County expects repayment plan by Sept. 8

Following a 30-minute closed session Monday morning to discuss potential litigation, Red Willow County commissioners agreed to wait until Sept. 8 to hear a final proposal from Pawnee Aviation about how the company plans to pay off a $370,000 county loan.

Pawnee Aviation borrowed $200,000 and was granted $100,000 in December 2004 to develop and sell helicopter kits.

The company, owned by Ron Willocks, has paid a total of $4,416.40 in repayment of the loan in nearly four years. The grant must be repaid because jobs were not created and maintained.

Pawnee Aviation's proposal to pay off the loans will come before commissioners at 9:30 a.m. during their weekly meeting.

Also during Monday's meeting, commissioners adopted resolutions to allocate levy authority to these county subdivisions:

* Danbury Cemetery requested $3,745.11; tax levy set at $.017961.

* Hamburg Cemetery requested $800.08; tax levy set at $.005824.

* Lebanon Cemetery requested $3,000.07; tax levy set at $.026159.

* High Plains Historical Society requested $17,395.67; tax levy set at $.002687.

A $.038000 common levy raises these tax dollars for each of these fire districts:

* Bartley Rural Fire District, $25,511.77.

* Beaver Valley Fire District, $26,023.66.

* Indianola Rural Fire District, $32,075.24.

* Red Willow Western Fire District, $56,163.37.

In other action, commissioners:

* Approved inventories for all county departments.

* Discussed the State of Nebraska's high-risk rural roads intersection signage project; the state provides the signs to the county free of charge, and the county must install them.

* Discussed correspondence from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency regarding public safety interoperable communications across the state.

* Approved a payment schedule for Region II Human Services' Behavioral Health.

* Offered recommendations for the five-year plan of the Southwest Nebraska Resource Conservation and Development (RC&S).

* Discussed Treasurer Marleen Garcia's request for refunds of taxes generated by LB 701 and levied by Middle Republican Natural Resources District.