Courthouse maintains social distancing

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County courthouse maintenance director Greg Holthus will hang a drop box at the front door of the courthouse in McCook, helping the county’s residents do business with county officials without personal contact.

During orders to “keep your distance” and “limit your exposure” necessitated by the coronavirus crisis, customers can place their documents in the drop box at any time and officials will retrieve them in time for morning business.

At their weekly meeting Monday morning, county commissioners also discussed zoning boundaries at the Calabria subdivision northeast of McCook. New zoning boundaries agreed upon by the county and the City of McCook placed the subdivision outside of the city’s two-mile extra-territorial boundary.

However, because the city has always been responsible for the Calabria, the city will continue to regulate zoning issues within the Calabria.

— William Figgins, of Figgins Construction, drove the Cambridge lake road and will report back to commissioners on a process to repair potholes since the application of asphalt millings last summer.

— Commissioners agreed to an agreement with the city for its police department to provide dispatch services for the county sheriff’s department. The cost for 2020-2021 will be $67,303 ($5,608 a month), up from $65,342 for 2019-2020. Commission chairman Earl McNutt said the dispatch agreement benefits county tax payers by eliminating the need to duplicate a dispatching service for the sheriff’s office.

— Commissioners and two representatives of health insurance provided by Nebraska Association of County Officials discussed the possibility of NACO providing health insurance for Red Willow County employees, rather than the county continuing its self-insurance.

McNutt said it’s always good to compare costs, ensuring good costs and good benefits.