Town seeks help with enforcement

Red Willow County commissioners and Sheriff Gene Mahon discussed Indianola's need for a deputy and, during commissioners' regular meeting Monday morning, encouraged Indianola's, and even Bartley's, city council to contact commissioners about contracting with the sheriff's office for ordinance enforcement.

Mahon told commissioners that the law enforcement needs in the two communities are covered well. He said, however, Indianola, particularly, wants help enforcing city ordinances governing, among other things, dogs-at-large, junk cars and weedy yards.

Mahon said sheriff's departments are not allowed to do city ordinance work without being contracted for such work. "City ordinance work requires a lot of time," Mahon said.

Commission Chairman Earl McNutt said he does not want to hire additional personnel to cover city ordinance work for the two communities. Mahon said his department can not handle the additional workload with the manpower it has now.

Commissioner Steve Dow-ner asked about the possibility of charging the communities an hourly rate for the time an officer would spend on ordinance work. Mahon said most sheriff's departments charge $20 per hour for contract work.

Mahon and commissioners agreed that representatives of the two communities need to address commissioners during a regular meeting.

Mahon also told commissioners that sheriff's officers, Emergency Management officials and county commission representatives from Red Willow, Dundy, Chase, Hayes and Hitchcock counties will meet Sept. 16, at 1 p.m., in McCook to discuss a statewide communications project.

In other action, commissioners:

* Extended for another two years a contract between Nebraska Health and Human Services and the county's clerk of the district court, for child support enforcement.

Clerk of the District Court Bev Dodge told commissioners HHS last year paid her office an incentive of $5,800 and reimbursed approximately $25,000 in office expenses.

"We're not collecting child support payments anymore," Dodge said, explaining that the state took over collections and disbursements several years ago, but the amount of paperwork has grown over the years. "There is still a considerable amount of work to do here," Dodge said.

The contract will run through June 30, 2006.

* Declined to pay to update a map of Red Willow County requested by the Nebraska Department of Roads to update the state's collection of county road maps.

If the map is updated by driving each road, the project would cost the county about $3,000. If it is updated without the field work, it would cost about $600. The state requests the map include residences, bridges, tubes, culverts and roads.

County road superintendent Gary Dicenta told commissioners the map update is not mandatory.

McNutt said the benefit to the county does not justify the cost. Commissioners decided unanimously not to update the map.

* Were informed that the "Jonzeez Java" building is no longer at its location in the 700 block of West B.

The business is partially financed with a loan from the county's revolving loan program, and payments have not been made since January.

* Rescheduled the 2005 budget hearing from Aug. 30 to Sept. 13.

* Appointed McCook dentist Dr. Chris Nix to a three-year term on the board of directors of the Southwest Public Health Department. Nix will serve as Red Willow County's and the dental profession's representative on the board.

* Received the final order on the Class E airspace ruling from McCook's airport from the Federal Aviation Administration.

* Certified as valid and filed county officers' inventories.

* Received a schedule of excess loss insurance and signed an amendment to the county's group life insurance policy with Gerber Life Insurance Company.

* Received and filed monthly and revenue reports from the county clerk and the sheriff and a report of changes to pledged securities from the county treasurer.