Tecumseh - Nemaha Natural Resources District board members met in regular session on Thursday, January 9, in Tecumseh. With the beginning of a new year comes reorganization of the board officers, though this year the process was pretty simple. All officers from 2013 agreed to another term; though a secret ballot election was necessary, the results were unchanged. Rob Bohling (Johnson), Steve Sugden (Adams), and Don Siske (Table Rock) head up the board as Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer, respectively. Orval Gigstad (Syracuse) will again represent the Nemaha NRD on the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts.

Former NNRD board member and current state senator, Dan Watermeier, stopped in at the meeting to update the board on legislative happenings. He spoke at some length about the Water Funding Task Force of which he and current NNRD director, Steve Sugden, were members this past year. His concern was that the general public has not been sold on the need for funding the projects identified by the Task Force, which is asking for $50 million this year alone.

NRD Manager, Bob Hilske, updated the board on the upcoming 2014 election. The NNRD board consists of 21 members with two each from 10 subdistricts and one at-large member. One director from each of the 10 subdistricts is up for election in every even-numbered election year. This year 11 four-year terms (including the at-large) will be on election ballots along with two, two-year terms. In addition to the shortened term in Subdistrict 10, one of the positions in Subdistrict 4 must be included on the ballot for a two-year term since it was filled by appointment within its first 19 months as well. Filing deadlines for the primary election are February 18 for incumbents and March 3 for non-incumbents. Details about positions and eligibility are available by contacting the NRD office in Tecumseh.

Don Siske (Table Rock) and Dan Hodges (Julian) were chosen to represent the Nemaha NRD at the upcoming legislative conference of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts. They will serve as the District's voting delegates at this meeting in Lincoln in late January.

Bids for mowing the District's four public recreation areas were reviewed this month. Four bids were received with the low bid of $16,899/year from JC Dirt Work, Cook, Nebraska. The board approved this bid for a three-year, annually renewable. 

Renewal of a permit to irrigate from a structure identified as Muddy #10 located south of Auburn was approved. The original agreement was signed in 1984 and renewed at each 10-year interval since. Available water for irrigation was adjusted in the new agreement to reflect current capacity of the pool, which has been affected by siltation. 

In other action the board approved well permits for irrigation wells submitted by Robert Faris Trust in Johnson County, Ervin Gobber & Sons in Nemaha County, and Timothy McGinnis in Otoe County. 

Four proposals were received for replacing flooring in parts of the NRD's administrative building. Shipley Flooring, Nebraska City, was selected to replace tile in the kitchen and to replace entry area flooring in two locations.

Minor changes to the policy for use of the NRD's meeting room were approved. The changes include clarification of allowable use, cleaning, and care of the room and kitchen area. (Currently the NRD's meeting room is available only to other cooperating agencies.)

The next regular meeting of the Nemaha NRD board of directors will be Thursday, February 13, 2014, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the NRD headquarters in Tecumseh. Committees will meet prior to the board meeting.

Action to accept the resignation of Falls City director, Ted Godemann, was approved at this meeting. Godemann had announced at the end of last month's meeting his intent to resign effective January 1. With this vacancy in Subdistrict 10, letters of interest will be accepted from anyone eligible to fill the position. Because the resignation was within the first 19 months of the term, whoever is chosen will serve through the end of this calendar year. The remaining two years of the term must be filled through the general election process.

Contract that will begin in April, 2014, at Kirkman's Cove, Iron Horse Trail Lake, Wirth Brothers Lake, and Prairie Owl recreation areas.