County Board Considers Employee Wellness

The Kearney County Board of Supervisors considered a new employee wellness program for the 70-plus courthouse employees when they met on Tuesday, July 19.
They heard the quarterly loss report from Angie Miller of NIRMA. She informed the board that the Allan Fengmeyer case is still open and nothing had been paid yet, but some cost may come in the future. She also explained several workman’s compensation incidents that had occurred but not led to payouts.
The board approved the extension of the Homestead Extension for Viola Hartman and Maxine Noltie which was set to expire on July 20.
There was discussion about the minutes, bills and claims as a section of pipe which had been serviced was plugged again the following day, and the county was charged for a company to come and unplug it. There was some question to the county’s responsibility. There was also some concern about the heating and air distribution in the courthouse, but it was suggested that some of the vents be partially closed to allow air to get to the back parts of the building and into some offices that might not be getting enough air flow with all the vents left open.
The issue was brought up of an inmate who was arrested in Harlan County on a Kearney County warrant. He was treated at a hospital in Harlan County and Kearney County had received a bill for the treatment, of which the county had agreed to pay half. With that, the minutes, bills and claims were approved.
The board approved the county inventory reports without discussion.
Monica Miller gave an update from the Visitors Promotion Committee. The committee meets the second Tuesday of every quarter to handle requests for funding. They accepted a request of lodging tax. The committee’s purpose is to increase visiting and tourism in the county. They generally consider giving funding to programs that are likely to bring in people from more than 100 miles away, as those are the visitors most likely to stay overnight and to shop, eat and buy gas in town. To receive grants, the state pushes that boundary out to 125 miles.

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