Lancaster County
Board of Commissioners
Board of Commissioners
lancaster.ne.gov
MINUTES
Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners
County-city Building
Personnel Conference Room
Tuesday, October 14, 1997
11:30 A.m.
Commissioners Present: Linda Steinman, Chair
Kathy Campbell
Steve Svoboda
Darlene Tussing
Commissioners Absent: Larry Hudkins
Others Present: Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer
Ann Taylor, County Clerk's Office
AGENDA ITEM
1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF OCTOBER 9, 1997
MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded approval of the minutes. On
call Campbell, Tussing, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion
carried.
2 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA
a. Lincoln Partnership Meeting (Board Member Meetings)
b. Microcomputer Request from District Court Probation, in the amount
of $882.66 from the Microcomputer Fund, #97269
c. Meeting with Chinn Planning, Inc.
d. Potential Litigation
e. Board of Equalization Notice In Lieu of Summons
MOTION: Tussing moved and Svoboda seconded approval of the additions
to the agenda. On call Tussing, Svoboda,
Campbell and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried.
3 PENDING LITIGATION
MOTION: Campbell moved and Svoboda seconded to enter Executive Session at
11:40 a.m. for the purpose of potential and pending litigation. On
call Campbell, Svoboda, Tussing and Steinman voted aye. Motion
carried.
MOTION: Tussing moved and Svoboda seconded to exit Executive Session at
12:10 p.m. On call Tussing, Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted
aye. Motion carried.
Board proceeded to Agenda Item 5.
5 NETSCAPE FOR COUNTY CLERK EMPLOYEES - Kandra Hahn, County Clerk
Kandra Hahn, County Clerk, distributed copies of a Wall Street Journal
article (Exhibit A) and an advertisement for Internet service (Exhibit B) in
support of her request for eight additional Netscape licenses for the County
Clerk's office. Hahn explained that helping the public locate information
is a mission of the Clerk's office and the Internet is a tool that can help
achieve that goal.
Hahn stated that employee use of the Internet is a management issue and that
she encourages employees within her department to experiment with the
Internet with the expectation that discovery will increase productivity.
Campbell noted that the Board has approved Netscape licenses for other
departments, but that the licenses were tied to specific job descriptions.
Steinman stated that she did not see a correlation between work performed by
the County Clerk's office and use of the Internet.
Board proceeded to Agenda Item 4.
4 CONTRACT FOR THE COUNTY INDIRECT COST PLAN; SELECTION OF AUDITORS
Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer
Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, briefly reviewed the proposed
contract with David M. Griffith & Associates, LTD for the County indirect
cost plan (Commissioners' Information Packet).
Steinman inquired whether Requests for Proposal (RFP) were required, since
the amount was over $1,000.
Eagan responded that bids were not required for professional services such
as this.
Board consensus to place the item on the agenda for a Tuesday, County Board
of Commissioners meeting, following County Attorney review.
Kroeker reported that a five year contract for audit services for the County
will expire with completion of the 1997 audit.
Kroeker suggested that an Audit Committee be established to make
recommendations on auditor selection, bring accounting principals into
conformance, assist auditors in developing an audit plan and perform basic
audit functions and review potential problems with the auditors following
the audit.
In response to a question from Steinman, Kroeker stated that the City of
Lincoln currently has an internal auditor, with oversight by the Mayor and
City Council.
The Board concurred with Kroeker's suggestion, naming the following
individuals to the Audit Committee:
a. Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer
b. Tim Genuchi, Accounting Operations Manager, County Clerk's Office
c. Terry Adams, Deputy County Treasurer
d. Liz Thanel, Business Manager, Corrections Department
e. Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney
The Board also requested that Kroeker contact the Association of Internal
Auditors for recommendation of a member of their organization to serve on
the County's Audit Committee and that he work with the County Attorney's
office in drafting a Resolution to establish an Audit Committee.
Board returned to Agenda Item 5.
Brief discussion on followed on the request, with Board consensus that the
issuance of Netscape licenses should be supported by job description need.
In response to a question from Campbell, Ann Taylor, County Clerk
Administrative Aide, stated that she uses the Internet primarily for
legislative research. She also noted that information related to accounting
functions and the issuance of out-state marriage licenses is also researched
on the Internet by staff in the Clerk's office.
MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded to approve three Netscape
licenses for the County Clerk's office and request an update from
the County Clerk at mid-year on how Internet usage corresponds with
job descriptions in the County Clerk's office, with consideration
by the Board of the additional five licenses requested at that time
or in the next year's budget. On call Campbell, Svoboda, Tussing
and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried.
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA
a. Board of Equalization Notice In Lieu of Summons
Eagan reported that the County Attorney did not receive a Board of
Equalization Notice in Lieu of Summons, filed in the County Clerk's office,
in a timely manner. He stated that, as a result, a response deadline set by
the Tax Equalization & Review Commission (TERC) was not met by the County.
Kandra Hahn, Lancaster County Clerk, stated that her staff apparently did
not follow written office policy in processing of the notice.
Eagan reported that the County Attorney is seeking a waiver from TERC on
failure to answer the lawsuit, due to clerical error.
b. Microcomputer Request from District Court Probation, in the
amount of $882.66 from the Microcomputer Fund, #97269
Eagan reported that Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, had recommended
approval of the request for an ink jet printer and keyboard from the
Microcomputer Fund.
MOTION: Tussing moved and Svoboda seconded approval of the microcomputer
request from District Court Probation. On call Tussing, Svoboda,
Campbell and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried.
Eagan also reported that Information Services was continuing to search for
used 486 computer equipment for the District Court Probation office, as
authorized by the Board.
c. Meeting with Chinn Planning, Inc.
Board consensus to schedule a luncheon meeting with Karen Chinn, Chinn
Planning, Inc., for 11 a.m. at The Renaissance, Cornhusker Hotel.
6 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT
a. County-wide Disaster Tabletop Exercise - Tuesday, November 4, 1997
from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m at the Airport Quality Inn
Eagan reported that he would be attending the first three hours of the
exercise.
7 PENDING
a. Establishment of Special Improvement District in Princeton
b. South Street Campus
8 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS
a. Master Plan Steering Committee - Hudkins
No report given.
b. Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee - Tussing
Tussing reported that items of discussion included location of the "F"
Street Recreation Center, Edenton Park, Highlands Park swimming pool and
finalization of the purchase of property located west of Pioneers Park.
Tussing also reported that a decision had been made with regards to the
Antelope Creek Valley Study to open up the waterway channel near Lincoln
High School, instead of using retention ponds.
c. Public Building Commission - Campbell, Hudkins
Campbell reported that the "K" Street Building is almost fully occupied and
that additional cooling of the building, requested by the State Historical
Society, would be through a Nebraska Association of County Officials
(NACO) lease.
Campbell reported that office equipment and furniture purchases will be
billed to the Public Building Commission (PBC). She also noted that if an
order was placed by a department separate from that which was authorized
through the Master Plan, then the PBC would bill that department for the
purchase.
Campbell also reported discussion on bids for the renovation of the Federal
Building, an Aliant Cellular tower at the Health Department and relay of
building panic calls through the 911 Center.
d. Lincoln Partnership Meeting - Campbell
Campbell reported that a Gallup Organization report on the Building and
Safety Department was discussed. She suggested that the Board consider
having Gallup provide similar feedback on one County department each year.
Campbell also reported that Kent Seacrest had provided an update on the
Antelope Creek Valley Study. She noted that the Antelope Creek Valley Study
is considered a priority issue for the Nebraska Congressional delegation.
Additional items of discussion noted by Campbell were legislative issues and
the Economic Development job web site.
9 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS
a. Board of Health - Tuesday, October 14, 1997, at
7:30 p.m., at 3140 "N" Street, #236 - Hudkins
b. Government Access & Information Committee -
Wednesday, October 15, 1997, at 12 p.m., at the
County-City Building, Fourth Floor Conference Room - Steinman
c. Master Plan Steering Committee - Thursday, October
16, 1997, at 1:15 p.m., at the County-city Building
Fourth Floor Conference Room - Hudkins
d. City-County Common - Friday, October 17, 1997, at 8
a.m, at the County-City Building, Fourth Floor
Conference Room - All Commissioners
e. Visitors Promotion Committee - Monday, October 20,
1997, at 8 a.m, at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce - Svoboda
f. District Energy Corporation - Tuesday, October
2,1997, at 12 p.m., at the Lincoln Electric System
Board Room - Hudkins, Svoboda
10 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS
a. Satellite Broadcast of "Independent Women-Independent Girls:
Economic Wisdom for the Next
Generation" - Saturday, October 25, 1997, from 8:30
a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Nebraska Center for
Continuing Education, 33rd & Holdrege
b. People's City Mission Stewardship Banquet -
Thursday, November 20, 1997, at 6:30 p.m., at
Pershing Auditorium
11 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD
12 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD
13 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 21, 1997
14 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS
15 ADJOURNMENT
By direction of the Chair, the meeting was adjourned.
__________________________
Kandra Hahn
Lancaster County Clerk