell, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. The report will be published in the Alliance Times-Herald. Ditsch moved to appoint Marie Rine to the Box Butte County Extension Board, seconded by Burke. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Burke moved to approve and sign the Memorandum of Agreement between the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s office and the Box Butte County Sheriff’s office Agreement 2025-01, seconded by Sautter. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Zoning Administrator Mike Johnson provided the Board with an update on the comprehensive plan noting the public outreach hearings will be January 27, 2025 at the Knight Museum ($75.00 rental fee) and January 28, 2025 at Mobius Communications. Burke moved to close all county buildings on January 9, 2025 in accordance to the Presidential Proclamation declaring January 9th a National Day of Mourning of James Earl Carter, Jr., seconded by Sautter. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Due to scheduling conflicts, Sautter moved to change the Commissioner meeting scheduled on January 22, 2025 to January 21, 2025, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. Burke moved to approve and sign the NE Crime Commission Community-Based Juvenile Services Aid Application FY2026, seconded by Ditsch. Sautter, yes; Ditsch, yes; Burke, yes. Motion carried. With all agenda items addressed, Chairman Burke adjourned at 11:44 a.m. /s/ Martie Burke, Box Butte County Clerk Complete minutes, resolutions and agreements are on file in the office of the County Clerk, available for public inspections during regular business hours.
Publish: January 29, 2025
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