County approves jail contract, as city reviews

    At a meeting May 14, Chase County Commissioners approved a contract for jail services to be presented to Imperial’s city council.
    Commissioner Jacci Brown and Sheriff Kevin Mueller had worked with city council member Chad Yaw to come up with an agreement. Brown said she felt the county made concessions to come up with a contract both sides could agree on.
    The county, as it had previously said, agreed to pay housing costs for city prisoners to go to other jails and the county conceded that the city doesn’t have to contract with another jail. Stipulations were included in the agreement for what prisoners would be accepted in the Chase County Jail.
    From their conversations with Yaw, Brown and Mueller said the city has tentatively agreed to help pay dispatch costs. Research by Mueller showed that other counties in Nebraska, such as Keith, Cherry and Lincoln, have agreements with cities there to help with dispatch costs.
    Brown said the response from the city was good, but comments by City Attorney Josh Wendell at the May 6 city council meeting left her feeling frustrated.
    Commissioners paid half of the disputed $436 hospital bill as a show of good faith and asked the city to pay the other half.
    The council tabled the matter at the May 6 meeting at the  suggestion of Wendell, and this week, took the contract under advisement.
    Brown received calls from constituents asking if they could make donations to pay the second half of the bill. Brown collected the donations and paid the hospital.
    At this point, Brown and Mueller feel talks have stalled. Mueller said the contract can wait until the city budget is due Oct. 1, but he’s willing to stop dispatching for the city.
    “We have to put some teeth in it,” Mueller said.
Other business
    Assessor Dotty Bartels is preparing to send out valuation notices. Protests start on June 1 and run through June 30.
    Bartels said land valuations alone are down $95 million. After adding in real property, valuations are down $85 million. Personal property is down as well, Bartels said.
    With the city’s free trash days coming up in early June and August, the city asked the county to coordinate its employees to have the facility emptied the day before the actual dump days. County employees confirmed the arrangement.
    The commissioners discussed several mag and gravel pits and options for new ones, as well as contracts and prices.
    The next meeting of the commissioners will be May 28 at 8 a.m. in the Chase County Courthouse.