BROKEN BOW – The Custer County Board of Supervisors convened at the courthouse Tuesday morning to hash out vehicles, the roads beneath them, and the money to pay for it all. Present at the meeting were six of the seven board members, with District Six’s Lynn Longmore dialing in remotely.
As he presented a $30,500 bid from Ag-Land ATV for his department’s UTV, Sheriff Dan Osmond told the board that because he had been short deputies for months, he was well within his budget in pursuing the vehicle. The six board members present sparred over the potential purchase, each raising questions and concerns regarding cost, how often the vehicle would be used, and for what specific purpose. After debate, the board ultimately voted five to one in favor of purchasing the vehicle, with Supervisor Doug Stunkel casting the only negative vote.
Contested though passing along identical lines was the adoption of security software Ironscales to aid in phishing prevention for county employees’ email addresses; again concerns were raised regarding the $3,379 per year price tag for a preventative rather than remedial resource.
The Board of Equalization proposed a tax exemption for a 2006 Mazda on behalf of Custer Care which would serve to transport clients to and from appointments and to travel to home care clients’ homes. The proposal passed unanimously, costing the county a total of three cents by way of the county’s motor vehicle fee commission, and losing the county zero dollars in taxes.
Decisions by the First National Bank of Sargent to substitute several bonds totaling $440,000 for U.S. Treasury notes and a resolution by Custer Federal State Bank approving additional securities totaling $1.5 million for a small business administration loan also passed unanimously, as did a $28,000 county match request for Behavioral Health Services for the upcoming fiscal year.
Other proposals passing unanimously were a budget from the Extension Office by Troy Walz, the reappointment of James C. Adams for an additional five years to the Veterans’ Service Committee Board put forth by County Veterans’ Officer Emory Haynes, and a proposal allowing the State of Nebraska’s printer to print postcards for county business.
The agenda also contained a presentation of a potential new time clock for county employees, though no decision was expected to be made. The board will assemble once again on the final Tuesday of the month, June 28.
