Recently, when new poultry operations came to the Seward County Board of Commissioners for conditional use permits, additional conditions have been added to their permits requiring them to work with the county road department on truck routes.
The purpose is to identify which roads are most appropriate for heavier truck traffic, provide some timelines for the county to prep for busy traffic periods and potentially conduct repairs after those, and to allow neighbors to know where the trucks will be traveling.
But there have been a few glitches.
• Livestock producers who received earlier permits may not have had those conditions added.
• Livestock producers may not have control over the routes the drivers who contract with meat production companies are told to use.
• Some drivers don’t follow the routes even if they are told about them.
The Seward County Board of Commissioners discussed those issues Nov. 25, considering how they might bring those recommended routes into more consistent use.
Commissioner Raegan Hain said there have been issues with some of the newer poultry operations not using recommended routes in her district, and the county needs to make sure people know what their responsibilities are.
The county spends a significant amount of money to bring those roads back to safe driving conditions, she said, but how to require drivers to use the routes is unclear.
Right now it is up to the holders of the conditional permits to make sure the companies they contract with for pickup and delivery services are complying with the road requirements.
County Board Chair Misty Ahmic said the county has worked with livestock producers.
“We have gone above and beyond to meet with producers,” Ahmic said. “They have come up with some good ideas.”
She said it is very helpful if the county road department knows when heavy truck traffic is expected, but “it’s not helpful when they don’t use the routes.”
Ahmic asked if the board can call back all conditional permits for livestock operations to address the recommended route issue.
“Technically we can recall all of them because there is a concern,” Ahmic said.
She proposed the board ask the planning commission to review the issue to consider how to deal with the conditional permits and the addition of road restrictions.
But first Ahmic, Hain, Road Superintendent Jon Regnier and Assistant Road Superintendent Trevor Trebilcock are to meet to discuss the issue further.
Ahmic said the responsibility is easy to pass between growers, meat producers and the truckers, “but really, it is getting passed on to the taxpayers because they are paying for it in the budget.”
Seward County, she said, is “ag friendly,” which includes bringing livestock producers into the county, but she said they also have some accountability to the county for the roads.
County Attorney Wendy Elson said the county would have to be creative, exploring any options open to them. One might be requiring permit holders to put forth “earnest money” that they could get back after a construction phase if the routes were followed.
Ahmic said the construction phase of the poultry operations involves heavy traffic that has damaged county roads.
“But it is not just construction,” she said, asking if the county could then ask for additional earnest funds for routine periods of heavy truck traffic.
Elston also asked if the county could obtain a list of all haulers that could be contracted by the livestock growers or the meat processing plants to communicate directly with drivers.
Another option raised by Commissioner Darrell Zabrocki would create a different speed limit than the standard 50 miles per hour on gravel roads for trucks to lessen damage, but they would need to find out if the county has that authority without state traffic studies being done.
In other action, the commissioners:
• Recognized Alex Kufeldt, a member of the Seward Legion, as Veteran of the Month.
• Approved a marketing budget of up to $500 to be paid from the American Rescue Plan Act funds to promote the county’s emergency preparedness event on April 11.
• Tabled discussion of the Seward County Sheriff’s Department’s inventory.
• Approved a short form plat for the NUGGZ Addition in Township 9 North, with Ahmic abstaining due to a connection to the plat.
• Approved a short form plat for the Tamora Bin Site in Township 11 North.
• Discussed the interlocal agreement and bylaws of Southeast Nebraska Development District for which Zabrocki is liaison.
• Discussed the Nebraska Association of County Officials salary study for elected officials with Elston, Treasurer Jacob Zlatkovsky, County Assessor Marilyn Hladky and Clerk of the District Court Sheila Lueders, which will be discussed again in December.
• Authorized $67,140 annual contract with Eagleview for aerial photography and $2,200 annual contract over three years for Vanguard website services used by the Seward County Assessor’s office.
