By Allison Peck | North Platte Post/Sandhills Post
Listen to the full interview with Commissioner Kent Weems on the Kubota Podcast Page
Lincoln County - Lincoln County residents saw a busy month in county government, with the Board of Commissioners addressing key infrastructure projects, public safety initiatives, and community service recognitions during November’s meetings. Commissioner Kent Weems provides insight on the discussions and decisions from the past four meetings.
The month kicked off on November 3, when the board reviewed claims, treasurer’s receipts, and several resolutions. One of the highlights was recognizing county employees for long-term service.
“We try to go out of our way to recognize those milestones in public service,” Weems said. “You need quality people to serve in the public sector… when we get a good employee that takes care of things for five years, 10, 30, we like to get those folks a certificate. It doesn’t—it’s not a lot, but it does let them know that we do appreciate what they do.”
The board also considered rules and regulations for meetings. Weems described these as procedural rather than transformative.
“If you look at the rules and regs that they gnashed their teeth over for months… everything in there is verbatim from the state statute,” he said. “Transparency doesn’t change. We have transparency just to the fact that we do comply with the Open Meetings Act.”
On November 10, the board tackled interlocal agreements with the city of North Platte, covering road maintenance and IT collaboration.
Weems explained the practical side of these arrangements: “From a practical standpoint… one or the other entities already has equipment in that area… so why not put the blade down and push that snow?”
On IT, he emphasized security concerns: “There’s a lot of nasty players in the world… who try to hack into public computer systems. So it’s vital that we work hand in hand with the city on IT.”
That same day, the board approved a manager change at Fast Stop 1155 in Sutherland and authorized a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
On the MOU, Weems said, “Our Veterans Service Officer… works tirelessly to help veterans through all the loopholes and jump all the hurdles to get benefits… it will remain confidential and will be treated along the HIPAA guidelines.”
The board also purchased a tandem snowplow truck for the Department of Roads.
Weems noted the importance of durability and value: “We want to see you get the best, maximize the value of these big pieces of equipment… if you can get 20 years out of it, then maybe it’s worth it.”
During the November 17 meeting, right-of-way applications and subdivision proposals were reviewed, including the Clemens and Prairie View Estates subdivisions.
Weems described these as largely procedural, with planning and zoning doing most of the heavy lifting: “By the time they get to us, it’s just a formality that we kind of give them our blessing… and say thank you for doing all the hard work and due diligence.”
Public safety initiatives were also addressed.
Regarding the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over grant, Weems said, “We give wholeheartedly our blessing to say, go after those monies… we don’t want drunk drivers harming others and crossing the center line.”
Bridge inspections, a routine but essential responsibility, were also discussed to ensure public safety and compliance: “You have to have those inspected… by certified folks, engineers that know how to evaluate the load values and determine that bridge is safe for the public to traverse.”
Finally, at the November 24 meeting, the board approved right-of-way permits for NCORPE and CenturyLink, both largely procedural matters to ensure proper installation and liability protection. The board also authorized a study for Viera Avenue, an issue stemming from previous disagreements over road maintenance.
Weems explained, “Since the city’s made it clear that they’re not going to… take care of it, the first thing that’s required by statute is to have the traffic study… the conclusion will likely be that it’s in the best interest of Mr. Vieira and the county to vacate the road.”
Police service agreements with the village of Maxwell were also discussed. Weems noted that Maxwell has historically opted out of interlocal agreements, but the board continues to explore solutions for consistent public safety coverage.
Reflecting on the county’s priorities, Weems said, “We have two primary requirements under the state statute and that is public safety and infrastructure. Anything else is to some degree just an add-on… County government… a lot of what we are required to do comes from Lincoln. And again, we only have the formula that we establish property values and from that derive the resources necessary to run all the local subdivisions.”