ARPA funds to county employee bonus, other projects

McCOOK, Neb. — On a split vote, Red Willow County commissioners approved a $2,000 retention bonus for full-time employees who have worked for the county at least three months.

Randy Dean voted against the motion, saying he was sympathetic with county employees, “but everybody’s facing the same thing,” said Dean, who is also on the board of Hillcrest Nursing Home. He said ARPA funding that will provide the bonuses was intended to hold down tax.

Cayla Richards, a former county employee, and chairman Earl McNutt, a current employee, voted in favor of the motion, although McNutt said he had serious reservations about the move. Both will be leaving office after being defeated in the primary election.

Dean said he did not feel it was appropriate for elected officials to vote themselves bonuses, but McNutt countered that commissioners vote on their own salaries already.

After taxes and retirement deductions, full-time employees will take home about $1,400 of the retention bonus. The motion included a $1,000 bonus for permanent part-time employees. There are about 56 full-time county employees and eight permanent part-time, translating to about $120,000 in bonuses.

In discussion before the vote, several county officials spoke in favor of the bonus, citing inflation, child care costs and competition from other local employees as reasons it was difficult to attract and retain employees.

Openings now bring a handful of applicants, compared to dozens in previous years. Many employees are forced to hold down two jobs, they said.

ARPA funding offers “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to express employees for sticking around over “a rough couple of years,” Deputy County Clerk Penny Cooper said. Asked about openings, Sheriff Alan Kotschwar said he had openings for two deputies and three jailers. There is also at least one other opening in the courthouse.

After the vote on bonuses, other current or potential ARPA-funded projects included increased courthouse security, an office directory, new carpeting, windows, a new computer server and firewall, repairs and remodeling of the ag building on the fairground, new tasers and a transport vehicle for the sheriff’s department.

McNutt noted that employees had been granted a $1,000 bonus for receiving COVID shots a year ago.

In other employment business, commissioners will interview four candidates for the courthouse custodial position at Monday’s regular meeting.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, a retired nurse, Nancy Rippen, expressed concern over the lack of volunteer staffing at the ABC Pregnancy Center.

County Assessor Kristi Korell said the county had agreed to value the former Chief Motel at $1.5 million, following a Tax Equalization & Review Commission settlement on that amount. The motel was previously assessed at $3.7 million, so the change results in a loss of about $40,000 in property tax revenue. Mike Malleck appeared before commissioners with concern that a Geographic Information System had not been corrected to show that an island on his property on the Republican River no longer existed, creating issues about public hunting land and other issues. Commissioner Randy Dean assured him the GIS map would be corrected. Commissioners also approved accounts payable of about $384,000 and authorized Hartman Telephone Co. to install fiber optic cable between Danbury and Lebanon, and gave Ward Craft Homes permission to transport a home through the county on its way from Linden to Imperial. Also approved was an interlocal agreement with Indianola for county law enforcement services at $1,500 a quarter or $6,000 a year.