Two county commissioners accept Dinnel’s resignation

Chase County Commissioners Jacci Brown and Kurt Bernhardt accepted the resignation of Duane Dinnel from his commissioner’s position at their June 13 meeting.
Dinnel, facing a recall petition, resigned his position in late May. Brown and Bernhardt will now wait as Chase County Treasurer Rebecca Bernard, Attorney Joel Burke and Clerk Wendy Moe accept applications and complete interviews to finish Dinnel’s term as District 1 Commissioner.
In other business, the board will be accepting bids to replace the dispatch office’s 911 radio console. Prairie States Communications co-owner Rick Elliott walked the commissioners through the equipment needing to be updated and presented a bid of $89,262 for the project. The commissioners approved the cost but then rescinded their action to seek bids after it was pointed out that it may be required.
The county has enough E911 funds available to cover the project and that money must be spent by March 31, 2025.
The commissioners took a break from their regular meeting to meet as the Board of Equalization and set its schedule for protest hearings.
Protest hearings will be held July 27 and July 5, with commercial property hearings on June 28.
Decisions will be made at a BOE meeting July 11.
The board approved a contract for appraisals by Bryan Hill with Lake Mac Assessments. The contract also includes Hill teaching first year County Assessor Tori Mueller the ins and outs of assessing properties. Mueller estimated the cost for his work will be $5,350 and funds will come out of her office budget.
A one-year contract with GWorks was approved. The county has been having issues with the service, but will keep track of discrepancies and work on improving the service in the coming year.
Discussion was held concerning the county’s transit policies. Among the proposed changes are no animals except service animals due to individuals’ allergies and the clean up needed after animals are transported on the bus, as well as prioritizing medical trips. Any out of town medical appointment cancellations would need to happen 24 hours in advance or the person will be billed.
Gene Bartels attended the meeting to address the concerns he has with a road by his house at Ave. 343 and Road 727.
The county has elevated Ave. 343 in the past, but over the years it has been worked down to the point that water comes over the road and floods Bartels’ yard and basement. Brown has driven the road and Bernhardt said he’d like to take a look before making any decisions.
In other business, Chad Wiley of Wiley’s Tree Service from Trenton will remove three trees on courthouse property and two at the county shop in Imperial.
The next meeting of the commissioners will be Tuesday at 8 a.m.