[{"_1":2,"_94":-5,"_95":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,84],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6109743,"mediaKeyId","2759595-2e8e5a231f32694fa7d156f684829281","parentId",2759595,"title","Keith County EMS chief discloses outside business, outlines shift changes and staffing plans","audioSeconds",176,"startMs",869000,"endMs",1045000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2759595-2e8e5a231f32694fa7d156f684829281&start=869&end=1045","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6109743/Keith-County/Nebraska/Keith-County-EMS-chief-discloses-outside-business-outlines-shift-changes-and-staffing-plans","mediaUrl","author","Keith County, NE","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","At the Keith County Board of Commissioners meeting, EMS Chief Jordan disclosed ownership interest in a private vehicle-upfitting business and told commissioners he had been asked to install emergency lighting on a county roads vehicle — a potential conflict he placed on the agenda for formal disclosure.

Jordan also described operational changes in the county’s emergency medical services. He said the service will move to a new shift rotation that reduces the total daily coverage by removing an on-call position; the change is intended to improve mental-health outcomes for full-time crews and reduce overtime costs. Jordan said the department aims to cut at least 800 overtime hours over the next year and acknowledged there may be delays in response to some second or third calls while volunteer fire departments are trained and enlisted to help bridge coverage gaps.

Jordan said the EMS will add a new paramedic who will begin \"the 27th\" and noted the county will work with local volunteers to increase coverage and training. He also asked whether staff had received an email about suicide-awareness and prevention programming available at 9 a.m. that day; he indicated a follow-up link could be emailed to employees.

Why it matters: the changes reflect operational trade-offs between workforce health, overtime costs and response reliability. The disclosure of the EMS chief’s outside business was recorded as a transparency measure ahead of a future agenda item to consider whether he may perform work on county vehicles.

What’s next: Jordan said he will put the vehicle-upfitting request on a future agenda for formal consideration and the board directed staff to include the disclosure and to schedule the item.","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","Keith County Board of Commissioners Meeting Feb 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","EMS Chief Jordan disclosed ownership of a private vehicle upfitting business and informed the board of an upcoming shift rotation that reduces daily coverage to improve crew mental health and cut overtime; he asked for volunteer fire department support and said a new paramedic will start on the 27th.","taxTitle","Keith County, Nebraska","taxId",73789,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":50,"_51":81,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":82,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":83,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6109748,"Keith County commissioners approve routine business, accept auditor’s release and enter executive session",117,1174000,1291000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2759595-2e8e5a231f32694fa7d156f684829281&start=1174&end=1291","/articles/6109748/Keith-County/Nebraska/Keith-County-commissioners-approve-routine-business-accept-auditors-release-and-enter-executive-session","The Keith County Board of Commissioners approved routine agenda items, accepted a letter from auditor Don Wilson releasing him from the county’s audit engagement, and briefly met in executive session to discuss possible litigation.

On procedural items the board voted to approve the meeting agenda, the minutes of the previous meeting and payment of claims; all votes were recorded by roll call and passed. The board then opened a public forum before later considering written correspondence from auditor Don Wilson.

Don Wilson’s February 18 letter asked to be released from the audit engagement dated Oct. 15, 2024, for the June 30 audit, citing unforeseen personal issues. The board moved to accept Wilson’s letter and release him from the contract; the motion passed by roll call.

Later the board moved into an executive session to discuss possible litigation; the session began at 9:45 a.m. and the board reconvened at 10:43 a.m. with no decisions announced. Commissioners confirmed the executive session concerned possible litigation and voted by roll call to enter and to exit the closed session.

Why it matters: accepting an auditor’s release requires the county to secure replacement audit services before the next audit cycle; the board spoke about the difficulty of finding firms that can perform on a tight schedule. The executive-session item was limited to litigation discussion and produced no public action.

Votes at a glance:
- Motion to approve today’s agenda: mover Schroeder, second Wortman; roll-call approval (yes votes recorded for Anderson, Wortman, Schroeder, Bridal).
- Motion to approve minutes of previous meeting: mover Anderson, second Wortman; roll-call approval.
- Motion to approve payment of claims: mover Wortman, second Anderson; roll-call approval.
- Motion to accept Don Wilson’s letter and release him from the audit engagement (letter dated Feb. 18; engagement dated Oct. 15, 2024): mover Schroeder, second Anderson; roll-call approval (motion passed).
- Motion to enter executive session to discuss possible litigation: mover Schroeder, second Anderson; roll-call approval to enter at 9:45 a.m.; motion to come out of executive session at 10:43 a.m. passed (no decisions reported).

What’s next: the board discussed the need to identify a replacement auditor and noted many firms now perform audit work remotely; staff and commissioners said they will seek candidates and timing will be a constraint for the county’s June audit work.","At its meeting commissioners approved the agenda, minutes and payment of claims, accepted auditor Don Wilson’s request to be released from the county audit engagement, and entered and exited an executive session on possible litigation with no decisions reported.",{"_33":85,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":86,"_41":87,"_43":88,"_45":89,"_47":90,"_49":50,"_51":91,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":92,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":93,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6109752,"Keith County hears presentation from Applied Connective as commissioners weigh IT vendor options",3547,3127000,6674000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2759595-2e8e5a231f32694fa7d156f684829281&start=3127&end=6674","/articles/6109752/Keith-County/Nebraska/Keith-County-hears-presentation-from-Applied-Connective-as-commissioners-weigh-IT-vendor-options","The Keith County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation from Applied Connective on its county IT, phone and physical-security services and discussed the county's recent experience with its current provider and what a vendor change would entail.

Applied Connective representatives described their company’s work with Nebraska counties and municipalities, its three technical divisions (IT, phone systems and physical security) and local staffing in Albion, Kearney, McCook and Mitchell. The company told commissioners it supports CJIS-compliant law-enforcement systems, remote-management tools and on-premises or cloud backup options and that it can provide near-term spare equipment from its warehouse.

County officials and department heads pressed Applied Connective on availability and transition steps. Commissioners and staff said the county has experienced long waits for on-site support and delayed ticket resolution with the current vendor (5 Nines), and they asked whether Applied Connective could provide scheduled on-site time, faster on-call response and procurement support. Applied Connective said it organizes its service teams into regional “pods,” offers tiered technical support, can perform carrier-billing audits, and typically proposes a one-year service agreement with optional multi-year pricing to waive onboarding fees for larger projects.

Discussion identified technical priorities for a potential vendor: segregating security cameras and door-access systems from the primary network to avoid IP conflicts; replacing or budgeting upgrades for equipment that will not support Windows 11; handling MIPS (county financial/treasurer) timing constraints around elections and software cutovers; and options for backing up large video/evidence files to cloud storage where bandwidth allows.

Department-level concerns included repeated printer and scanner compatibility problems after the county’s recent upgrades, and a request from one user to permit sustained use of developer tools (Visual Studio Code/Python) on a county workstation without daily escalation. Applied Connective said it can evaluate software inventories remotely (using an RMM tool) to identify compatibility issues, propose licensing changes to reduce duplicate subscription costs, and implement secure remote-access tools that let a staffer use a personal device to view a county desktop without exposing the county network.

Commissioners noted the county’s IT contract runs through June and asked Applied Connective to provide written pricing and a proposal so the board could compare options and schedule any required overlap for onboarding. Applied Connective representatives said they could assemble a proposal and suggested starting transition planning in April to enable a June takeover if the board decides to change vendors.

Why it matters: the county’s daily operations—courthouse staff, road and public-safety systems, and evidence storage—rely on dependable IT service. Commissioners framed the discussion as an operational decision about service levels, procurement and continuity rather than a technology debate.

What’s next: commissioners asked staff to collect pricing and contracts for review and signaled they will consider proposals before the current contract end date in June.","Applied Connective presented its county-focused IT, phone and security services at the Keith County Board of Commissioners meeting; commissioners and department heads described repeated service delays from the county's current provider and discussed timelines, pricing and transition concerns ahead of a June contract decision.","actionData","errors"]

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Keith County EMS chief discloses outside business, outlines shift changes and staffing plans

Keith County commissioners approve routine business, accept auditor’s release and enter executive session

Keith County hears presentation from Applied Connective as commissioners weigh IT vendor options