Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

Facility improvements, state's attorney compensation on the docket for County Commission

The keyless entry system that former Emergency Manager Jess Earle purchased for the courthouse with grant funds reportedly doesn’t fit the existing door jambs. The issue was identified when new Emergency Manager Lisa Thompson and Commissioner Glenda Collier engaged a contractor to install them. The county reportedly has one month to close out the grant. The contractor said that in order to make the locks fit, new jambs need to be installed, which would be a significant cost to the county.

“This has turned into more of an expense than what we were told when we approved it,” Gehrtz said. He suggested that Thompson and Collier contact The Glass Shop in Devils Lake, as they install doors and entry systems. Should they determine that there isn’t a way to make the locks fit, they will follow up with the grant administrator to see if they can return the ill fitting locks and purchase different ones.

Work on the courthouse basement is underway. The asbestos abatement was completed the last week in February, and subsequent air quality tests came back favorable. Contractors were breaking up buckling cement to even out the subfloor at the time of the meeting. LaMotte’s Paint and Glass of Devils Lake, the company contracted to install the flooring, suggested to put down underlayment first to give them a more stable surface. Commissioners agreed to pay the added expense.

Commissioners were also made aware of a few other areas where additional attention, and therefore funds, should be allocated. The cement wall is crumbling in one area of the hallway, so a faux wall will be built to stabilize it. In addition, new drop ceiling tiles slated to be installed in the court overflow room will be carried through into the hallway, and the floor in the lunch room will be replaced. Telecommunications infrastructure will be installed in the overflow room, namely one ethernet connection and one phone line.

“Let’s do it the right way the first time,” Gehrtz replied, and the commission approved the additional expenditures. As reported before, CARES Act funds will be used to pay for the costs of renovation, so no tax increases are expected.

Sheriff Paul Lies delivered an oral report of activity in his office over the past few months. He asked Gehrtz, the county’s representative on the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center (LRLEC) board, to explore the use of video conferencing for court hearings to eliminate the need to transport inmates. With open court sessions resuming this month, Lies reiterated a past comment that transporting is a huge waste of time and money, because right now they spend a half day on the road to transport an inmate to and from a 10-minute court hearing. Should a video link be set up, in contrast, the inmate could go into a room with a video link and “appear” before the judge remotely at the appropriate time.

Sheriff Lies also weighed in on the state’s attorney situation discussed at previous meetings. “Anything you can do to help her out would be fantastic, because she’s swamped,” he said of State’s Attorney Ashley Lies. He noted that he sees how much time she puts in preparing for trial, as many offenders are choosing to “hold out” for trial then decide to change their plea in the eleventh hour. That results in a lot of prep work for the state’s attorney, and all for naught.

“It’s incredibly frustrating,” Ashley Lies added, as several more jury trials are on the docket in the coming months. She is also working on an appeal to the N.D. Supreme Court in a $120,000 NSF check case.

After further discussion, commissioners agreed to reallocate funds set aside for the assistant to compensate state’s attorney Lies for her time. There is $17,076 in the 2021 budget, and Williams was instructed to increase her compensation by an even amount each month using the available funds. The matter will be re-evaluated as work on the 2022 budget begins, with the intent to change the job description and compensation for the state’s attorney to better reflect the time required. They will also re-evaluate should she find a qualified candidate for the assistant position.

Tax Equalization Director Kristy O’Connor has agreed to assume the duties of the county risk manager. Recently the duties for this position have been filled by the county emergency manager, but Lisa Thompson declined to assume that role upon her hire. O’Connor will be paid $100 per month for her services.

Commissioners approved a request from Lake Region Baseball Boosters to set up a gaming site at the recently reopened Hamar Bar. The organization plans to install electronic pull tabs at the rural Eddy County establishment, according to the application. A raffle permit for Circle Trail Riders was also approved.

The next regular meeting is set for April 6 at 8:30 a.m.