Cass County commissioners approve culvert purchases, courtroom contracts, mitigation plan and jail food contract

The Cass County Board of Commissioners approved several routine but budgetary significant items by roll call during the meeting.

Votes at a glance

1) Highway budget adjustment and additional box culvert purchase Motion: Authorize a budget adjustment and purchase of one additional box culvert and approve four other culverts to be installed by county forces. The highway department explained the funding would use leftover bridge funds from a previously double‑budgeted project and local share estimates were discussed. Outcome: Approved by roll call. Commissioners recorded as voting in favor included Commissioner Breitling, Commissioner Vettel, Commissioner Ginburg, Commissioner Caputant and Commissioner Flackold. (Tally as recorded in roll call segment: yes 5, no 0.)

2) Secure courtroom construction contracts Motion: Authorize the chair to sign construction contracts for the secure courtroom project (general contractor Gaffstrom Construction $789,500; mechanical contractor Robert Gibbons $185,500; electrical contractor Sun Electric $160,000). The county said construction work was anticipated to start Feb. 10 and IT had already begun moving equipment. Outcome: Approved by roll call after brief discussion. The roll call segment included at least one dissenting vote; Commissioner Breitling registered “No” while Commissioners Bethel, Greenburg and Caputone registered “Aye.” (Recorded votes in the transcript are partial; board approved the contracts.) Note: staff noted an $85,000 trigger related to the funding timeline must be satisfied within 120 days of the vote per a state grant condition.

3) Multi‑hazard mitigation plan adoption (resolution) Motion: Approve and sign a resolution to adopt the updated Cass County Multi‑Hazard Mitigation Plan so it can be submitted for state and FEMA review. County emergency management and consultant KLJ explained the update includes technological and adversarial threats in addition to natural hazards and that adoption is required for communities to remain eligible for certain federal disaster mitigation funding. Outcome: Approved by roll call. Commissioners recorded as voting in favor included Commissioner Greenburg, Commissioner Caputone, Commissioner Breitling (recorded as "Yes"), Commissioner Vettel and Commissioner Flacco. (Tally as recorded: yes 5, no 0.)

4) Jail food service contract renewal Motion: Approve a one‑year renewal of the county’s jail food service contract, accepting a 5% increase to the per‑meal rate (from $1.83 to $1.92 as of the cited head count) to cover higher costs and extra meals expected once the pod opens. Outcome: Approved by roll call. Commissioners recorded on the roll were Commissioner Bethel, Commissioner Grunberg, Commissioner Capitan, Commissioner Flacco and Commissioner Breitling (Tally: yes 5, no 0.)

5) Vouchers Motion: Approve the submitted vouchers. Outcome: Approved by roll call.

Notes: The vote records in the transcript are presented as roll‑call segments with commissioner responses; several roll calls list a subset of commissioners by name. Where full tallies were not fully enumerated in the transcript, the article reports the names and votes that appear in the official meeting audio. No county ordinance or statute was created or amended in these votes; contracts and resolution approvals were approved as described.