The Lincoln County Commissioners on Monday fired two recently appointed people to the board of directors of the Veterans Service Office. The commissioners said they want to start over and do it right.
Troy Merritt and Brad Nelson were removed in a 5-0 vote, but not before commissioners chairman Chris Bruns explained the situation.
Bruns said that in the past it had been difficult to find candidates for the board, which is why the commissioners put in place the somewhat lax process of appointing candidates who came forward.
At present, more people are interested in serving on the board and there has been some controversy so the commissioners will follow the process outlined in the state statutes. Each Lincoln County veteran organization—the VFW, the American Legion, and the Disabled American Veterans—will propose candidates to the veteran’s duty officer, who will then propose the best candidates to the commissioners. The commissioners conduct the final talks.
As this process unfolds, Merritt and Nelson are removed.
Bruns said it’s especially important to follow proper procedures now that Veterans Service Officer Paul Cooper is retiring.
Merritt and Nelson were at the meeting, and Merritt informed the board that he understood the reason for his removal. He added that he had done a good job on the board and would do a good job if re-elected.
district insurance
In other deals, the commissioners approved a fee structure with Hub Insurance’s Tanner Pattera. Hub recently took over the district’s business from the previous agent, the Rosenberg Agency.
Pattera said he did a thorough review of county inventory and property and took offers from insurance carriers. He said it boils down to two companies – Travelers and EMC. He recommended a combination of insurance from both companies. He also recommended that the district treasurer obtain a standalone affidavit, noting that the district is in the process of implementing “multi-factor authentication” on electronic accounts to protect against computer hacking. Without multi-factor authentication, it is impossible to cover cyber attacks.
Pattera said insurance costs are rising, driven by property insurance costs and claims, but he believes he can help the county stay on the cost line in general by carefully evaluating providers and being proactive with workplace safety training .
In other stores, the commissioners have:
• Approved a special liquor permit for Nebraska Bar & Grill in Gothenburg for a July 11 wedding reception at Harbor Lights.
• Approved a letter of intent to use Amplifund for applications for victim witness grants. Amplifund is a platform designed to manage every phase of the grant management process. The configurable solution provides a full suite of capabilities needed by grantors and recipients to maximize results, meet performance standards, improve compliance and achieve their missions, the company said.
• Discussed a new way of processing credit card payments in the cash register and car offices. The county would buy credit card readers and stop using a service provided by Nebraska Interactive Contractors, saving the taxpayer some processing fees.
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