The Richardson County Board of Commissioners met on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, for a regularly scheduled meeting at the Courthouse. Board members Karas, Campbell and Caverzagie answered the roll.
Highway Superintendent Steve Darveau, Jr. updated the Commissioners on routine maintenance on county roads and bridges. Darveau noted that with the recent snow, most of the county’s trucks and graders were out clearing roads.
He also noted that his staff was gathering and preparing information for a grant application with the U.S. Department of Transportation Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program for funding in cooperation with the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska and the village of Rulo. The grant would be used for improvements to the bridge at the mouth of the Nemaha River, the hard-surfaced road south of Rulo and certain street repairs inside Rulo.
Sheriff Hardest advised the Board that additional surplus items had been listed on a law enforcement auction site, GovDeals.
The Commissioners also considered three quotes for repairs to the grease and sewer drain at the Law Enforcement Center. After a discussion, Commissioner Campbell made a motion to accept a quote from Airstream Heating and Cooling to replace two existing sewage ejector pumps, float switches, seal the sewage pit and rework the pump venting to correct specifications. The quote received from Airstream Heating and Cooling was $4,100.00.
The Board also discussed a quote for inmate meal service at the jail. The matter was tabled until the Sheriff could meet with the current meal provider and provide information at the next meeting.
EMA Director Brian Kirkendall met with the Board to review the expenses involved with maintaining and insuring the outdoor warning sirens located within the corporate limits of the villages and cities in the county.
Kirkendall advised the Commissioners that there are currently 14 sirens located throughout the county. The total cost to maintain the sirens is $14,490 annually, just over a thousand dollars apiece. It also costs approximately $400 per year to insure the sirens and another $408.57 per siren for the “Commander” software which allows the National Weather Service to automatically sound the sirens to issue a tornado warning or for Kirkendall to do so from his phone. It costs the county approximately $1,800.00 per year per siren to provide, maintain and insure the sirens.
Kirkendall also advised the members that it is rare for counties to own, maintain and insure sirens.
According to EMA Director Kirkendall, Gage County pays for everything. Nearly everybody else (towns and villages) has bought their own sirens, paid for them, maintained them, and even sounded them themselves.
“Gage County owns all the sirens,” said Kirkendall. “Gage County pays for all the expenses.”
Kirkendall explained that Nemaha County owns one siren (Duck Creek), Otoe County owns zero, Jefferson County owns zero, and Saline County owns one (NRD campground). According to Kirkendall, most counties outside of Richardson don’t own the sirens, didn’t pay to have them installed and didn’t pay for the maintenance.
The Board decided to continue reviewing the matter at the following meeting and requested that the County Attorney be present to assist in drafting an interlocal agreement with the villages and cities.
The Board accepted Jerry McKim’s appointment to the Richardson County Planning Commission for a term of three years, which will expire on December 31, 2027.
A subdivision for Towle Realty at S23, T1 and R16 was presented to the Board but it was held until next week’s meeting.
A motion was made by Karas and seconded by Campbell to pay the claims.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:49 a.m.
