It was a lengthy meeting for the Custer County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Feb 8 as a majority of the meeting was spent talking about the Custer County Highway Department One & Six Year Plan. Custer County Highway Superintendent Chris Jacobsen presented the plans to the board regarding asphalt work, bridge construction, grading improvements, and other projects.
Below are the projects that are currently planned for 2022. All projects are subject to change due to multiple factors such as weather, finances, priority adjustments, seasonal timing, etc.
(Map locations of the below projects are available at the Custer County Courthouse along with projects planned through 2027.)
Project Location Map: Custer County North 2022
Project Location Map: Custer County South 2022
Asphalt Development
M21 (221)B1, Victoria Springs, 3 miles Cold Mix
M21 (321)B1 Anselmo S., 4 miles Cold Mix
M21 (122)B1, Arnold East, 9 miles Cold Mix (begin in 2022, will carry over to 2023)
Contract Built Hot Mix Project
C21 (428) B1, Broken Bow North (4.5 mi)
C21 (432) B1, Broken Bow (Southwest (5.6 mi)
C21 (433) B1, Broken Bow Southeast (2.1 mi)
Bridge And Culvert Development (CBMP= County Bridge Match Program)
C21 (421)A1, Ansley S, CBMP#3, Wooden Bridge Replacement
C21 (417)A1, Callaway SE, CBMP#3 Wooden Bridge Replacement
C21 (405)A1, Weissert W., CBMP#3 Retrofit Steel/Concrete Bridge
C21 (447)A1, Callaway N., Replace Wooden Cattle Chute
C21 (453)A1, Callaway NW, Replace Wood Culvert (begin in 2022, will carry over to 2023)
C21 (448)A1, Callaway NE, Upgrade Str 505 (begin in 2022, will carry over to 2023)
C21 (455)A1, Oconto N, Wooden Box Replacement (begin in 2022, will carry over to 2023)
C21 (416)A1, Callaway NE, CBMP #3 Wooden Bridge Replacement, Contractor Built
C21 (418)A1, Oconto South, CBMP #3 Wooden Bridge Replacement, Contractor Built
C21 (419)A1, Oconto East, CBMP#3, Wooden Bridge Replacement, Contractor Built
Grading Development and Erosion Repair
C21(408)A1, Arnold SE Beshaler Curve
M21(522)A1, Mason SW, Shoulder Grading Improvement (begin in 2022, will carry over to 2023)
M21(517)S1, Anselmo S, Ditch and Culvert Drainage Improvement
Other
C21 (422)A1, Weissert W, Grind Old Asphalt, Convert to Gravel
C21 (423)A1, Weissert E, Grind Old Asphalt, Convert to Gravel, Regrade (begin in 2022, will carry over to 2023)
C21(443)A1, Pressey East, Grind old Asphalt, Convert to Gravel, Regrade (begin in 2022, will carry over to 2023)
One additional project will also be added to the list after Cliff Badgely stated the county road on his family land has continued to wash away during the spring and summer. Badgely noted the issue is not new and has been brought up to the highway department before, but nothing had been done.
Chris stated this is an issue that should have been fixed by now and requested the board add the project to the proposed plan. The Supervisors agreed to the change and unanimously approved the One & Six Year Plan.
Custer County Sheriff Dan Osmond also spoke to the Supervisors on Tuesday where he discussed work cell phones, salaries, and possible future budget changes. At a previous meeting, Sheriff Osmond informed the board he was concerned with the deputies using personal phones for work.
He stated if there was ever a time when a deputy’s phone was subpoenaed all the information on the phone could be accessed. Dan stated the funds for the phones would be used from the drug fund for the remainder of this year’s budget cycle before adding to next year’s budget. The phones would cost $40/line and the department would utilize Verizon as the carrier.
Deputy salaries were also discussed where Sheriff Osmond stated he would like to see certain changes within the budget structure. Dan said he would like to see the structure change where a deputy that has been with the department for a decent amount of time would earn a little more than a deputy who just starts with the department.
District 3 Supervisor Barry Fox said wage inflation has ballooned exponentially and the county is likely going to see an increase in multiple departments. No decision was made, but the discussion will likely be back prior to the approval of the budget for next year.
Dan also briefly talked about the incident from last month where a jailer was assaulted by an inmate. He said the inmate was accepted by the Nebraska Department of Corrections, but due to the inmate’s mental status, he could be at NDCS for quite some time before he is fit to stand trial. Because of the transfer, the county will pay $85 per day to NDCS to house and care for the inmate.
Also approved during the meeting was the Letter of Engagement with Dana F Cole for $5,275, the Local Emergency Operations Plan (LEOP), and approve the MOU with the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs and Custer County to be a licensed user of VectraSpec.
