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McNutt reelected commissioner chair
McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County’s District 1 representative, Earl McNutt, of McCook, was unanimously re-elected chairman of the county’s board of commissioners Monday morning during the commissioners’ first meeting of 2020.
This will be McNutt’s 17th year as chairman of the three-member board of commissioners.
Through 2013, McNutt served as board chairman for 13 years, and then, in 2014, he encouraged someone else to experience the chairmanship and Vesta Dack, District 3 representative, served as chairman in 2014 and 2015. McNutt served again as chairman in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
During Monday’s meeting, McNutt was nominated for the chairman position by District 3 representative Cayla Richards, of rural McCook, whose nomination was seconded by District 3 representative Steve Downer, of rural Bartley.
Downer will again serve as board vice chairman, on a nomination and second by Richards and McNutt.
In other yearly board reorganization:
— Downer will again serve as chairman of the board of equalization, and Richards will be vice chairman.
— McNutt and Richards will again serve as chairman and vice-chairman of the noxious weed control authority.
— Commissioners renewed a contract with Miller & Associates to provide the county with a road superintendent, at $500 a month, which is reimbursed to the county by the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
— Commissioners renewed a contract with Carol Schlegel to act as the county’s tourism director for 2020. Schlegel is an independent contractor and not a county employee. Her salary, $40,000 a year (unchanged from 2019), is paid with lodging taxes, not with county taxes.
— Commissioners appointed Sheriff Alan Kotschwar to be the county’s emergency manager.
— Commissioners designated the McCook Gazette as the official county newspaper, and the Red Willow County’s website as an additional means of providing public notice of meetings.
— Commissioners adopted a resolution designating these banks as depositories for the county for calendar year 2020: MNB Bank, Pinnacle Bank, Horizon Bank, First Central Bank, Adams Bank and Trust in Indianola, State Bank of Bartley and NPAIT (Nebraska Public Agency Investment Trust).
— Commissioners reappointed county employees to the county’s personnel and safety committee: Alan Kotschwar, Crystal Dack, Karla Polly, Lori Stevens, Greg Holthus, Tracy Soderlund, Tami Teel, Jody Bethel, Gretchen Wiebe, Teresa Kuhlmann and Bill Elliott. Jesse Chmiel replaces Charlie Collins, who retired.
— Commissioners will themselves serve as representatives of the county and the board of commissioners on these committees, the appointments to which were unchanged from 2019:
McNutt: Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department, REWARDS, county fair board and the county health board.
Downer: Hillcrest Nursing Home, planning and zoning commission, E911, RC&D and Region II governing board.
Richards: County visitors’ committee, veterans service committee, work ethic camp community involvement committee and the city/county cooperation committee.
In other action during the meeting:
— Fair board manager Deb Lafferty introduced Jiles Bowman, hired as the new fair board manager, to commissioners.
— Commissioners accepted a bridge inspection report from HGM Associates on a 48-year-old, 36-by-24-foot bridge over the Silver Creek at County Road 719 southeast of Bartley. Downer described the bridge as “a good, stout, heavy bridge” that is showing some natural age. The report indicates that signage needs to be repaired or replaced, that nearby trees must be cut down, that erosion needs to be filled in and that gravel must be cleaned of the deck.
— Commissioners reappointed Curtis Smith and Dan Ebers to the County Visitors Board, terms to expire Dec. 31, 2023.
— Commissioners approved tax roll corrections and motor vehicle exemptions from county treasurer Sue Wesch.