Courthouse Roof Bids Opened, Shop Cheyenne County Resolution Approved

SIDNEY--On Monday, November 18, 2024, the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners and Board of Equalization met at the Cheyenne County Courthouse for their regular meeting. They discussed many topics and then broke for a time to attend the annual Cheyenne County Government Day. Commissioner Philip Sanders was absent from the meeting as he is recuperating from recent knee surgery.

After approving the minutes from the last meeting, the commissioners heard from Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce Director Joe McCarn about a resolution for Shop Cheyenne County Days. McCarn read from the resolution, which marks November 23 through December 15 as “Shop Cheyenne County Nebraska Days”, which is meant to encourage shopping at local businesses and keep money in the Cheyenne County community. Shopping locally supports the local economy and local business growth, which is a key mission of the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce and is beneficial to all county residents. The resolution was approved by the commissioners.

Next, the commissioners approved the opening of bids for repairs on the Cheyenne County Courthouse roof. The repairs will be paid for using American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds, and the bids must be approved by the end of the calendar year to qualify for ARPA funding. County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh opened the three bids and presented them to the commissioners. Three companies bid on the project, Twin City Roofing and Sheetmetal out of Gering, Prairie View Roofing out of Kearney, and All Seasons Restoration and Roofing, which has recently opened an office in Sidney. However, the commissioners had many questions about each of the bids, as some referenced work that was not specified in the bid such as removing skylights and the chiller unit from the roof, and asked Cheyenne County Building and Grounds Supervisor Tom Payne to contact the bidders and clarify some of the details to each of their bids. The awarding of bids was tabled until Payne could get clarification from the bidders, which the commissioners hoped would be by their next meeting.

Cheyenne County Treasurer Shelley Bowlin gave the commissioners a Distressed Properties report and noted that the first round of letters from the Sheriff’s Office had been put out and they retrieved about $5,000 of tax money that is owed. Bowlin said the next step is another letter and then personal visits from Sheriff’s Office personnel. She said that the amounts of money and the rate of retrieval are very similar to what happens every year. The commissioners noted that it seems contact from the Sheriff’s Office is usually all it takes to get the money that is owed.

The commissioners then switched over to the Board of Equalization and heard from County Assessor Jordan Hajek about a recent TERC resolution concerning the valuation of the Days Inn property. The TERC Board and property owner agreed on a valuation of $1,494,892. The commissioners approved the valuation.

The commissioners then recessed for about 30 minutes to participate in the Cheyenne County Government Day program. Every year, students in the junior class of Sidney, Leyton, Potter-Dix, and Creek Valley visit the courthouse complex and learn about local government functions and procedures. The event is sponsored by the local American Legion Post 17, and representatives were on hand to greet the students and explain the importance of understanding and participating in local government functions. In the District Courtroom, Judges Roland and Wiemer greeted the students to start their day. County officials from County Attorney Paul Schaub to County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh introduced themselves and gave a brief description of their functions in county government. After the introductory session, the students split into groups and toured the courthouse complex. The commissioners returned to the meeting room and continued their meeting.

Switching back to the Board of Commissioners, Cheyenne County Tourism Director Kendra Mitchell gave an update on the progress of the All Is Bright Christmas Event at the Fairgrounds. She discussed the special events that will happen during the days the event is open. She also told the commissioners she is applying for a $10,000 marketing grant for next year’s event. Commissioner Darrell Johnson noted the event improves every year and that Mitchell and her staff should be commended on the hard work they have done to make the event successful.

Next the commissioners asked if there were any comments from the public, and Marguerite Pool addressed the commissioners about the procedure to obtain copies of the bids for the Courthouse Roof Repair. The commissioners directed her to the County Clerk who would make copies of the bids for her to review.

Highway Superintendent Skyler Saucedo then spoke with the commissioners about a few road maintenance issues that occurred due to the recent rainstorm, and that he had crews working on re-graveling and leveling some road areas in the county. The commissioners also approved the Year-End Certification required for Cheyenne County to receive state incentive funds. Saucedo noted that they were having some equipment problems that he was trying to source repairs for and that he was looking for a replacement for a crew pick-up truck that is located in Dalton. Commissioner Miller told Saucedo that he needs to be constantly looking for pickup trucks throughout the year, as they are hard to come by, and that the Highway Department did not want to be caught without enough trucks if the ones they had became inoperable.