Rising prices, expansion to affect county offices

Top discussion items in preparation for yearly budget planning at Monday’s county commissioner meeting included more work for the clerk and assessor’s office, as well as the rising price of gravel for the highway department.

Cheyenne County’s budget year runs from July 1 to June 30.

County Commissioner Harold Winkelman commented that most departments seem to be staying within budget this year. County highway superintendent Tom Noel informed the commissioners that gravel prices were on the rise, and the county will have to deal with that issue.

The county previously bought gravel from the Kielian pit, which was recently purchased by Croell Redi-Mix. This company informed Noel that the price for gravel out of its lot would be $3 per ton, which equals around $4.45 per yard. But Croell strips and loads the gravel itself, which the county had done in the past.

“I figure we have probably $2.50 to $3 a yard in it doing that ourselves,” Noel said.

The county is currently only authorized to pay $.40 per yard of gravel.

County Commissioner Ken McMillen asked if there were cheaper pits in other parts of the county or in nearby counties. He also acknowledged that the county would likely have to pay more than the current rate.

“I’ll agree we’ll have to make an adjustment there,” McMillen said.

He added that he thought buying gravel from Croell should be nixed because it was too costly. Most of the material taken from what was formerly the Kielian pit was used in the areas of the county near Sidney.

“This here’s just totally prohibitive as far as I’m concerned,” County Commissioner Winkelman agreed with McMillen.

McMillen commented further that the county should work to find pits with more reasonably priced gravel in other parts of the county and surrounding areas.

Another concern for the county in the next few years is the boom in building and development which will result in more work for the county clerk and assessor.

“In all honesty, this doesn’t affect my office, but I’m thinking of two other offices that I think are going to have heavy workloads in the next year or two and that’s the clerk and the assessor’s office,” said Cheyenne County Treasurer Diane Scott.

The assessor’s office must deal with the splitting of parcels of land while the clerk’s office must record this information.

“There’s a lot more recording and a lot more of assessment and stuff like that that’s going to happen with this development,” Scott said.

County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh agreed that this would affect her office.

In the first phase of the Cabela’s subdivision alone there are 192 parcels that will have to go on the tax rolls, according to Sybil Prosser, deputy county assessor.

“We have a lot right now,” Prosser said.

Fiegenschuh recommended that the county anticipate the boom in recording and assessment work that is likely to take place within the next few years.