Commissioners unanimously all in for local FFA

Mike Motz, Sidney Sun-Telegraph

The Cheyenne County Commissioners met Monday morning, March 20, with a number of issues on their agenda. First, Montana Markus and Riley Rohm from Sidney FFA requested the waiving of fees for use of Fairground facilities during their Labor Auction and Banquet on April 29. All of the councilmen were in agreement, and waived the fees. Councilman Randal Miller said, "I'm a huge fan of 4-H and FFA and totally support them. I am definitely in favor of waiving the fees to help the FFA program."

Next on the agenda, Cheyenne County Planning Commission Chairman Bill Sydow addressed the commissioners about approval of Resolution 2023-13, regarding the adoption of new Zoning and Subdivision regulations. Sydow explained the rules they have been following were last updated in 1999, and were in need of changes. Sydow said that the changes would amount to electronic zoning and filing via GIS to make it far easier for residents to see precisely how certain properties and tracts are zoned. This would eliminate confusion and calls from citizens about these types of questions. Sydow noted the coding of zoning and regulations would be coordinated through the County Attorney and the County Assessor. The commissioners noted it was long past due for these zoning and subdivision regulations to be updated, and approved the resolution unanimously.

The commissioners then denied applications for General Assistance for County Burials for Josephine Melroy and Ruby Trump as neither met the requirements for General Assistance. Commissioner Miller then asked County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh to contact the local mortuaries to remind them of the parameters that must be satisfied to qualify for General Assistance, as these requests usually come from the local mortuaries.

Next was a clarification concerning per diem reimbursement rates for county travel. Sheriff Adam Frerichs spoke with the commissioners about how escalating prices have made it difficult for county employees traveling. The commissioners reaffirmed the daily reimbursement rate as $59 for meals as per the State of Nebraska.

Ron Leal, Emergency Management Coordinator, then addressed the commissioners regarding the Tornado Siren location in Lorenzo that was brought up at the last commissioners' meeting. Leal had found a more suitable site for the siren to be located that satisfied all parties involved.

Cheyenne County Treasure Shelley Bowlin then informed the commissioner about the recent Tax Certificate sale, where 286 delinquent parcels were involved. 47 of the parcels were paid before the sale, and one during the sale. There are still 178 delinquencies outstanding.

Cheyenne County Tourism Director Kendra Mitchell then addressed the commissioners about a promotion grant for the Farmers Market. The Farmers Market is between 8 a.m. And noon every Saturday beginning the last Saturday in June until the last Saturday in September. The commissioners approved a grant of $1845 from the City of Sidney for marketing and advertising expenses. The commissioners also approved $5,000 for curtains and display fixtures for the County Fair and other 4-H projects. These curtains would be better in quality and color, and would not require 4-H members to put up and break down curtains at the convenience of rental companies. Finally, $4,500 was approved for new bleacher tops for the fairgrounds. The movable section of bleachers currently are fiberglass, and weather has deteriorated them, making them uncomfortable for people to sit on for any extended period of time. The 4-H youth will re-install the bleacher tops on the movable bleacher sections. The bleacher tops to be purchased are metal, resistant to weathering and are far ore resistant to the elements.

Finally, Cheyenne County Highway Superintendent Doug Hart addressed the commissioners concerning the proposed Air Force route to H-08 on County Road 36 of Highway 35. The Air Force had changes to the route which would involve areas that did not have enough road clearance as required by Nebraska statute. This type of issue had happened in the past, with the Air Force ignoring Nebraska statute as a Federal entity. The commissioners approved the route change, with the contingency that the Air Force complies with Nebraska statues on road width. Also, two 72 inch pipes at $60,586 per pipe were approved for culvert projects and Hydraulic Study Project #C-17-183 on County Road 42 was approved. Finally, Commissioner Sanders told Hart that the people of Cheyenne County and the commissioners appreciated the hard work and dedication of the road crews over the difficult winter, and that they should know their work, often in very dangerous conditions, was very appreciated.