The Custer County Board of Supervisors met for their regular session Tuesday morning in the Supervisors room of the Custer County Courthouse.
A project with the steps and sidewalk on the east side of the courthouse has been a topic of discussion for some time now. Supervisor Dwain Bryner brought forward a bid and mock-ups from JEO Consulting for designing and engineering the project totaling $29,800. The project would integrate wheelchair access onto the east side of the courthouse, among other redesign elements. Lynn Longmire made a motion to have JEO do a design and engineer study, with Don Olson seconding the motion. Voting “yes” were Longmore, Olson, Kleeb, Bryner, and Myers. The sole “no” vote was from supervisor Stunkel who explained he voted no because he was concerned about the spending of the money without project cost being included. Other supervisors explained problems in the past with getting complete “engineering phase through construction phase” quotes on other projects, saying they see the project getting more quotes because of the engineering being done first and separately.
County Attorney Steven Bowers brought forward the contract changes he had received from Zelle HR and told the board he was pleased with the talks he had with the company. He said he was able to pivot the master agreement to fit the county’s needs and that he will send it back for final drafting. The contract with Zelle, as voted on by the Supervisors, is six months long at $5,000 per month.
After approving a renewal with Blue Cross/ Blue Shield during the last Supervisors meeting for years 2022 to 2023, the board discussed details regarding the $100 increase in deductible. The deductible changed from $2,500 to $2,600 as a part of the plans for county employees. With the rate at $2,500, the county had agreed to pay $2,000 of that deductible resulting in employees being responsible starting at $500. The board voted to continue covering $2,000 of the deductible after the increase, meaning county employees would be responsible starting at $600.
In Board of Equalization talks, a permissive exemption was approved for Wescott Baptist Church for use of a parking lot near the church.
Last meeting, the board voted “yes” unanimously on a quote for $4,800 from Mid Nebraska Garage Doors for a new garage door for the weed building, asking weed superintendent Tim Conover to gather more quotes for the electrical work. Conover appeared and presented bids, with the bid from Christen Electric being accepted at $361.48.
