McCook Daily Gazette: News : Red Willow County Commissioners

Red Willow County Commissioners

News about Red Willow County government

Voters may be asked to approve jail bonds (02/10/12)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners are still investigating all the pros and cons, the legalities and the financial ramifications involved in the possible construction of a jail in McCook. "We don't want to rush us into a situation that creates a financial burden for future generations," commission chairman Earl McNutt said. "In all reality, the bottom line is, we need to explore all the options."...

Health department gears up for insurance billing (02/01/12)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The director of the Red Willow County, Nebraska, Health Department told county commissioners Monday morning that the department's ability to bill Blue Cross/Blue Shield allows its vaccination program to reach a larger segment of people...

County buys two buildings (01/30/12)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners signed a real estate purchase agreement this morning to buy the last two privately-owned properties north of the courthouse in the 500 block of Norris Avenue in McCook. Commissioners agreed to purchase the two apartment houses at 520 Norris from Greg and Janet Hepp of McCook for $160,000, clearing the way for a jail if commissioners should decide to build one...

County board opposes ending inheritance tax (01/24/12)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioner Earl McNutt may have the opportunity Thursday to speak against Nebraska counties losing inheritance taxes. The move to eliminate inheritance taxes by Gov. Dave Heineman and Omaha Sen. Abbie Cornett, who introduced Legislative Bill 970 ending the county inheritance tax, could affect some county budgets by millions of dollar annually, McNutt said. ...

County agrees to buy apartment buildings (01/24/12)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners agreed Monday afternoon to pay Greg and Janet Hepp of McCook $160,000 for two apartment houses north of the courthouse in McCook. The purchase means the county will own all the land between the courthouse and West F on the west side of Norris Avenue. It's a possible location for a county jail...

County board considers jail issues Monday (01/20/12)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County Commissioners will consider more steps toward construction of a new jail at Monday's weekly meeting. In an item scheduled for 11:45 a.m. in the commissioners room at the courthouse, the board will meet with Wes Bradish and Nate Eckloff, RBC Capital Markets, on financing for the proposed jail project...

Five accounts current, two paid in full (01/10/12)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- At the end of 2011, Red Willow County's revolving loan fund had a balance of $273,999.21, five accounts were current on their loan payments and two paid their loans in full. County commissioners approved the end-of-the-year program income report for the county's revolving loan fund during their weekly meeting Monday morning...

County reviews plans for new subdivision (01/04/12)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners looked over plans for a new subdivision northwest of McCook and, because of the potential for new business(es) to locate on the new blocks, commission chairman Earl McNutt wished the best for developers...

Retired judge favors new site for county jail (12/13/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Retired Red Willow County, Nebraska, county judge Cloyd Clark admitted to county commissioners Monday morning that he knows it's late in the process, but he recommends that a county jail be built on lots in the 400 block of West First rather than on Norris Avenue...

Official pegs jail cost at $5 million (12/13/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, county commission chairman said Monday morning that he does not expect a proposed 24-bed county jail and law enforcement facility to cost more than $5,073,850. Earl McNutt said during a weekly meeting of the commissioners Monday morning that the county has money set aside now for the acquisition and demolition of one more property north of the courthouse in McCook, so those costs are not included in what is still a very preliminary proposed jail construction budget.. ...

County jail decision by end of month (11/18/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County Commissioner Vesta Dack told local law enforcement and representatives from the Work Ethic Camp that if the county decided to proceed with building a new jail, the estimated completion date would be September 2013. Dack added that commissioners would be making the decision on how to proceed by the end of the month. The comments came during a scheduled Work Ethic Camp breakfast, Friday morning, at Madison's Restaraunt in McCook...

County wants to give away house, garage -- but they must be moved (11/16/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will give away a stucco-covered red tile block house and a red brick double garage as long as they're removed from lots north of courthouse in McCook. Commissioners said during their weekly meeting Monday morning they've tried giving away the structures, at 516 Norris and 524 Norris, before and have had no takers. But they're still trying to avoid paying for their demolition...

County gets look at early jail ideas (11/15/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners got a first look Monday morning at what the exterior of a jail could look like sitting on lots north of the courthouse in McCook, Nebraska. The computer drawings are in their very early stages, "the first pass at it," architect Steve Riley of Prochaska & Associates, Omaha, told commissioners during the commissioners' weekly meeting. ...

Shortage of rentals 'desperate' (10/25/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The lack of rental properties in McCook, Nebraska, is "desperate." Barb Ostrum, community service coordinator of the McCook office of Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska, asked Red Willow County commissioners to consider the plight of seven more families looking for rental housing if the county purchases and then demolishes the two two-story apartment houses at 520 Norris as the county makes way for the possible construction of a jail north of the courthouse...

County to consider property (10/21/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The Red Willow County, Nebraska, board of commissioners plans a closed session Monday morning to discuss the possible purchase of two apartment houses north of the courthouse on Norris Avenue in McCook. The meeting begins at 9 a.m., in the commissioners' room on the third floor of the courthouse. The closed session is scheduled at 9:30 a.m., and involves the possible purchase of two apartment buildings at 520 Norris from owners Greg and Janet Hepp of McCook...

Surveyor recommends sign maintenance plan (10/19/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska's county surveyor told commissioners Monday morning that while road sign maintenance plans are not mandatory, it would be beneficial to the county to have one in place. Gary Dicenta told commissioners that the plan would be a good idea, especially in light of a $407,000 jury award in August to a Michigan man who claimed he was injured in a car accident in Furnas County because the county failed to adequately mark a sharp turn in a road...

Commissioners OK paid tourism position (10/19/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County's Visitors Committee will pay a rural McCook, Nebraska, woman $35,000 a year to put "heads in beds" -- heads that pay lodging taxes that will be used to help promote tourism in McCook and Red Willow County. Carol Schlegel of rural McCook is chairman of the county's Visitors Committee whose members have written a contract that outlines Schlegel's duties as "tourism director" for one year. ...

County Tourism Director job on commissioner agenda (10/14/11)
\McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will discuss contracting the duties of the director of the county tourism board during their weekly meeting Monday morning in the commissioners' office on the third floor of the courthouse in McCook...

Commissioners want drawing of proposed jail (10/04/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners want a schematic drawing of the jail that may be built north of the courthouse in downtown McCook, Nebraska. "Yes, it's money spent," commission chairman Earl McNutt said during the commissioners' weekly meeting Monday morning. "But we'll have a colored picture of what the jail would look like on this property."...

Group offers to take over revolving fund (10/04/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County has the opportunity to get out of the banking business. Starting in the mid-1990s when two dairies were built north of McCook using money borrowed through the federal government's Community Development Block Grant Program and repaid to Red Willow County, the county created a "revolving loan fund" that loans money to new businesses and to existing business that want to expand. ...

Commissioners hear comments, ponder options for prisoners (09/27/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- A Red Willow County, Nebraska, taxpayer shared with county commissioners Monday morning his concerns and observations about the possibility of building a county jail, and doing it without a vote by county residents. Another taxpayer, a rural McCook resident, told commissioners regarding a jail, "It's time to quit draggin' your feet." Her husband added, "We're going to have to have one."...

Jail decision up to county commissioners (09/22/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County's jail task force handed the final decision -- build a jail or continue transporting prisoners -- to county commissioners following a 2 1/2-hour task force meeting Wednesday evening. Jail committee members have met since April and have, with planners from Prochaska & Associates, updated a jail study done in 2005-06 and toured new jails built since that time. ...

Norfolk firm gets id to build bridge (09/20/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners Monday morning awarded a Norfolk firm the bid to build a new bridge over Red Willow Creek north of the former Republican Valley Junior/Senior High School between McCook and Indianola. Norfolk Contracting Inc. will build the precast concrete bridge for $213,285, a bid that is 11 percent below an engineer's estimate of $240,300...

New jail would cost $340K per year to finance (09/13/11)
LORRI SUGHROUE McCook Daily Gazette McCOOK, Nebraska -- It would cost Red Willow County an average of $340,000 per year for the next 20 years, if the county decided to use bonds to finance a new jail. Red Willow County Commissioners discussed financing options for a proposed jail at their meeting Monday morning, with Paul Grieger of D.A. Davidson and Co., the bonding company that worked with the county the last time a new jail was proposed in 2005...

Hillcrest bond OKd (09/07/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County Commissioners unanimously approved issuing bonds, not to exceed $2.2 million, for improvements at Hillcrest Nursing Home. At Monday's regular meeting, Commissioners Vesta Dack and McNutt voted unanimously to issue the bonds. Commissioner Steve Downer was absent from the meeting...

EDC no longer wants county-owned house (09/01/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- What Red Willow County commissioners thought was a done deal has turned out to be not so done after all. Mary Kircher, director of the housing committee of the McCook Economic Development Corp., sent e-mails to commissioners last week telling them that she won't be needing the house that the county donated for the committee's rehabilitation project...

Commissioners shave $180,000 from roads, bridge budget (08/24/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners shaved $180,000 from the county's roads and bridges budget Monday morning in an attempt to maintain a 39-cent tax levy, removing $160,000 they'd budgeted for a bridge that they've decided now to finance over three years...

County may combine voting districts (08/19/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will discuss consolidating two voting districts when they meet Monday morning for their weekly meeting beginning at 9 a.m. in the courthouse in McCook. At 10 a.m., the agenda includes receiving public comment regarding the consolidation of the Willow voting district with Indianola, followed at 10:30 a.m. with public comment on the consolidation of the Ward 4 Precinct 1 voting district with Ward 4 Precinct 2 district...

County to discuss training, budgets (07/29/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will discuss training and budgets during their weekly meeting, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., Monday in their office on the third floor of the courthouse in McCook, Nebraska. At 9:15 a.m., commissioners will decide who wants to attend a training conducted by the National Institute of Corrections, Nebraska Jail Standards and University of Nebraska Department of Criminal Justice in Kearney in September...

Road projects will cost $16,000 per mile (07/11/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County''s armor coating projects for the 2011 summer will cost about $16,000 a mile. During their meeting Monday morning in the courthouse in McCook, Nebraska, county commissioners accepted the single bid submitted on labor to armor coat 7.5 miles of county roads...

Should county maintain roads in subdivisions? (06/28/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The chairman of the Red Willow County, Nebraska, board of commissioners doesn't want to start road maintenance for one subdivision because then every other subdivision will want the same treatment. And, commission chairman Earl McNutt said he's worked hard to treat the county's six subdivisions the same -- no county maintenance on roads that are not publicly owned. McNutt said he's set a precedence in the past, that the county does not maintain roads in subdivisions...

County board delays Calabria roads decision (06/23/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners Monday morning tabled until next week any decision about maintaining roads in the Calabria Subdivision about two miles northeast of McCook. County Attorney Paul Wood requested the week's delay so that he can work with county roads superintendent Lloyd Miller to decide whether Calabria roads meet two criteria that determine whether a road must be maintained by the county...

County to seek bids for Red Willow bridge (06/21/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska - Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will advertise for bids to build a new bridge over Red Willow Creek north of the former Republican Valley Junior/Senior High School between McCook and Indianola. Commissioners will open bids for a new bridge -- a 50-foot bridge with a steel substructure and a concrete deck -- in July, after they begin work on the county's 2011-12 budget. They'd like work to begin in August...

County ups contribution to center (06/14/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners increased the county's yearly contribution to the "Family Resource Center" to help the center pay for services provided to 478 Red Willow County families during the past year. Kathy Haas of McCook, FRC coordinator, told commissioners at their weekly meeting Monday morning that "no donation is too large," and that any donation will help the center keep its doors open...

County: Land not officially isolated (05/17/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners, decided Monday morning they cannot grant a request for access to Section 16 south of McCook across a neighbor's property because Section 16 is not "isolated." The Nebraska Bureau of Educational Lands and Funds -- BELF -- had requested that the county allow access to western areas of BELF-owned Section 16 via a two-trail pasture road that crosses Section 17, about one-third of which has been owned since 2005 by Michael and Cathy Sis of Bellevue, Nebraska. ...

Noxious weeds a growing problem (05/11/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- A little bit of moisture and a little bit of heat, and weeds in Red Willow County are growing like ... well, like weeds. Bill Elliott, the county's weed superintendent, told county commissioners at their weekly meeting in McCook, Nebraska, Monday morning that this summer "is going to be a good year for both Canada and musk thistle," two plants on Nebraska's noxious weed list...

Commissioners asked to settle access dispute (05/10/11)
Connie Jo Discoe Regional Editor McCOOK, Nebraska -- A Red Willow County, Nebraska, landowner and the Nebraska Bureau of Educational Lands and Funds -- BELF -- can't agree on what kind of road is appropriate for grain trucks and combines, and, Monday morning, asked county commissioners to decide for them...

County could use cells as is (04/26/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Unless Red Willow County changes walls, cells and occupancy in the 96-hour prisoner holding facility operated by the City of McCook, there would be little expense involved and no change in a fire marshal's latest inspection if the county takes over the facility's operation...

County to meet with state regarding use of old city holding cells (04/22/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners will meet with a representative of the State Fire Marshal's office to discuss any concerns connected with using McCook's Public Safety Center as a county jail. The discussion will be part of the regular meeting Monday in the commissioners' room in the courthouse...

Nine picked for jail task force (04/19/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners Monday morning approved a list of nine county residents to help the Omaha firm selected as a jail study consultant investigate the county's options for transporting and housing its prisoners...

County gives house to EDC (04/11/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners Monday morning gave away the stucco-covered house north of the courthouse in McCook to allow it to be relocated and rehabbed, and eventually returned to the tax rolls. Commissioner Steve Downer called the opportunity to generate some revenue with the now-unused house "a heck-of-a-deal." And the house will make a nice home for someone, Commission Chairman Earl McNutt said...

Roads projects on county agenda (04/01/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will discuss two road projects during their regular weekly meeting scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., Monday, in the commissioners' room on the third floor of the courthouse at 502 Norris Ave. in downtown McCook...

County plans jail task force (03/29/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will create a jail task force to spearhead the county's study into jail options. Unlike a task force five or six years ago that studied the possibility of building a joint City of McCook-county law enforcement facility, this task force will concentrate strictly on the pros and cons of a operating a county jail and continuation of the current prisoner transport procedure...

County hires Omaha firm to conduct jail study (03/14/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners at their weekly meeting this morning hired an Omaha firm to conduct a study of options for housing the county's prisoners. Commission Chairman Earl McNutt said, "The (construction and operation) numbers may scare us to death, but this is a place to start."...

County to select firm for jail study (03/11/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- At 10:15 a.m., Monday, Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will select a firm to do a feasibility study of jail options available to the county. The commissioners' weekly meeting begins at 9 a.m., in their office on the third floor of the courthouse in McCook...

Jail expert: Keep it simple (03/08/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners learned during their weekly meeting Monday that jails aren't rocket science. Loren Anderson of Treanor Architects P.A., Topeka, Kansas, said that a jail just has to be designed to keep staff at the safest level. "Keep it simple and efficient," Anderson told commissioners...

County compromises on assessor's website (03/01/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County's assessor will make changes to the county's property search website following action at the county commissioners' weekly meeting Monday morning. Danny Berndt of rural Danbury, Nebraska, a Red Willow County property owner and tax payer, requested that the assessor remove all photographs from the assessor's online property records available at www.co.red-willow.ne.us/webpages/assesso... and clicking on Red Willow -- GIS Workshop Property Search...

County considers jail feasibility study (02/23/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, county commissioners Monday morning authorized an Omaha, Nebraska, architectural and planning firm to prepare a written agreement of costs associated with the study of building a jail in McCook. The "meat" of the study by Prochaska & Associates, according to commissioner Steve Downer of rural Bartley and Donald Prochaska, should be the study of five options, and the price tag associated with each:...

Jail feasibility on county agenda for Tuesday (02/18/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will listen to a presentation on the feasibility of a county jail during their weekly meeting Tuesday, starting at 9 a.m., in the commissioners' room on the third floor of the courthouse in McCook, Nebraska...

Official: Unusual for county like ours not to have a jail (02/08/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- It's very, very uncommon that a county the size of Red Willow operates without its own jail, a Nebraska jail standards field representative told Red Willow County commissioners during their weekly meeting Monday morning in the courthouse in McCook, Nebraska...

Commissioners will study options for jail (01/21/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, Sheriff Gene Mahon and county commissioners will discuss jail options available to the county during the commissioners' meeting Monday in the courthouse in downtown McCook. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the commissioners' room on the third floor...

McNutt re-elected commission chair (01/10/11)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioner Earl McNutt of McCook was elected this morning to his 11th term as chairman of the county board of commissioners. McNutt was first elected to the board of commissioners as District 1 representative in 1998 and ran unopposed for re-election in 2010. His fellow commissioners voted him chairman in January 2001...

Commissioners consider changing meeting schedule (12/20/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Would residents attend county commissioners' meetings if they were scheduled in the evening? Would they attend meetings if commissioners met twice a month, rather than four times a month? Would Tuesdays, or even Wednesdays, work better than Mondays?...

County to set date for demolition (12/03/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will set a date to open bids for the removal/demolition of county-owned property near the courthouse in McCook during their weekly meeting Monday. The meeting begins at 9 a.m., in the commissioners' office on the third floor of the courthouse...

County delays decision on rental (10/26/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners need more information before they can make any decision about renting the former beauty shop next door to the courthouse in McCook, Nebraska. Commission chairman Earl McNutt said during the commissioners' weekly meeting Monday morning that a counseling center in North Platte would like to move from its current McCook office and expand services, and is inquiring about renting the beauty shop building that the county purchased in early 2008 for courthouse expansion or additional office space or parking, or, according to conjecture at the time, land upon which to build a county jail.. ...

County supports shelter, wants others to chip in as well (09/21/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners agreed Monday to support the work of the McCook Humane Society with a monthly check, but Commissioner Leigh Hoyt wants shelter representatives to approach other towns and counties about paying their share of shelter expenses...

Commissioners adopt $16.4 million budget (09/14/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The Red Willow County Commissioners adopted a $16,357,476.12 budget following a 30-minute public hearing Monday. Then, following a 15-minute hearing, they set the tax request at $2,788,590.06, based on a $0.39 levy, which was increased from $2,422,044.42 for the prior fiscal year, based on a $0.36 levy...

Fair budget must absorb old sales taxes (09/01/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners declined Monday morning to add more money to the 2010-11 budget for the county fairgrounds, although the fair board must come up with about $7,000 to pay five years of sales taxes that it should have been collecting but didn't...

Grant recipient vows to conduct eco-retreat events soon (09/01/10)
CAMBRIDGE, Nebraska -- Andela Taylor of rural Cambridge wrote in a report to Red Willow County commissioners and Steve Charleston of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development that progress continues on EarthBlooms eco-retreat southwest of Cambridge, in Red Willow County...

Overlooked car taxes help county budget (08/17/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The outlook for the 2010-11 budget for Red Willow County, Nebraska, improved last week when county officials discovered that $325,000 in motor vehicle taxes had been overlooked and not included in budget proposals. "This is how I'd feel if I'd gone to Vegas and hit the jackpot," budget clerk Shirley Volz told commissioners during their weekly meeting Monday morning...

County board looks for cuts (08/11/10)
By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County Commissioners hope taxes paid between now and Sept. 1, and the cooperation of county officials figuring pay raises will help them write a budget that doesn't break the bank...

County begins budget process (07/20/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- More, more, more. Everyone wants more. The state wants more weeds controlled in Red Willow County. Insurance companies want more money from Red Willow County. County employees want more wages from county commissioners. At this rate, "more" is going to become a four-letter word...

Property owners protest valuation increases (07/15/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- One hundred and nineteen Red Willow County, Nebraska, taxpayers are protesting increases in the tax valuation of their residential, commercial property or agriculture land. Sitting as a board of equalization, county commissioners listened Monday afternoon to the first round of protests from taxpayers unhappy with increases in the tax valuation of their homes and ag land...

Sole bidder gets armor coat contract (07/14/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners awarded the armor coating contract for summer projects to the only contractor submitting a bid for work on 11 miles of paved county roads. Figgins Construction of Red Cloud, Nebraska, will charge the county 22 cents per square yard for the application of oil and gravel on:...

Oil price to boost paving costs (06/29/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The application rate of the oil on the two county roads set to get a new armor coating this summer will likely increase the projected cost of the 11 miles of roadwork. Early estimates of $13,500 per mile could increase to $14,600 a mile because, county surveyor Gary Dicenta told Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning, "the road controls the application rate" of the oil. ...

Property tax protests due June 30 (06/22/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, tax payers have until Wednesday, June 30, to file protests of their tax valuations. County Assessor Sandra Kotschwar told county commissioners during their weekly meeting Monday that her office mailed out approximately 5,000 notices of valuation increases on ag land, commercial and residential properties, the owners of which have the right to protest the increase...

Armor coating projects expected to cost about $13,500 per mile (06/22/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners and the county's surveyor are estimating armor coating projects this summer will cost about $13,500 a mile. During the commissioners' weekly meeting in the courthouse in McCook, Nebraska, Monday morning, commissioners and county surveyor Gary Dicenta decided to continue the process in which the county buys the oil and gravel, and bids only the application...

Non-profit can't use county house (06/22/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The county-owned apartment house at 524 Norris Ave. in McCook, Nebraska, won't work for the family resources organization that looked at it as a possible rent-free location. Red Willow County commission chairman Earl McNutt said during the commissioners' weekly meeting Monday morning that representatives of the Family Resources Center "threw up their hands" after touring the large, two-story apartment house that the county purchased last year for the city lot on which it sits. ...

No interest in historic 524 Norris Ave. (06/08/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners received absolutely no inquiries about nor a single bid to buy or demolish the two-story white-frame apartment house at 524 Norris, north of the county courthouse in McCook, Nebraska. Commission chairman Earl McNutt said Monday, during the commissioners' weekly meeting, there is obviously no interest in saving the house. ...

Landowner says he'll comply (05/26/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook man who is stockpiling inoperable vehicles and appliances, computers, tanks and oil filters on 30 acres of land that he owns southwest of McCook is complying with county officials who have asked him to clean up his property...

County wants buildings to be torn down or moved (05/11/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners want the land at 524 Norris in McCook, but not the house and garage. Nor do they think the county needs to be in the rental or lease business. Therefore, at their weekly meeting Monday morning, commissioners decided to sell the big two-story white-and-gray apartment house on the corner north of the courthouse and require that it be moved off the lot or torn down...

County won't be rushed into jail project (05/11/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning declined to participate with the City of McCook on a new law enforcement facility. "The city wants an answer by their (City Council) meeting Monday," said commission chairman Earl McNutt, but neither he nor fellow commissioner Steve Downer felt that gave them enough time to decide whether the county wants to place a jail in the new law enforcement facility proposed by the city...

County to consider cooperation on city building (05/07/10)
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The Red Willow County Commissioners will consider whether to pursue cooperation with the City of McCook on a new law enforcement facility at their regular meeting Monday. While a joint law enforcement facility failed a test of the voters a few years ago, the city will soon ask voters to support a new fire hall, police station and administrative offices...

County accepts resignation of health department head (04/26/10)
Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning accepted the resignation of Margaret Swanda, after 15 years as the director of the county's health department. Also at their weekly meeting, commissioners elected not to use a federal government Recovery Zone bond program to pave two miles of county road north of McCook's East 11th Street...

Local officials retrieve files on defaulted loan (04/19/10)
The intellectual properties of Pawnee Aviation Inc. have been retrieved from the man who borrowed $300,000 from Red Willow County and defaulted on the loan. Rex Nelson of McCook, administrator of the county's revolving loan fund program, drove to Longmont, Colo., Friday and took possession of computers, files, filing cabinets, blueprints and designs for the helicopter kit that Ron Willocks, owner of Pawnee Aviation, was developing with the $200,000 loan and the $100,000 grant that he received from the county in December 2004. ...

Commissioners hear updates on development (04/13/10)
Red Willow County commissioners listened to updates on hiring by EarthBlooms Eco-Retreat southwest of Cambridge and the sale of land east of Quality Urgent Care during their weekly meeting in the courthouse in McCook Monday morning. Andela Taylor, general manager of EarthBlooms, the eco-retreat being developed on her rural Red Willow County family farm, told commissioners that the hospitality/events administrator that she has hired starts Thursday...

EcoRetreat plans to open in July (04/06/10)
The developer of an agri-tourism resort in Red Willow County told county commissioners Monday morning that she has one employee ready to start in mid-April, and hopes to open "EarthBlooms EcoRetreat" in July. During their regular weekly meeting, commissioners also discussed the future of the apartment building the county bought in February, applying for "Recovery Zone" bonds and the status of a county loan to a medical clinic in McCook...

County grapples with helicopter's value (03/23/10)
How much is a prototype helicopter worth? Who's going to determine its value? And if the helicopter and its technology are sold, how much of Red Willow County's $300,000 loan can be recouped? Should the county pay storage costs accruing on the helicopter?...

County may be on the hook for helicopter storage costs (03/15/10)
Red Willow County may have to pay $7,758.70 in storage costs if commissioners want to collect the county's helicopter collateral in Colorado. County attorney Paul Wood and commissioners Monday morning talked to the manager of a Longmont, Colo. hangar owners' association in whose hangars Ron Willocks has stored the helicopter prototype that he developed with a $300,000 loan from Red Willow County's revolving loan fund. ...

County ponders trip to retrieve kit helicopters (03/09/10)
Red Willow County Attorney Paul Wood wants a time, date and location agreed upon and set in stone before county officials go to Colorado to retrieve a kit helicopter built with a loan from the county. Rex Nelson, administrator of the county's revolving loan program, told Red Willow County commissioners during their meeting Monday morning that Ron Willocks of Longmont, Colo., owner of the now-defunct Pawnee Aviation helicopter kit company, seems anxious and willing to get this matter settled. ...

Despite bankruptcy, gift shop owner vows to repay (03/09/10)
A downtown McCook gift shop has filed for bankruptcy protection, but its owner assured Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning that she intends to repay her loan from the county. Betty Kenner, owner of Accents Etc., told commissioners during their weekly meeting that Chapter 11 bankruptcy will allow her to reorganize, stay in business and continue to liquidate inventory to pay her creditors. ...

County holds EDC contribution to $5,000 (02/23/10)
For the second year in a row, Red Willow County commissioners voted to pay $5,000 instead of $10,000 for the county' membership contribution to the McCook Economic Development Corp. During the commissioners' regular weekly meeting Monday morning, a motion by Commissioner Steve Downer to make a contribution of $10,000 died for lack of a second...

County buys apartment building (02/02/10)
By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor Red Willow County commissioners closed on the purchase of the big gray-and-white apartment house at 524 Norris Ave. during their weekly meeting Monday morning. Commissioners agreed in December to pay Stannis and Kenneth Spencer of McCook $50,000 for the property. Camy Bradley of McCook Abstract Co. Monday morning presented the purchaser's statement to commissioners for signatures...

County board elects officers (01/12/10)
By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor Red Willow County's District 1 commissioner was elected to his 10th year as chairman during the county board's annual reorganization Monday morning. Commissioner Earl McNutt of McCook chaired his first meeting in January 2001. He was elected to the board of commissioners in 1998...

Commissioners approve new extension board members (12/23/09)
Red Willow County commissioners approve the appointments of two new members of the Red Willow County Extension Board during their meeting Monday morning. Lori Beeby of Lebanon will represent District 1, replacing Elaine Haag. Beeby's term will expire in 2012. Theresa Tiller of rural McCook will be the 4-H Council representative, replacing Jeff Stagemeyer; her term will expire at the end of 2010...

Commissioners increase salaries (12/22/09)
Red Willow County commissioners gave elected officials a raise and determined a yearly increase beginning in 2011, adopting a resolution setting salaries for the next four-year term at their weekly meeting Monday morning. Commission Chairman Earl McNutt said salaries for elected officials had to be set by Jan. 15...

Commissioners to review salaries (12/11/09)
The Red Willow County commissioners will discuss elected officials' salaries at their regular meeting Monday. The meeting will be called to order at 9 a.m. in the comissioners' room at the courthouse, with the salary discussion set for 9:15 a.m. At 9:45 a.m., Andy Snyder of Smith-Hayes will discuss a recolution for reimbursement on recently purchased property...

County buys apartment house, reviews wind study (12/08/09)
Red Willow County commissioners purchased real estate and updated themselves on a wind study being conducted in the county during their regular weekly meeting Monday morning. Commissioners voted un-animously to purchase the two-story frame white-and-gray apartment house at 524 Norris -- on the corner north of the courthouse in McCook -- for $50,000 from Stannis and Kenneth Spencer, McCook...

County buys neighboring apartments (12/07/09)
At their weekly meeting this morning, Red Willow County commissioners purchased the big white and gray apartment house at 524 Norris, on the corner north of the courthouse in McCook. Commissioners unanimously authorized commission chairman Earl McNutt to sign the purchase agreement to buy the apartment house for $50,000 from Stannis and Kenneth Spencer of McCook...

Commissioners split vote to buy new grader (11/25/09)
Red Willow County commissioners replaced a 1993 Caterpillar road grader with another Caterpillar, upgrading to a 2010 Model 140M at their weekly meeting Monday morning. The new Cat grader will cost $150,314, and will be delivered to Commissioner Steve Downer's District 2 shop in Bartley on or about March 1...

Federal road funding on track (11/24/09)
The "responsible charge person" for Red Willow County assured commissioners during their meeting Monday morning that the county's documentation on federal aid and federal stimulus road projects is "on track and moving forward." Karl Elmshaeuser of the West Central Nebraska Development District in Ogallala and Red Willow County's "RC person" for federal aid road projects, told commissioners it seems that the process that the federal government requires recipients to follow for stimulus-funded projects "is being defined as we go along." McNutt said, "We're six months into this, and they're still changing the process." Fellow commissioner Leigh Hoyt said, "Just about a year ago, the stimulus programs started, and there's still no money for transportation projects.". ...

Engineering firm ends services to avoid funding threat (11/17/09)
The McCook engineering consulting firm of Miller and Associates resigned effective Monday morning as Red Willow County's roads superintendent. At the county commissioners' weekly meeting Monday, engineer and roads supervisor Gary Dicenta told commissioners that the resignation will prevent a conflict of interest when the county is approved for federal aid or federal stimulus money for transportation projects...

County to court Nov. 30 on Pawnee Aviation locan (11/17/09)
Red Willow County Attorney Paul Wood will appear in district court Monday, Nov. 30, asking Judge David Urbom to allow the county to liquidate collateral it holds in Pawnee Aviation, the helicopter kit company that has defaulted on a $300,000 loan from the county...

Pawnee Aviation lawsuit on county agenda Monday (11/13/09)
Red Willow County commissioners will discuss the county's lawsuit to recover loan funds from Pawnee Aviation during their weekly meeting Monday morning. The meeting begins at 9 a.m., in the commissioners' room on the third floor of the courthouse in McCook; the Pawnee Aviation topic, in closed session, comes up at 9:15 a.m...

County recalculates tax support for historical society (11/02/09)
Red Willow County commissioners approved recalculations in the amount of tax support for the High Plains Historical Society and in income guidelines for county medical assistance during their weekly meeting Monday morning. Nebraska's state auditor spotted a miscalculation in the historical society's lid limit, and reduced the amount of tax support it will receive from $16,658.78 to $15,441,46, and its levy from $.002476 to $.002295. ...

County rewriting guidelines for public assistance requests (10/27/09)
Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning asked for assistance from Nebraska Health and Human Services to rewrite the county's guidelines for requesting funds from the county's medical assistance program. While some parts of the program will be revised, the base gross monthly income at which a single person qualifies may be increased by only $29...

County ponders fate of creek crossing (10/20/09)
A culvert could replace the bridge now closed over the Beaver Creek east of Marion, but Red Willow County commissioners could also close the road and tear out the bridge. During the commissioners' weekly meeting Monday morning, commissioners, county roads superintendent Gary Dicenta and adjacent landowners Cecil and Don Lafferty discussed a hydrology study of the bridge that was closed last summer when an inspection by the Nebraska Department of Roads revealed that two of the bridge's four floor beams are cracked and cannot be welded.. ...

County considers property purchase (09/29/09)
Oh, the suspense ... Red Willow County commissioners directed County Attorney Paul Wood following a closed session Monday morning to negotiate the purchase of "a certain property," but Commission Chairman Earl McNutt added, with a sheepish grin, "No, we're not going to disclose what property ... not at this time."...

County eligible for stimulus funds (09/16/09)
Red Willow County is eligible for two federal economic recovery bond financing programs designed to encourage economic development. County commissioners discussed at their weekly meeting Monday the "Recovery Zone Economic Development Bond" and "Recovery Zone Facility Bond" programs that are part of the federal government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009...

County approves $15.7 million budget (09/15/09)
Red Willow County commissioners approved a budget of $15,757,021.61 for 2009-10, down from $16,495,506 in 2008-09, after a public hearing and during their weekly meeting Monday morning. The budget is down, but it requires more personal and real property tax money to fund it than last year...

Beer garden approved for farm, ranch expo (09/15/09)
Red Willow County commissioners Monday approved a beer garden in conjunction with the second annual "McCook Farm and Ranch Expo" scheduled Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 18 and 19, on the county fairgrounds in McCook. At the commissioners' weekly meeting Monday morning, farm and ranch expo promoter Darren Dale of rural Benkelman told commissioners that the beer garden will be located inside the Kiplinger Arena, with security at all doors to keep the beer inside that facility. ...

County finds items to cut (08/25/09)
Red Willow County's fair board cut $5,500 more from budgeted expenditures Monday morning to help commissioners maintain the county's $.036 tax levy. Fair board member Jay Schilling told commissioners during their weekly meeting that fair board members reduced building and grounds repair by $3,500 and shifted $1,000 in building supplies from the fair budget to the Kiplinger Arena budget...

County officials looking for $400,000 in savings (08/11/09)
One commissioner admitted he was ... "a Scrooge" ... Another apologized for "being so picky." But as Red Willow County Commission Chairman Earl McNutt reminded elected officials and department heads Monday morning, "the bottom line is" that commissioners need to slash $400,000 from budgets proposed for 2009-10, take that amount out of the county's inheritance "savings account" fund, or raise taxes...

Noxious weed notices sent out (08/11/09)
Red Willow County's noxious weed control director will send out 10-day notices to two landowners with musk thistle growing on their land. "I've got a list," Bill Elliott told county commissioners during their meeting Monday morning. The notices allow landowners to take steps to control the weeds within 10 days or the county will spray and bill the landowner for time and weed killer...

County wants to cut $400,000 from proposed budget (08/05/09)
By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor Red Willow County commissioners plan 15-minute hearings Monday morning with all county officials, hoping they'll help cut at least $400,000 from preliminary budgets that, as they appear now, would require a levy increase to fund...

County agrees to higher dispatch fees (08/04/09)
Red Willow County commissioners agreed Monday morning to almost double the county's cost of dispatching the sheriff's department through the City of McCook Public Safety Center's dispatch center. The county now pays the city $24,000 annually for dispatching sheriff's officers between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and on weekends and holidays. That cost will increase to $44,620 over the next two years...

County closes disputed road near Indianola (08/04/09)
Red Willow County commissioners abandoned, on a 2-1 vote Monday morning, the entire length of the rural Indianola road that's been a major irritation for a year now. Commissioner Steve Dow-ner cast the lone vote to retain Road 221, in existence since 1889, insisting, "There are roads like this all over the county, and people get along. I can't see one landowner forcing a county to close a road."...

Road, bridge questions persist (07/28/09)
By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor A road that goes nowhere, an argument that won't go away and a bridge that goes over a short-cut road are frustrating Red Willow County commissioners. Commissioners conducted a public hearing Monday morning to help them decide whether to close the east half of County Road 713, the one-mile-long two-track path south of Indianola that they left open a year ago so that landowner-farmer Stan Quigley can access his fields without crossing land owned by neighbor Phil Bamesberger. ...

County asks for delay in higher dispatch fees (07/21/09)
Red Willow County commissioners asked Monday morning that a possible $21,000 increase in law enforcement dispatching fees charged by the City of McCook be spread over two years, rather than "playing catch-up" in one year. During the commissioners' weekly meeting Monday, Commissioner Steve Downer suggested to McCook Police Chief Ike Brown and City Manager Kurt Fritsch that the county be allowed to pay the increase in dispatching fees for county law enforcement officers proposed by the city -- an increase of $24,000 per year to $45,000 -- over two years, "rather than almost doubling in one year.". ...

Road projects to conform to stimulus rules (07/21/09)
Red Willow County commissioners agreed Monday morning that they'll watch out for whooping cranes and swift foxes if they proceed with road projects funded by federal aid or with American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan (stimulus) money. Gary Dicenta, the county's roads supervisor, told commissioners that he has received more forms requesting more forms regarding county roads projects that may or may not be funded with stimulus money...

More property valuation protest hearings Monday (07/17/09)
Red Willow County Commissioners will hear property valuation protests at 1 p.m. Monday, meeting as a board of equalization in the commissioners'' room in the courthouse. Meeting as commissioners', the board will discuss modification of the loan agreement with Accents Etc., sign documents required to receive stimulus funding on the McCcook North and McCook West projects, and discuss dispatch service fees charged by the City of McCook...

County keeping closer tabs on revolving loan funds (07/15/09)
After commissioners' actions Monday morning, Red Willow County's attorney and treasurer will see all documents regarding loans from the county's revolving loan fund before they're brought to commissioners for approval. Commission chairman Earl McNutt said, during a commissioners' meeting Monday morning, that recent confusion regarding amendments to the repayment schedule of a county loan makes it necessary that commissioners review and revise, if necessary, procedures regarding loans from the Red Willow County Regional Economic Development Fund.. ...

Broken bridge puts crimp in farmer's summertime work schedule (07/14/09)
MARION -- Two cracked floor beams have closed a bridge northeast of Marion, and have put a crimp in a nearby farmer's summer field work plans. Red Willow County commissioners told Don Lafferty Monday morning that Nebraska's Department of Roads closed the bridge -- "It wasn't our choice," said Commission Chairman Earl McNutt. ...

Marion bridge on county agenda (07/10/09)
Red Willow County commissioners will discuss options to re-open a bridge near Marion during their regular meeting scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., Monday, on the third floor of the courthouse in McCook. The bridge was to be closed until repairs to two beams could be made...

Owners make plea for lower valuations (07/09/09)
One homeowner contends that a nearby junkyard is affecting the valuation of her property. Another said because he would never pay that much again for his house, he deserves a reduction in his valuation. A third told Red Willow County commissioners that he wasn't whining ... "just trying to make a living, like everyone else."...

County bridge closed pending repairs (07/07/09)
Red Willow County commissioners, at their meeting Monday morning, closed a Marion-area bridge until two steel floor beams can be repaired. A Nebraska Department of Roads inspection revealed that the bridge, over the Beaver Creek on a county road east of Marion, has two cracked floor beams. The NDOR has instructed that the bridge be closed or traffic weight capacity reduced from 13 tons to three tons until it is repaired...

Commissioners approve loan for new walk-in clinic (07/07/09)

County trims funds for pre-trial diversion (06/23/09)
Wanting to encourage neighboring counties to share expenses, Red Willow County commissioners cut their county's contribution, from $12,000 to $8,000, to the juvenile pre-trial diversion program run by Lutheran Family Services. Commissioner Leigh Hoyt stressed at the commissioners' weekly meeting Monday morning that he supports the diversion program -- "I'm behind it 100 percent," he said -- but explained that he resents Red Willow County having to pay also for juveniles in Hayes, Hitchcock and Furnas counties.. ...

Weed report card mixed (05/19/09)
Red Willow County's grade on its annual noxious weed report card from the state indicates that the county has infestations that landowners are not taking care of. Galen Niehues, a noxious weed inspector with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, told county commissioners during their weekly meeting Monday morning that roster, budget, activity and control plan reports filed by Bill Elliott, the county's weed supervisor, scored well, earning a score of 983 out of a possible 1,000. ...

Eco-retreat hopes to open in July (05/19/09)
A new agricultural and environmental tourism retreat plans to open in late July after its owner advertises for and hires a professional landscaper and a culinary expert. Andela Taylor of rural Cambridge told Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning that she has "all the balls rolling in motion," in preparation to open "Hilton Farm Eco Retreat" -- a tourism attraction that will provide hands-on experiences focusing on nature, wellness, culinary arts, arts and crafts, horticulture and agriculture.. ...

Commissioners to review CDBG grant project (05/15/09)
Red Willow County Commissioners will discuss the Nebraska Department of Economic Development's performance monitoring review of the Hilton Farm Eco Retreat with its owner, Andela Taylor, on Monday. The review is part of the commissioners' regular meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. in the commissioners' room in the courthouse...

County approves $70,000 loan to urgent care clinic (05/05/09)
Red Willow County commissioners, at their weekly meeting Monday morning, unanimously approved a $70,000 county loan to the walk-in medical clinic under construction on North Highway 83 in McCook. The loan to High Plains Urgent Care P.C., from the county's revolving use loan program, will be repaid at 4 percent interest, over five years, with monthly payments of $1,289.16...

Jilted by city, commissioners slash MEDC funds (04/29/09)
Red Willow County commissioners, at their weekly meeting Monday morning, slashed in half the county's annual membership contribution to the McCook Economic Development Corp. All three commissioners voted "Aye" to a motion to pay the MEDC $5,000 for 2009-10, rather than the usual $10,000, although Commissioner Steve Downer said that budgeting one amount and pledging another, "is going down the wrong road. ...

Commissioners approve loan modification for local retailer (04/29/09)
On Monday, Red Willow County Commissioners approved a modification in the revolving loan program agreement with Accents, Etc., one of any number of retail businesses across the country struggling in today's economy. Executive Director Rex Nelson said that the McCook Economic Development board approved the change and recommended that commissioners also approve changes requested by Accents Etc.'s owner, Betty Kenner. ...

County resorting to legal notice to collect on loan (04/28/09)
Red Willow County will try again -- this time in the newspaper -- to notify the owner of a now-defunct helicopter kit company that the county plans to sue him for the $300,000+ he owes in back loan payments and interest. County Attorney Paul Wood told commissioners at their weekly meeting Monday morning that a notice of intent to sue that he mailed to Ron Willocks in Longmont, Colo., came back "undeliverable."...

Investor says he owns equipment used as collateral (04/28/09)
An investor in the helicopter kit company that owes Red Willow County $300,000+ says that he owns equipment that Pawnee Aviation owner Ron Willocks used as collateral. Thomas Leach of Scott, La., said Monday morning during a stop at the Gazette that he, like the county, has tried unsuccessfully to notify Willocks that he plans to sue him for the return of his equipment. "He's hiding," Leach said. "He won't even answer his phone."...

Road dispute continues (03/17/09)
Same fight, next round ... One of two landowners who fought last summer over a practically non-existent county road south of Indianola continued the battle before Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning. Stan Quigley, who owns land on the north side of Road 713 (named county road 221 in 1889), accused Phil Bamesberger, who owns the land on the south side of the road, of stealing his fence and destroying it. ...

Commissioners to continue security talks (03/13/09)
Red Willow County commissioners will continue discussion of county court office security and County Road 713 at their weekly meeting Monday, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., in the commissioners' room on the third floor of the courthouse in McCook. County Judge Anne Paine requested security measures be implemented in her outer offices, during the commissioners' meeting March 9. ...

Officials ponder courthouse security (03/10/09)
Believing that people are not inherently bad, Red Willow County court personnel still know that the situations they handle in their office very often make people unhappy and unpredictable. The layout of the front office and judge and clerk magistrate's offices and the hours that the office is open create potential security hazards, County Judge Anne Paine told county commissioners at their weekly meeting Monday morning...

Commissioners make plans to comply with one-stop vehicle titling, registration (03/03/09)
Red Willow County has until Oct. 23 to create one-stop vehicle titling and registration in the county treasurer's office. At their weekly meeting Monday morning, county commissioners discussed LB 49 with county treasurer Marleen Garcia. The bill, signed into law by Gov. Dave Heineman Feb. 12 will require the county to move vehicle titling out of county clerk Pauletta Gerver's office and into Garcia's office, where personnel already handles vehicle registrations...

Commissioners OK exemption for Bartley Cafe (03/03/09)
Meeting Monday, Red Willow County Commissioners approved a real estate and personal property tax exemption for the Bartley Development Committee, which owns and manages the Bartley Cafe. Other than the cooks, board members and cafe personnel are volunteers, and the cafe provides reduced-cost meals to the elderly and shut-ins...

County officials not holding breath over stimulus funds (02/06/09)
Officials of Red Willow County are not holding their breath on receiving funds from the proposed economic stimulus package, said Red Willow County Commissioner Earl McNutt. McNutt confirmed that Red Willow County applied for about $1 million in funds in late December, for three paving projects that have been on the books for awhile...

Home