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Historical Society seeks larger county support; Hope Crisis Center urges restored funding
Summary
Gage County heard two funding requests: the Historical Society asked for a $20,000 annual increase to digitize 100,000 archival items; Hope Crisis Center explained services across seven counties and requested resumed county support (Gage County request listed at $20,924), noting LB 940 now permits such funding.
At the Aug. 6 meeting, Gage County supervisors heard funding requests from the Gage County Historical Society and the Hope Crisis Center and received an early warning on county budget constraints.
Dave Norton, speaking for the Historical Society, said the group has received $30,000 annually from the county for more than a decade and requested an additional $20,000 to hire a curator and digitize roughly 100,000 items over a 10‑year period to protect materials stored in a flood zone. Norton described the project as a long‑term investment in preservation and public access.
Cassandra Dean, executive director of the Historical Society (introduced at the meeting), and Maureen Riedesel from the visitor improvement committee described how tourism dollars have supported prior projects and discussed whether some work could be funded from tourism allocations.
Representatives from Hope Crisis Center — board member Tyler Wysen and Executive Director Carmen Hinman — outlined services available across seven counties, clarified prior audit issues and the organization’s recent exclusion and reinstatement for county funding, and said legislation (LB 940) now allows counties to fund victim-services providers. Hinman provided a breakdown of county contributions to the center from surrounding counties and said Gage County had typically provided less than requested; the organization’s current county request figure for Gage County was $20,924.
Board response and budget context: The board noted that outside agencies’ funding is being held at prior-year levels in the preliminary FY25–26 budget work as county staff said the draft budgets currently sit above allowable levels. Chair and finance staff said the county faces an early projection well above the statutory allowance and will likely need roughly $2 million in cuts across departments; outside funding increases are therefore not guaranteed in the final budget.
What happens next: The Historical Society’s visitor grant (for a Cottage Hill Farm outdoor classroom) was approved during the same meeting using lodging‑tax funds. Budget decisions for recurring operating support will be considered during the county’s budget review process; staff will bring budget adjustments and recommendations back to committee.
