Lincoln County Commissioners discuss wedding venue change, grants, and more at recent meeting

With all members present, the Lincoln County Commissioners met Tuesday, September 5 in the Lincoln County Boardroom to discuss agenda items including a wedding venue change, performance grants, structure replacement and more.

Auditor, Sheri Lund requested board action to approve a temporary permissible use alcoholic beverage license.

“We have the applicant here, they want to hold an event at the fairgrounds per the contract for the fairgrounds to have permissible use which is non selling they need to come in and speak on it,” she said.

Abby Bergland joined the meeting to give more context on the event she plans to hold.

“I’m getting married in four days, and I was going to have my reception at a new building in Lennox but they changed plans last minute, so we went with the Lincoln County 4H building and the place we were going to have it before was going to sell alcohol, but the location we’re having at now does not and we just wanted to do like a bring your own type of thing,” Bergland explained.

The Commissioners congratulated Bergland on her upcoming nuptials and with no opposition, motion approved.

Harold Timmerman, Emergency Management Coordinator, requested board action to approve and authorize execution of the 2024 Local Emergency Management Performance Grant.

“This is the approval for getting authorization for the chair to sign the local emergency operations program for next year, which pays half of my salary and administrative expenses. There’s a few additional requirements this year some of which I’ve already got done so it shouldn’t be a big challenge but there will be some new things that we have to do,” Timmerman said.

The grant pays for 50 percent of the Lincoln County Emergency Managers salary and benefits each year, and the approval of the agreement will allow Timmerman to start receiving reimbursements from the spring and summer of 2024. Motion approved.

Highway Superintendent, Terry Fluit requested board action to approve and authorize the chair to execute documents regarding the replacement of structures 42-011-210 and 42-012-210.

“These structures are a part of the 2020 federal grant replacement program that we are awarded back in 2020. We were awarded four structures and these are the last two. A couple months ago I brought in the documents for the other two structures these are the last two, so they are getting close to being built. What we’re looking for is the approving and signing of the utility certificate, letting authorization, right of way certificate, a Lounsberry easement, Johnson easement, Null easement, and Harr easement papers,” Fluit said.

The structures are located on 289th Street South of Lennox. Motion approved.

Human Resources Director, Traci Humphrey requested board action to approve a reclassification of the Administrative Assistant and Jail Office Assistant in the Sheriff’s Officer from a grade 104 to 105.

“We had a recent vacancy in the Sheriff’s Office for their administrative assistant role and part of our process is to review that job description and see if there’s any appropriate changes to the role. As a result, we have found that the position has changed. It was nine years ago the last time it was reviewed so we are asking for approval to reclassify the administrative assistant and subsequently the jail office assistant from a grade 104 to 105. The reasons for that is the responsibilities for the position have changed and we’ve added minimum requirement of four years and bookkeeping and a preferred experience in accounting just so they can have the knowledge necessary for that role,” she said.

The increase from a grade 104 to 105 would increase pay $3,000 a year. Motion approved.

Auditor, Sheri Lund joined the meeting to approve and adopt the 2024 Provisional Budget as the annual budget of appropriations and expenditures for Lincoln County, its institutions and agencies for 2024.

“So in the packet on the agenda I did a summary of the changes that we’ve done since the budget was published and up to date not including the ones that were passed today, and what my recommendation would do who is or be if we have anybody else that wants to speak on their budget have them speak today otherwise I’d make the adjustments for the budget that were affected today and then presented again on the 19th and hopefully have it passed on the 19th so give us another week to do it,” she said.

No action will be taken until the final budgets have been spoken on.