State Sen. Dan Quick of Grand Island (left) gives an update to Hall County Commissioners Nov. 18. (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – State Sen. Dan Quick of Grand Island gave an update Nov. 18 to the Hall County Board of Commissioners and commented about a number of issues.
Quick said that Medicaid rates have been cut, which has affected services to children with autism. He mentioned a facility in Hastings that provides services, and 15 children there will not receive services.
Commissioner Gary Quandt asked whether there were any plans to eliminate the inheritance tax.
‘I’m not in favor of that,” Quick said.
Commissioner Pam Lancaster said that counties do not have the same revenue sources as other municipalities, such as cities. She suggested looking at what services the county provides considering how much money the county requests. She noted that the inheritance tax is necessary to fund some services.
Quick said that extending term limits for state senators is probably a good idea. He said that a lot of new senators join the Legislature every four years. Institutional knowledge is lost when state senators have to depart because of term limits.
Commissioner Karen Bredthauer said that some money could be raised by further taxes on items such as cigarettes and vapes. She noted that other states have toll roads to collect revenue, but Nebraska does not have toll roads.
Quandt said that he was concerned about rural health care and Medicaid reimbursement rates. For instance, a rural hospital is no longer providing labor and delivery care for newborn children.
Commissioner Scott Sorensen said that he is involved with the Midland Area Agency on Aging. The agency had not been reimbursed for $400,000 for previous services. Quick said that he would check into the matter, and Sorensen later reported that the reimbursement had occurred.
Quick noted that because of the requirement to have a certificate of need, facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities can only be constructed in specific areas, which favors rural locations. He said that if the certificate of need program is eliminated, the health care facilities may only be built in Lincoln and Omaha, where the population is larger.
Commissioner Ron Peterson suggested looking into provisions for providing tax exemptions, such as for vehicles. He gave an example of noticing that Goodwill Industries of Greater Nebraska had 20 semi trailers that were empty parked in a lot. Peterson suggested that the amount of the exemption could be reduced in some cases.
Peterson noted that because of the increase in minimum wage, Stuhr Museum could not afford to hire for some positions for summer employment.
In other action, Commissioners voted 6-0 to appoint Keith Ostermeier to the Regional Planning Commission. Commissioner Jane Richardson was absent from the Nov. 18 meeting. Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity noted that Ostermeier had been involved in opposing a zoning change that allowed a housing subdivision to be approved north of Grand Island. For that project, Ostermeier had spent time reviewing Regional Planning Commission rules.
Commissioners voted 6-0 to approve an agreement with the Central Nebraska Humane Society for sheltering animals. Commissioners discussed a proposed contract two weeks ago but asked that the proposal be reviewed because of a provision to pay the Humane Society $45 per day for sheltering animals. Commissioners were concerned about the amount of money that the county could have to pay for a longer-term sheltering of an animal. In the agreement approved Nov. 18, there was no provision for a per-day fee. Instead, the county will pay the Humane Society $18,350 per year. The agreement is for a one-year term and can be renewed for an additional year with a 3 percent cost of living increase.
In August the City of Grand Island approved a contract with the Humane Society, needed because the Humane Society is no longer providing animal control officers. Those services are now provided by the Grand Island Police Department and Hall County Sheriff’s Department. The Humane Society gets $300,000 for the first year from the city plus $45/day per diem per animal brought to them by animal control officers.
Lori Ferguson, community consultant for the South Central Economic Development District in Holdrege, talked to Commissioners about a $1,010,000 grant that has been awarded to the county from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to assist Hornady Manufacturing in an expansion project. As part of being a grant recipient, the county is required to provide special conditions including Procurement Standards and Code of Conduct, a Fair Housing Action item, and a Language Assistance Plan. Commissioners voted 6-0 to approve each of the three special conditions.
In the consent agenda items approved, Commissioners received a 2025 annual report about the Hall County Parks Department. At the Hall County Park camping area, camping consisted of 185 possible nights of camping. A total of 4,311 people registered for 1,901 recreational vehicles and 157 tents, resulting in an income of $59,385.
