The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Tuesday.

The Board reviewed the updated lease contract for the County-owned farm, then heard updates from Guthrie County Health Services Director Jotham Arber, Information Technologies Director Brian Hoffman and County Engineer Josh Sebern. Arber said that public health is working with Veterans Affairs, and has had several referrals come in over the last few weeks, and that they were ready to hire their new part-timer as soon as human resources finished things on their end.

Arber added that immunizations were up with several residents asking about Covid shots, and that the number of people applying for new passports was up as well. He told the Board that the Environmental Health Department is booked out through December on sewer, plumbing and well checks since the weather has been unseasonably warm, and that the Mental Health Department is now fully credentialed, although they need to wait until June-July of 2025 to bill Blue Cross/Blue Shield customers.

The Board approved new panic alarm and card access systems. Hoffman said that the old alarm system was antiquated and “waiting to fail,” and that the new system would be wireless, and included a five year contract. Hoffman added that the new card system is related to the new alarm system, and would also run on a five year contract, with the cost to install being a little over $5,000.

The Board approved the sale of the grader shed in Bayard to the City of Bayard. Sebern also updated the Board on results for application for a rural grant, stating that he had just found out before the meeting that the group of County Engineers he was working with had not received the grant, and that they would be searching for other funding to help with work to White Pole Road and P28.

The Board then reappointed Rod Nelson to the Guthrie County Civil Service Commission, and performed a canvass on the Lake Panorama and Diamondhead Lake Rural Improvement Zone elections, before entering closed sessions for employee evaluations of Human Resource Director Jamie Lindsay and Sebern.