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Richardson County commissioners approve EMA director pay increase and authorize state weed-control report
Summary
At their March 11 meeting, Richardson County commissioners approved a 5% pay increase for the Emergency Management Agency director effective Jan. 1, 2026, authorized the chairman to sign the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s 2025 noxious-weed report and approved a subdivision and the payment of claims.
Richardson County commissioners on March 11 approved a 5% salary increase for the county’s Emergency Management Agency director effective Jan. 1, 2026, and authorized the chairman to sign the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s 2025 Noxious Weed Control Program evaluation and requirements sheet.
The routine weekly meeting, called to order by Chairman John Caverzagie at 9:00 a.m., also included a quarterly update from the NPPD Cooper Nuclear Station, discussion of road and bridge maintenance and replacement plans for aging fuel tanks, approval of a subdivision and authorization to pay county claims.
Dakota Schulenberg, Emergency Preparedness Offsite Coordinator at NPPD’s Cooper Nuclear Station in Brownville, told the board the plant is transitioning its public notifications to FEMA’s IPAWS system and plans an outage beginning sometime in September 2026. The update was presented as part of routine emergency-preparedness coordination with local officials.
Brian Kirkendall presented the county’s annual Noxious Weed Control Program evaluation and the state-required summary for 2025. Commissioner Karas moved to authorize Chairman Caverzagie to sign the documents from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture; Campbell seconded and the motion passed by unanimous roll call.
The board voted to increase the EMA director’s pay by 5% effective Jan. 1, 2026, with a further 3.5% increase scheduled for 2027. The minutes list the 2025 salary as $66,894.64 and the 2026 salary as $70,243.44. The motion to approve the raise passed on a unanimous roll call vote.
Highway Superintendent Steve Darveau Jr. updated commissioners on routine road and bridge work and said the county plans to include replacement of underground fuel tanks in the next fiscal-year budget; he told the board the present tanks have been in service about 35 years. Officials are preparing specifications to replace the county garage in Verdon, and the board continued a review of the highway superintendent’s salary.
The board recessed into executive session twice: a personnel session beginning at 9:52 a.m. with Supt. Darveau, Road Foreman Julie Vollmer, County Attorney Samantha Scheitel and Clerk Mary L. Eickhoff (closed at 10:50 a.m.), and a session on pending litigation at 10:51 a.m. with special legal counsel Jerry Piglsey, County Attorney Scheitel and Clerk Eickhoff (closed at 11:21 a.m.).
Commissioner Karas moved to approve a subdivision for Michael R. and Sherri L. Hunzeker located in Section 36, Township 2, Range 17 and to adopt Resolution 2025-2026-32; Chairman Caverzagie seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The resolution is recorded in Resolution Book 28, Page 100.
The board authorized payment of claims submitted at the meeting. The minutes list totals of $76,784.44 for the General Fund, $5,756.56 for the Road & Bridge Fund and $2,009.13 for the Sheriff Commissary Fund; itemized vendor claims are included in the public record at the county clerk’s office.
A motion by Commissioner Karas to adjourn carried at 11:52 a.m. The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in the Commissioners Meeting Room at the Richardson County Courthouse in Falls City.
