Officials get refresher course on bidding

McCOOK, Neb. — County officials will be getting a refresher course on bidding requirements following three problems discovered during the annual audit.

In a letter to commissioners, Don Wilson, CPA, noted that a pickup purchase should have been put out for formal bidding, because the trade-in value put the purchase over the $50,000 threshold set by state law.

In addition, a new computer server purchased for $15,000 should have been subject to informal bidding, and a staff member of the Veterans Service Office was hired as a contract employee and earned enough to be classified as a county employee according to IRS rules.

That final error has been corrected, and county department directors will receive a copy of bidding regulations so the errors are not repeated.

Those rules became immediately applicable when Jail Administrator Dee Schilz requested the purchase of a new 100-gallon water heater for the jail.

While the facility has two water heaters, one of them was apparently inadvertently switched off, overworking the other to the point that it failed and leaked water into the prisoners’ area.

Commissioners could have declared the issue an emergency, but since Schilz said she expected the existing water heater to continue working for the time being, informal bids will be sought for a replacement. That will be especially expensive because a crane will have to be used to lift the new water heater up to the “penthouse” where it will be located.

At Monday’s first meeting of the year, Ted Gans was elected chairman of the board of commissioners, Randy Dean vice-chairman, Dean chairman of the board of equalization and Gans vice chairman, and Charlie Fritsche chairman of the Noxious Weed Control Authority.

On a unanimous vote, Dean was named to represent commissioners on boards of the RC&D, Region II, REWARD and Hilcrest Nursing Home. Fritsche was appointed to the McCook Economic Development Corp., City/County Cooperation Committee, Nebraska County Extension board, Veterans Service Committee, County Visitors Committee and Worth Ethic Camp Community Involvement Committee.

Other business:

• More information is being sought on Flying Free LLC, a 501c3 corporation seeking tax exemption. A hearing was set for March 6 and 915 a.m.

• County Treasurer Crystal Deck appeared with six tax roll corrections regarding mobile homes that had changed ownership. She was also directed to create an account for Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Funds received under the American Rescue Plan Act.

• Commissioners approved a $4,450 per year two-year contract with Prichard & Abbott, for oil appraisals. That contract was up $330 a year.

Red Willow County had some $8.726 million on oil property valuation last year.

• Commissioners renewed a contract with County Tourism Director Carol Schlegel for 2023, with a new agreement including a 5% increase. That position is funded with occupation taxes on hotels.