Commissioners adopt $16.4 million budget

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.

Also related to the budget, the board increased the base of restricted funds by an additional 1 percent and authorized the county treasurer to transfer designated levy funds from the general fund to the self insurance fund and the road fund after each month's collections. The designated levy funds amounted to $738,933.46 for the insurance fund and $493,852.15 for the road fund.

In other action, the board approved the following items on the Consent Agenda:

* minutes from previous Board of Commissioners and Board of Equalization meetings.

* accounts payable claims

* the transfer of $200,000 from the Inheritance Fund to the Self-Insurance Fund for the purpose of improving revenue

* an application from McCook Public Power District to occupy the County right of way in Section 6, T2N, R30W

* changes to the pledged securities for the County Treasurer dated 9/1/10 and 9/7/10.

The following correspondence and reports were reviewed and placed on file:

* A notice from the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services that the County would shortly receive the child support incentive payment for federal fiscal year 10/1/07 through 9/30/08

* Update on CDBG No. 3 Accounts, County Clerk's Monthly Fees, and Clerk of District Court's Monthly Fees.

Myra Stoney presented Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department's 2009 Annual Report.

She talked about many programs, such as TOUCAN -- Teaching Our Youth Choices - Activities and Nutrition, Walk to Health, and FROG -- Fitness Reaching Older Generations. She told the board that SWNPHD is trying to get the pandemic preparedness groups back together to be active again.

She said that one way to prevent obesity in schools is to change the environment, such as replacing a pop machine with a milk machine in the school cafeterias, as was done in the McCook Public Schools.

The board authorized the chairman to sign a letter that grant administrator Jacque Haupt had written on their behalf to Steve Charleston of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development regarding the EarthBlooms CDBG grant and enclosed a copy of the letter that they had sent to owner Andela Taylor coaching her on her response to Charleston's performance monitoring review and follow-up on-site visit.

The minutes of all meetings are uploaded on the County's website: www.co.red-willow.ne.us, according to Pauletta Gerver, county court.