[1:59] Mhm.

[9:05] » [clears throat]

[9:18] » Mark is zooming in and it's Karen. Is she on? Karen Mark's Mark Peterson

[9:23] zooming in today, so you'll have to unmute him.

[9:27] Please do. He needs to respond.

[9:30] » He can actually unmute himself. >> Well, he said he tried, but okay.

[9:36] Well, Mark, try and unmute yourself. See if it works today with our new system.

[9:40] That's all.

[9:43] Okay. Are you ready? Everybody ready? Okay, let's call to order the Montgomery

[9:47] County Board of Supervisors regular meeting for Tuesday, September 8th,

[9:51] 2026. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance if you're able. I pledge

[9:55] allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic

[10:00] for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and

[10:06] justice for all. God bless America.

[10:13] » Mark Peterson. >> Here.

[10:19] » Bryant Amos. >> Here.

[10:21] » Alex Burton. >> Here.

[10:23] » Mike Wilson. >> Here.

[10:25] » Arliss Smith. >> Present.

[10:27] » Approval of the agenda. >> I'll move.

[10:30] » Second. >> Roll call, please.

[10:32] » Smith. >> Yes.

[10:33] » Wilson. >> Yes.

[10:34] » Burton. >> Yes.

[10:35] » Amos. >> Yes.

[10:36] » Peterson. >> Yes.

[10:40] » Um, okay, the minutes were sent out via

[10:43] email. Um, I did not see any I didn't say I

[10:47] read them over. Okay, so the minutes are approved as presented.

[10:50] Uh, at this time I'll ask for any audience comments. I'm going to do two

[10:54] minutes per person. Is there anyone in here? Okay.

[10:58] So, anyone online who would like to speak this morning?

[11:04] Just kind of need to raise your hand if you know how to do that. [laughter]

[11:08] On these on these uh Zooms. Okay. Or just unmute and speak up.

[11:16] Okay. All right, I don't hear any see anyone, so if I missed you, I'm sorry,

[11:20] but we'll move on to the supervisors weekly committee assignment updates,

[11:25] Bryant. >> Uh, I have nothing.

[11:27] » Okay. And uh Mark, Mark, did you have anything?

[11:36] » I will have to move >> I did not.

[11:38] » Okay. All right, thanks. Mike? >> Neither did I.

[11:41] » And no, and neither did I. It was a quiet week.

[11:45] Okay. All right. Now, and

[11:48] What? Pardon? >> I'm sorry, I didn't hear Alex.

[11:51] » Okay. Yeah, no, he didn't either. So. At this next will be secondary roads

[11:56] update. Aaron? >> Okay.

[11:58] Wait. Well, first of all, no pictures today.

[12:02] So, I don't know. Um Oh, let's see. Let's see. We hauled

[12:06] rocks co-work Elliot Morton Mills and Stanton areas and conducted some

[12:09] equipment data. Uh Q Avenue railroad bridge, the

[12:13] contractor is working on taking the crane apart and getting ready to drive

[12:17] pile in the north abutment. And they're hauling dirt from Q Avenue to L Avenue

[12:22] today. L Avenue railroad bridge, the contractor

[12:25] is spreading the dirt hauled from the Q Avenue site. So, they're just spreading

[12:29] it on the L Avenue site. Um again, there's a planning and zoning

[12:33] meeting on Monday, September 14th at 5:30 in the engineer's office. They will

[12:38] be discussing the updates to the county zoning ordinance.

[12:42] And that is all I have. >> Okay.

[12:46] Do you have any questions for Karen today?

[12:50] All right. Thank you. All right, so under

[12:54] secondary roads, we have to set a letting date for the new pipe

[12:58] culvert. So. >> Right. And that is the bridge that's

[13:00] been closed, I think, a year and a half, maybe a year or so, uh north of Mikesona

[13:05] on 165th. We're replacing that bridge with a pipe. The pipe is already there.

[13:11] We were waiting on some easements. We finally um we were able to get all the

[13:14] easements in place, so we're ready to set a letting date and move forward.

[13:19] » Okay. All right.

[13:23] » I would move on that, and then uh

[13:26] move we set a letting date for the new pipe culvert All RO 3035 on 165th for

[13:33] September 29th at 9:15. >> Second.

[13:36] » Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Any discussion?

[13:39] Roll call, please. >> Schmidt.

[13:42] » Yes. >> Peterson.

[13:44] » Yes. >> Olson.

[13:45] » Yes. >> Amos.

[13:46] » Yes. >> Burton.

[13:47] » Yes. >> Okay, thanks, Karen.

[13:51] Uh, under new business, approve the sheriff's report of fees.

[13:55] » I will also move on the sheriff's report of fees in the amount of $3,331.40.

[14:03] » Second. >> Okay, moved and seconded. Any

[14:06] discussion? Roll call, please.

[14:13] » Peterson. >> Yes.

[14:15] » Amos. >> Yes.

[14:16] » Burton. >> Yes.

[14:17] » Olson. >> Yes.

[14:18] » Schmidt. >> Yes.

[14:21] » Let's approve the reporter's report of fees.

[14:24] » I'll move on the reporter's report of fees for August

[14:27] 31st, 2026 in the amount of $17,090.85.

[14:33] » Second. >> Okay,

[14:36] moved and seconded. Any discussion? Roll call, please.

[14:40] » Schmidt. >> Yes.

[14:41] » Olson. >> Yes.

[14:42] » Burton. >> Yes.

[14:43] » Amos. >> Yes.

[14:44] » Peterson. >> Yes.

[14:47] » Okay. Next is approve the claims that'll be

[14:50] payable for Wednesday, September 9th. Um,

[14:58] we forgot to give them to me. >> As long as the total matches.

[15:16] » Everybody got the email file? >> I do.

[15:19] » I'm sure it's there. >> You want want me to

[15:22] I can't do it, can I? Cuz I'm the chair, so.

[15:26] » Want to make sure that the >> Oh, here.

[15:27] » It matches the paperwork. >> Okay.

[15:31] » Here we go. Okay, let me make sure here.

[15:39] 524 849 19. Okay.

[15:43] » I will make a motion to approve the claims for Wednesday, September 9th

[15:48] for the amount of $524,849.19.

[15:56] » Second. >> It's moved and seconded. Any discussion?

[16:01] Roll call, please. >> Schmidt.

[16:03] » Yes. >> Peterson.

[16:05] » Yes. >> Olson.

[16:07] » Yes. >> Amos.

[16:08] » Yes. >> Burton.

[16:09] » Yes. >> Okay.

[16:12] Um discuss and start agenda items for the next meeting.

[16:17] Do you want us to >> I got

[16:19] and this might not be for the next meeting, but I think it's something we

[16:22] need to research and get started. I found out from a county resident um

[16:27] that I had actually been breaking the law

[16:30] for I don't know, 20-some years by putting my recycling in the city

[16:36] recycling dumpsters. That we are not supposed to do that

[16:41] because they do charge from the city to their

[16:44] » Oh, okay. >> And you do not pay in the county.

[16:49] Um and my question I've lost track of and I would

[16:53] anybody that know what the landfill commission

[16:56] » Uh-huh. >> It is still there and way way back when

[17:00] that started I thought that the tipping fees or whatever they

[17:06] that those could be used for different

[17:11] things. They used to do county clean up, hazardous waste clean up.

[17:17] But I think we need to research if those are still being collected.

[17:22] And that money be dispersed because I think

[17:26] Vilas Junction and Stanton are probably the same way.

[17:28] » Yeah, they're still being collected. And And you're right, Vilas has got the same

[17:33] » Right, for their recycling dumpsters. And a lot of people don't under uh They

[17:38] don't really understand. Yeah, you're taking your recycling there.

[17:41] It doesn't make money. It's a cost.

[17:45] And talking with the city administrator, it's it's a substantial cost

[17:51] that they have to come up with in order to get rid of that.

[17:57] » Yeah. >> So, people are starting to be notified

[18:00] because mainly because people are

[18:05] ignorant and leave piles of boxes down there unflattened with their address on

[18:11] them. >> [laughter]

[18:16] » It's pretty easy to determine they're not a city resident.

[18:22] So, and more and more people find out about this cuz I've been doing it for

[18:25] years and never thought anything about it.

[18:29] » So, what do we do as >> Well, that's the first

[18:34] In order for us in the country, we we have no other

[18:37] uh it's put it in your dumpster, send it straight to the landfill. That's our

[18:41] choice right now. >> Which I don't like that.

[18:45] » And >> Our Our landfill shouldn't be full of

[18:47] that stuff. >> know and not that I want to do that, but

[18:50] a lot of counties have it's a county recycling thing where it's one central

[18:55] place where they where they do it. >> Right.

[18:58] » Um I don't know. I think the discussion

[19:02] needs to be started. What are we going to do?

[19:04] Cuz there's a lot of rural residents that that like to recycle and are in the

[19:08] habit of recycling. >> So, the landfill thing you guys were

[19:11] talking about, is that is there I mean, is there

[19:15] is was the landfill helping subsidize that or was are they money from

[19:20] somebody? >> There's fees that go into the landfill

[19:22] commission. And historically what it's been

[19:25] » From the city and the county or >> No, no, no. It's from the landfill

[19:29] itself. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.

[19:31] » commission. Uh and don't ask me to draw a picture of it cuz I'm not going to be

[19:34] able to >> That's fine.

[19:36] » fully articulate >> That's fine.

[19:37] » Uh so, those fees come in and then

[19:40] historically what they've been used for is the county-wide cleanup. This last

[19:43] year, I don't know exactly what the issue was, but there was a changeover in

[19:47] who was organizing that effort. >> Is that

[19:50] » I think it was a guy through Clarios maybe had been organizing it well then

[19:53] it was different and then actually there wasn't specifically a county-wide. Um

[19:58] but I was on landfill commission, but in January we transferred over and actually

[20:02] Marcus on it now, but the landfill commission's not met yet to make that

[20:06] switchover. >> Oh, okay.

[20:08] » kind of this weird in limbo where Marcus and I are both kind of

[20:11] tied to it until we meet again as a landfill commission to make that

[20:14] transfer. Um

[20:17] I can't tell exactly whether that's a a call for the landfill commission. It

[20:21] probably is for them to say the money needs to go to this or that.

[20:26] And there was discussion about potentially taking the the dollars that

[20:30] are sitting there instead of since we didn't do a a county-wide cleanup,

[20:34] potentially taking those dollars and allocating them individually to

[20:38] communities. >> Mhm.

[20:39] » You're right. I mean, Blissfield's got that same issue. I think the difference

[20:43] is that and probably Stanton, uh the difference is they're just kind of

[20:46] eating it as a known cost that they have to deal with.

[20:50] And I think the trade-off could be that you're spending money in

[20:53] the community as a rural resident, I'm not buying anything from my grocery

[20:57] store out out in the country next to Hackle Barney. So, that's your

[21:00] trade-off, but there's also potentially some funding that could be used.

[21:04] I can't tell for sure if that's us that needs to make that call. It's probably

[21:08] the landfill commission that needs to make that decision.

[21:11] Um so I think that would probably be >> Because we all do business I mean I do

[21:14] all my business in here, groceries, and and all that stuff.

[21:19] pharmacy >> Again, you know, and I'll be devil's

[21:22] advocate. >> Yeah.

[21:23] » Whatever. So are the citizens of Red Oak.

[21:25] » As usual. >> [laughter]

[21:27] » So are the citizens of Red Oak. They buy their stuff here.

[21:29] » Well, and then they pay extra here. >> They're paying on their water bill to

[21:33] have that service. We are not Um I just don't want it to become a blown up issue

[21:38] that we just >> It would be.

[21:40] » It is a It's an issue and we probably need to deal with it.

[21:43] » What do they pay? Does anybody know? >> Um on their water bill, you mean?

[21:47] » Yeah. Does anybody know?

[21:49] » I don't remember. >> around for Red Oak, Red Oak or

[21:52] » I don't remember. I'd have to look at my water bill.

[21:53] » Okay. Okay. Okay.

[21:56] » Okay. >> I know Diamond's like $2.50. $2.50.

[21:59] » So like $4 something. >> Okay.

[22:03] » All right. >> Okay.

[22:05] » I know and I don't know >> Put that on the agenda for

[22:07] » We'd have to get accurate more accurate figures but and and I hope I don't start

[22:12] an uproar here but it was I think I remember Lisa mentioning a

[22:15] number of like 85,000 per year to get rid of those dumpsters,

[22:20] to get those dumpsters hauled and dumped.

[22:23] That's a big chunk of change. >> Yes, it is. Yes.

[22:27] » Even if it's 25,000, I mean it's it's it's substantial.

[22:31] Um what you know, like when you go downsize Villisca and Stanton pro

[22:35] proportionately it's a cost.

[22:37] » Yeah, there's a cost cost associated. I I think it's worth discussing but I I

[22:42] think we also need to clearly delineate is this a supervisor decision or a

[22:45] landfill? Cuz I think the way the money's spent is a landfill decision.

[22:48] But we can still have a discussion about it.

[22:50] » I think the landfill commission needs to be involved in this like the

[22:53] disbursement of those funds could help in this

[22:57] dilemma. >> Mhm.

[22:59] » How it's done. >> Can you do that?

[23:00] » Let we need to contact Mike Carson?

[23:06] » Either or. Yeah, we just need to be have them actively meet.

[23:12] Mark, you're on that commission right now, aren't you?

[23:16] » Yes. >> And when was when have they met last,

[23:19] you know? I Is it like They just haven't.

[23:24] » No. No, not since we've transferred over

[23:28] from >> Not since January 1.

[23:31] » But knowing that, I think we need to know that and exactly how they do get

[23:35] their funding. Is it still coming from uh the landfill owners, that tipping

[23:40] fee, whatever it was back then? I don't know.

[23:43] » Uh yeah, I would say the other the other piece of that maybe worth researching is

[23:47] uh the last meeting we did have, there was pretty significant discussion about

[23:50] how do we disband this because we're not really

[23:53] actively doing things and primarily that money goes to the city or the countywide

[23:57] cleanup. So, if there's a way to restructure that, I'm sure that a lot of

[24:02] the people that are currently on the commission would say let's do that.

[24:05] » It'd be restructured or they have a new purpose.

[24:08] » New purpose or maybe Yeah, maybe there's a way that that can fall under us and

[24:12] make it a little easier. I don't know cuz I don't know enough about it cuz I

[24:16] was really only there for >> I know Donna was on that. She probably

[24:20] might have some background, so. >> Well, I know years ago a lot of it went

[24:24] to countywide cleanup. And when when cities

[24:28] took it, well, then of course they wanted to limit it to just city

[24:31] residents, which I don't blame them if they're paying for it.

[24:35] » Right. >> Well, the trade-off would be if you're

[24:37] getting money that's that's countywide, then you need to be countywide for you.

[24:40] » Yes, if we're going to do that, yeah. >> But you can do that where you can say,

[24:44] "Okay, if Villisca's doing it, then if you're a Villisca resident or if your

[24:48] driver's license is rural in some way, then great. You can come dump cuz you

[24:52] still have to do that at the city level, too." And then Stanton is the same way.

[24:56] You either have to be rural or a Stanton resident. Red Oak's the same way.

[24:59] Whether whether you're Red Oak resident or rural, but if you're a Villisca

[25:03] resident, you can't come over to Stanton.

[25:05] And that's kind of how it's already structured for the city-wide

[25:08] » For rural Villisca, you have recycling there in Villisca, in the city of

[25:12] Villisca. So >> Yeah, sorry.

[25:14] » come in, right? >> Yeah, yeah. In that case, I was talking

[25:17] about the city-wide. >> Okay, okay.

[25:18] » Yes. >> Sorry.

[25:19] » But yes, you're right. The county people do go in and the city council has talked

[25:24] about it in the past, and it's just kind of a known

[25:26] uh cost that they have to deal with. Yeah, otherwise it's landfill or there

[25:32] are options uh to drive it up to Omaha, which I'm

[25:36] sure everybody's falling over themselves to do.

[25:40] Maybe council lost. >> Anyway, I thought it needs to be

[25:44] researched and what can we do before we don't want it

[25:47] to become The more and more letters go out, the

[25:50] more and more people get upset and they're misinformed about why.

[25:56] It's not a money maker. >> Did you say Did Who's the chair? Did you

[25:59] say Mike

[26:01] » It's in the skillet hole in the back. >> I'm going to call I'll call Donna, too,

[26:04] and find out. You know, just the back what what they did in the past, cuz

[26:08] she's got the she's got the back knowledge, the history of it. So

[26:12] Want to just put it on for discussion next week? Let's do that. Yeah, see what

[26:15] we find out. Okay. >> Okay.

[26:18] » Right. Um

[26:21] All right.

[26:24] Do you have anything else that you have for the agenda next week? What about the

[26:28] » Um >> Hopefully we'll [clears throat] have

[26:29] that suspension back. >> Okay. Okay. Okay.

[26:36] I don't have anything else. Nothing came to me, so.

[26:40] Okay. All right. Anything else that needs to

[26:42] be on the agenda? Okay. Hearing none, the next regular meeting

[26:46] is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15th at 2026 at 9:00 a.m.

[26:53] » I so move. >> We need to adjourn. Thank you, everyone.

Montgomery County BoS Meeting

Transcript