Commissioners Hear Easement Plans, Approve Evidence Building Extension

SIDNEY--On Monday, August 19, the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners met for their regular meeting. All commissioners were in attendance, and after approving the agenda, reading minutes from the last meeting, and reviewing the Monthly Fee Reports, claims, and correspondence, the board took up the first order of business.

The commissioners reviewed and approved a resolution allocating real and personal property tax to political subdivisions for the fiscal year 2024-25. The commissioners explained in the past this allocation goes to Fire Departments and Cemeteries. The Historical Society asked for an allotment this year, but no representative was present at the meeting. Because the Fire Departments already have two levied funds, a motion was made not to allocate funding to the Fire Department and to increase the Historical Fund to $27,999. The motion was unanimously approved.

A General Assistance application for County Burial for William J. Smith was denied as the deceased did not meet the one-year residency requirement for assistance. A Special Designated Liquor License for the 50th Anniversary Oktoberfest celebration was approved.

Jacob Alishouse, Executive Director of the Nebraskaland Trust addressed the commissioners about Conservation Easements which are used to restrict certain landowners' property rights to keep certain areas agricultural or forest areas. He was at the meeting to inform the commissioners about the need to educate area landowners about these easements due to the Sentinel Missile project and the U.S. Air Force needing to use or modify certain landowners' properties as part of the project. He said funding would be available for easements around the missile field areas. The U.S. Air Force has height restrictions, meaning no tall silos, elevators or wind turbines could be within the flight paths near the missile spaces. He said a conservation committee is being assembled, and they are looking for local input to help the project rather than relying on state and federal government mandates. Commissioner Miller looked for clarification and was told the committee would help with prioritization and make recommendations, however, the Air Force would make final decisions. Both Commissioner Miller and Sanders were hesitant about recommending the easements, as landowners are offered a significant amount of cash upfront to restrict building or other types of improvements on their land. The easements then last in perpetuity, and descendants of the landowners can get locked into agreements which may significantly decrease the value of the land. Many of these easements stay in effect even if the property is sold in the future, negatively impacting their value. Miller said that he wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in entering into these agreements, and many area landowners have had negative experiences dealing with the Air Force in the past. After additional discussion, the commissioners agreed to continue discussions and become more familiar with the program, and perhaps have a board member join the Conservation Committee.

Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce Director Joe McCarn gave a brief report to the commissioners and said the Chamber currently has 232 members. Commissioner Miller realized that McCarn is new to his position, but asked if the Chamber would consider sponsoring events like Girls Night Out, as had been done in the past. Miller noted that many of the events the Chamber had sponsored were very beneficial to the community, and hoped McCarn would make it a priority to resume sponsorship of events. He said that he would look into getting the Chamber more involved with events, as the organization's focus is that of supporting local businesses.

Cheyenne County Assessor Jordan Hajek spoke with the commissioners about a recent TERC board decision concerning the valuation of the Fairfield Hotel in Sidney. The property had a valuation of $5,886,660 and was challenged. The valuation was brought down to $5,086,000 after the TERC board decision. Hajek said that the property had a TIF (Tax Incremental Financing) loan, and should not have been allowed to challenge the valuation as part of the TIF agreement. She said someone at the City of Sidney offices neglected to include that stipulation in the TIF loan agreement. The valuation challenge resulted in the loss of approximately $850,000 in tax valuation.

Cheyenne County Sheriff Adam Frerichs spoke with the commissioners about the progress concerning a new Sheriff's Evidence building. A deadline is coming up concerning ARPA funds to be used for the project. Frerichs said he believed the best course of action would be to build a 40' x 60' extension building on the current structure. He also recommended purchasing a chain link fence to expand the yard area where vehicles are stored to keep them secure. He said the cost of the additional structure would be around $200,000, and wanted the commissioners' approval to obtain bids. He also asked for approval to get pricing on the chain link fence. Frerichs stated he was confident he would have all the bids in and have an approval before the end-of-year deadline. All of the construction and fencing costs would be covered by ARPA funds. He also talked about roof repair for the courthouse. He said Cheyenne County Building and Grounds Superintendent Tom Payne met with three different contractors for estimates on the roof repair. None of the companies are located in Cheyenne County, as no company here works on the type of flat roofs on the courthouse. Payne said he wanted to talk to one more company before getting the bid process started. The roof repair is also covered by ARPA funds.