By Allison Peck
Listen to the full interview on our Kubota Podcast
Keith County commissioners have adopted a new Prairie Dog Management Plan as the county continues working on its budget, planning and zoning regulations and ongoing road needs.
Keith County Commissioner Lane Anderson discussed the county's recent work during an interview with Allison Peck on the North Platte Post.
Anderson said commissioners adopted a resolution Wednesday putting the county's prairie dog management plan in place. The plan follows legislation passed by the Nebraska Legislature and was modeled after a similar plan adopted in Lincoln County.
“We've got a couple problems and we needed to put some teeth in it,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the county will now begin identifying problem areas and working toward addressing them. The program will be driven by complaints, with the county becoming involved when prairie dog problems are reported.
The county plans to obtain equipment and hire a contractor to perform the control work. Anderson said poisoning will be the primary method used.
“If the landowner is not going to take care of the problem, you know, then the county is going to have to get involved,” Anderson said.
Anderson said prairie dogs can take over areas and create other problems, which is why the county believes a management plan is necessary.
Along with the prairie dog plan, commissioners have been working to finalize the county's budget.
Anderson said road equipment continues to be one of the county's major needs. Keith County maintains approximately 800 to 900 miles of roads, making the roads department one of the county's largest areas of spending.
“We're always needing road equipment,” Anderson said.
Anderson also said the county switched IT companies in July and that transition has been going well as the new system continues to settle in.
Planning and zoning has also been a major focus for the county. Anderson said the county is in the process of revising its regulations and has held several public meetings and hearings.
He said those meetings have gone well and have provided residents with an opportunity to talk with the people working on the new regulations.
Commissioners also recently addressed a resolution involving a transfer between the juvenile diversion fund and the county's general fund.
Anderson said the fund involves money set aside for emergencies and people in need and is handled through the county attorney's office.
He said the recent action was primarily intended to make sure money is legally transferred into and out of the account and properly reflected in the county's budget.
Anderson said the juvenile diversion fund has been part of the county's budget process for years and involves multiple counties in the region.
Looking ahead, Anderson said commissioners will continue working on the budget and zoning regulations while addressing the county's ongoing infrastructure and equipment needs.