Long-time Hall County District Court Bailiff Sandy Kendall (left), who is retiring Thursday after 38 years on the job, is introduced to the Hall County Board of Commissioners by District Judge Patrick Lee, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – The Hall County Board of Commissioners recognized Hall County District Court bailiff Sandy Kendall Tuesday for her 38 years of work as a bailiff.
Kendall is retiring Thursday.
District Judge Patrick Lee introduced Kendall. He said she has been involved in 437 jury trials and has worked with four judges.
“Saying thank you is woefully inefficient,” Lee said about honoring Kendall.
Hall County Board Chairman Ron Peterson presented Kendall with a clock with an engraving below the clock face.
In other business, Jon Cannon, executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO), addressed the Board. He said that NACO is building an office in Ogallala so that the organization has geographical presence in outstate Nebraska. He gave an example of going to Harrison, Nebraska, in the Nebraska Panhandle. It is much closer for a NACO employee to travel to the town from Ogallala than Lincoln, improving efficiency of time involved.
One issue that came up in the Legislature’s last session was doing away with the inheritance tax. Cannon noted that a viable way of replacing that funding has not been found.
Cannon urged the Commissioners to remain in contact with the three state senators that represent portions of Hall County. Cannon noted that there are few people in the Legislature with county government experience, so it is important for county officials to inform state senators about counties’ needs.
Commissioner Gary Quandt said the county loses money in the cost of serving law-enforcement related papers. He suggested that NACO needs to address the issue.
Chairman Ron Peterson said that attention needs to be paid to unfunded mandates.
Steve Severson is with Davis Design of Lincoln, the architectural company the county has hired to work with the courthouse addition project. He said a request for proposals to find a construction manager at risk was published May 17. He hopes that a construction manager at risk can be selected prior to the Commissioners’ July meeting.
Commissioner Gary Quandt asked whether Commissioners will receive and open bids, or whether that will be done by the construction manager at risk. Severson said that the construction manager at risk would do the task, but there would be input from a three-member committee comprised of Commissioners.
Two people addressed the Board about the courthouse addition project.
Ron Nitzel of 1119 S. Vine St. noted that Commissioner Gary Quandt “has been trying to save the taxpayers’ money.” He had a collection of newspaper clippings about the courthouse addition and noted that the earliest article was published in 2013.
“How much of a burden is this going to be on the taxpayer?” Nitzel asked. He also asked why “we can’t put this to a public vote.”
Chairman Ron Peterson then responded that what would happen if voters did not approve the project.
Tim O’Neill of 1203 S. Sylvan was the next person to address the Board about the Courthouse.
‘It seems like you have the cart ahead of the horse,” O’Neill said. “In five years, it’s going to be to small.”
Commissioner Pam Lancaster said that the 100-year-old courthouse has not served the county’s needs for space. She named various buildings where county offices are located and said there is a campus of county buildings. She noted that judges feel that the project will last “far into the future.”
