Supervisors approve jail site

Plans for a new Gage County Detention Center are moving forward.

The Gage County Board of Supervisors approved a three-year purchase option on a plot of land in west Beatrice during Wednesday’s regular meeting of the board. As part of the purchase option, the county will pay the landowners $5,000 each of the three years.

The 15- to 16-acre tract of land is located 458 feet north of the ESU No. 5 building at 900 W. Court St, in Beatrice. It begins at Nebraska Highway 4 and tracks west.

The supervisors have estimated a 44,000 to 45,000 square foot area for the facility.

The land is currently owned by Gary and Karen Higgins.

Supervisor Ron Fleecs, chairman of the building and grounds subcommittee, said infrastructure is already available on the land.

“Water and sewer is all there, so that’s not a problem,” Fleecs told fellow supervisors Wednesday.

In addition, Gage County Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson said a fiberoptics cable runs along the south edge of the property, allowing for easy advances in technology within the detention center.

The real estate includes access to both Highway 4 and Bell Street.

Gustafson said that, even though it isn’t the best property, it is the best for the cost.

The site acquisition cost, Fleecs said, would be $225,000.

“It’ll be doable,” Gustafson said. “Affordable is the key word.”

Supervisor Shirley Gronewold said she was pleased with the land and its price.

Other tracts of land were coming with estimates well over $400,000.

“I’ll tell you things I like about it. It’s affordable. It’s on a main highway, and it’s not intrusive on its neighbors,” added Supervisor Dave Anderson. “We need to proceed and get a land locked down.”

Anderson suggested that the county board not push a bond issue vote this year due to economy uncertainty.

A $2.8 million bond issue for courthouse renovation barely passed last spring, and Anderson said he doesn’t feel that rushing into a bond issue to pay for a new jail this year would be a good idea.

Supervisor Gary Barnard was not pleased with the choice of land.

“I don’t believe it’s the best location,” Barnard said. “A bad spot never gets any better.”

Barnard stated that the board didn’t look enough at the land “across the street,” or the tract of land that the jail is currently on.

Barnard said building a new jail on land where the jail currently sits would be the county’s best option.

Board chairman Rex Adams pointed out that, if the current site was used, both Seventh and Grant streets would have to be permanently closed to accommodate expansion.

Bob Sykes, chairman of the jail steering committee, said that neither he nor the committee were involved in the selection of the real estate option, but he didn’t necessarily disagree with it.

“It just keeps going around and around and around. Maybe its not the right time, but the need is there,” Sykes said.

Adams agreed with the need, stating that more than $12,000 was spent by the county in the last two weeks on housing prisoners outside of Gage County.

Originally, a bond issue to pay for a new jail was proposed for $10 million to $12 million for a 110-bed jail. Now, the board and Gustafson have shrunk plans down to $8 million for an 85-bed jail.

With a site now in the works, Fleecs said the board will be able to move forward with making definite plans for architecture.

Fleecs said that moving forward is the best option right now. He said $4,200 was spent on legal costs in April of 2008 and $3,500 for the appraisal of a 40-acre tract of land north of Beatrice.

“We’ve spent around $8,300 so far and have nothing to show for it.”

The board will hold public meetings on Feb. 18 at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the courthouse to interview the three final architects.

The three architectural firms to be interviewed are Roger Lichtman of New Jersey, Al Povondra of Omaha and SFS Architecture of Kansas City, Kan.

The board approved the real estate option 6-1, with Barnard against.

In other business:

— A public hearing was held and tax exemptions on vehicles owned by qualifying non-profit organizations were approved with a 6-1 vote with Supervisor Dennis Byars abstaining due to his employment at the Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center.

The following businesses and tax amount exemptions were approved: Beatrice Mennonite Church, $26.60, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, $91.20, Gold Crest Retirement Center, $293, Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center, Inc., $1,034, The Salvation Army, $446.40, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, $67.20, Blue Valley Mental Health Center, Inc., $468, Mosaic, $3,635, St. John’s Lutheran Church, $63, Church of the Promise, $85.80, Boy Scout Troop No. 221, $13.50, First Assembly of God Church, $22.60, PEO Home, $18.20, Wymore Good Samaritan Center, $294, Beatrice Good Samaritan Center, $202.20, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, $26.60.

— Supervisor Matt Bauman suggested that the public comments and requests for future agenda items forum be returned to the beginning of county board meetings so that the public will not have to wait until the end of the meeting to make their comments or requests. The forum had been moved to the end of the agendas by Adams, who felt that having comments at the end would keep meetings shorter.

— The board approved the Board of Supervisors Standing Rules, and added No. 30 to the rules.

No. 30: Only the chairman and their designee will be authorized to incur expenses relevant to outside professional services including, but not limited to, attorneys, accountants, engineers and professional people.

This rule was added to prevent board members from promising things or speaking on behalf of the entire board without the entire board’s knowledge or approval, Anderson said. Barnard felt that the rule gave too much power to the chairperson. The board approved and added No. 30 with a 5-1 vote with Barnard against and Fleecs absent.

— Bauman motioned to amend Standing Rule No. 28 regarding posting of the board meeting agenda. The amendment will require three board members to agree upon adding an item to the agenda after it is completed on the Friday before each Wednesday meeting. Currently any board member can add an item to the agenda until 8:30 a.m. the Tuesday before without approval of the chairman or any other member. The amendment was passed 6-0 with Fleecs absent.

— Barnard announced that he attended Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) functions the past two Fridays. Several bills NACO will support will affect the county, he said. NACO will oppose the reduction of the inheritance tax, which funnels more than $400,000 back to the county. Bill 13 will exempt $13,000 off of the top of special homestead single family residences, lowering property taxes on those residences about $260 per year. LB 239 will support homestead exemptions for veterans. NACO will support both.