PC Commissioners hear requests from City of Grant and review proposed updates to comp plan and zoning regulations during recent meeting

The Perkins County Board of Commissioners worked through a busy agenda during their Monday, March 2 meeting.

Routine business included approval of the agenda, previous meeting minutes, payroll, and claims. Correspondence reviewed by the board included a Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association (NIRMA) report and a resignation letter from Dawnya Dreiling, who stepped down from the Perkins County Planning and Zoning Board. Commissioners accepted her resignation with appreciation for her service, creating a vacancy that must now be filled by a new representative from District 2.

Road issues were dealt with during the meeting with the board discussing a center-pivot irrigation system belonging to Ardean Goertzen at Roads 328 and 754 that overhangs the county road. The commissioners approved sending a certified letter to Goertzen to address the problem.

The commissioners also agreed to sign a grant request letter to the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s Grant Selection Board seeking assistance for three paving projects, while acknowledging that local matching funds will still be required.

Another topic the commissioners discussed was safety concerns and access at the Perkins County Senior Center in Grant brought to the attention of the commissioners by Grant City Superintendent Derek Brueggeman, who asked the commissioners to considering assisting in remedying the issues.

City Superintendent Brueggeman presented the commissioners with a rough draft for a city-proposed project to asphalt the parking lot south of the center that belongs to the city, along with a proposal from the city to replace the uneven sidewalk in front of the center at the same time.

After much discussion, the commissioners decided that because the building is owned by the nonprofit entity Perkins County Senior Services, Inc. rather than the county, and because the county has no money budgeted for such work, the county would pass on committing funds to the projects. Instead, they recommended the city look to outside funding, including the “Safe Streets” program and Perkins County Community Foundation Fund grants, to help cover costs.

The board also examined how the county supports the city-owned Hastings Memorial Library. Currently, the county provides an annual contribution of $8,000 to the library, but it was noted during the meeting that bills are sometimes late or incomplete. To simplify the process, it was proposed that an interlocal agreement be created with the city that would allow the city to pay library vendors directly with the county remitting its support on a regular schedule, such as quarterly.

Commissioners agreed that this approach would be cleaner and easier to audit and asked that a draft agreement be prepared by the city for a future commissioners meeting.

Commissioners heard a report from Edward Dunn of West Central Nebraska Development District on the status of updating the county’s comprehensive plan and zoning regulations. New proposed updates presented by Dunn included sections covering data mining and cryptocurrency mining and clearer language for regulating industrial-scale green energy projects. The commissioners stressed the importance of making these rules explicit, especially as state lawmakers consider changes that could affect local control. They also noted that land use documents must be updated to reflect changes in ownership, such as recent transactions involving the county’s ethanol plant.

Before adjourning, commissioners reviewed a list of follow-up actions, including obtaining signatures on the paving grant request, finalizing bond documents for a county road grader, mailing the certified pivot letter, recruiting a new Planning and Zoning Board member for District Two, confirming statutory requirements for planning commission representation, and scheduling a planning commission hearing in time for the county to meet a mid-March public hearing deadline.

The next regular meeting of the Perkins County Commissioners will be on Monday, March 16 at 8:30 a.m.