Chase County Commissioners meets Jan. 23

The Chase County Commissioners held their monthly meeting on Jan. 23, 2024. Here is a brief summary of the event.
The first issue was brought forth by Brandon Beard, the Weed Superintendent, on whether or not the plant known as bindweed should remained classified as a noxious weed. Noxious weeds are any type of plants that are harmful to the local plant life, chiefly crops. Bindweed is no longer recognized as such by the state of Nebraska, but counties can choose to do so. The motion to sign the report was unanimous, though the issue of whether or not bindweed should still be considered noxious is still being considered.
The second issue was brought in by Sheriff Kevin Mueller, who joined in on the meeting for the issue of the contract of law enforcement between Chase County and Wauneta. The current agreement covers Wauneta for 80 hours a week, at $22.91 an hour. The total cost is approximately $22,000 per year. The sheriff proposed an increase to $38 an hour, with an annual total of $36,480. This increase, the first time the price has increased since its inception in 2018, is due to the 3-5% increase of the cost of living and would go into effect at the beginning of the town’s budget year. The members agreed and a letter of terms will be sent to Wauneta.
The third issue was brought forth by Duane Dreiling, for the installation of a new power generator in the Chase County Courthouse. The new generator would be able to provide the building’s required 40kw and have at least five switches. There would have to be a service contract along with concrete placement, with the bidder responsible for installation. The specifications and the bidding were approved to be held on Feb. 27.
The next two issues were ones that were much simpler and required only their votes: Marci Fanning was voted in to fill the vacant position on the Planning and Zoning Board, and the written minutes for the meeting were approved.
Finally, the issue of budget services to be provided by Caleb Johnson, J13 Enterprises, LLC was approved for the next three fiscal years. Year one will cost $4,900, $900 of which will be an one-time fee to be used to rebuild and reconfigure the budget documents. The fee for the other two years will be $4,300 per year.