Commissioners Approve Purchase of Fairground Buildings

The Cheyenne County Commissioners Monday purchase of a building at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds owned by the Sidney Elks Club.

The purchase, according to County Attorney Paul Schaub, is at the direction of the county’s insurance carrier.

Following an executive session on negotiation for the purchase of personal property, the commissioners reconvened the public meeting to announce the purchase of a building and improvements from the Elks for $7,500.

The commissioners then called for a second executive session as they were scheduled to discuss applications for the position of Building and Grounds Superintendent. After the executive session, the commissioners announced they would be interviewing candidates for the Building and Grounds Superintendent position at 6 p.m. June 13 in the commissioners office.

The commissioners also met as the Board of Equalization. During this, commissioners met with Cheyenne County Assessor Melody Keller regarding a list of protested valuations and proposed settlements. Schaub said Cabela’s protested the valuation of several properties. He and Keller met to determine which tracts were right for settlement and what tracts should stay as they are. The cases were divided into reasonable claims, possible compromise and hold values.

The commissioners approved the list as presented.

While still acting as the board of equalization, the commissioners also approved Keller’s list of over/under valued properties, and approved an exemption application for Region 1 Office of Human Development regarding newly added property.

VSP and Delta Dental will be among the options for county employees. Independent insurance agent Jennifer Powell met with the commissioners regarding insurance options for vision and dental coverage. After laying out three company options, the discussion focused on Powell’s ability to serve the county employees into the future. She said she just passed her year as an AFLAC agent, but she is a longtime resident of Sidney and Cheyenne County. She says she is a “fixture of Sidney.” As the discussion came to a close, the commissioners agreed to continue VSP for vision coverage and for Delta Dental for dental coverage.

The commissioners also continued to discuss the Conflicts Attorney contract. Attorney Stacy Back is renegotiating her contract to $60,000. Schaub said if the per case rate is applied to the number of cases she worked in May, the proposed increase would be about the same as the court rate.

“The whole goal is to save the county,” commissioner Philip Sanders said. “I don’t think we have a choice. We don’t want to back up the courts.”

The commissioners also approved $3,000 in Keno funds for the Cheyenne County Museum.