Buffalo County Courthouse (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — It’s a new year and there were new officers elected during the Buffalo County Commissioners first meeting of 2025 on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Sherry Morrow was elected as chairperson, while Bill Maendele was selected as vice-chairperson for the board.
In other business, the commissioners authorized Chairperson Morrow to sign a letter of approval for the Economic Development Council related to the need for workforce housing in the Buffalo County area.
During the zoning portion of the meeting, the commissioners approved an application for the Niemack Administrative Subdivision near 70th Road.
Mitch Humphrey with Buffalo Surveying Corporation appeared to represent Greg Niemack who had filed the application.
Humphrey noted there had been two houses on the property but one had been uninhabitable and the family had allowed the Shelton Fire Department to use it for controlled burn training. The new subdivision would reflect the changes to the property.
During the board reports Commissioners Ivan Klein and Ron Loeffelholz noted they had been contacted about road conditions during the last winter storm which featured a glaze of ice that slickened road surfaces.
Klein said crews had laid down ice melt on several roads, but it was noted that most standard ice melts like rock salt become less effective at melting ice in very cold conditions. He noted road crews do add sand in the mix to help with traction.
During the facilities update, Steve Gaasch, Facilities Director, noted that the demolition of the former Mid-Town Inn has been completed and that employees from the county have been cleaning up the site.
Gaasch said the plan at the moment is to use the site for parking county vehicles and for those attending jury duty. He said parking fills up outside of the courthouse quickly each day.
Sheriff Neil Miller gave an update about the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office and noted that the jail population was sitting at 124 individuals on Tuesday, which is lower than the usual average.
Miller said they are at full staff in the jail and on the road, but they need additional dispatchers.
