The Cass County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning acted on several matters before them during their meeting at the courthouse. The Board approved an Information Technology Services agreement with Solutions, Incorporated. The agreement extends by six-months, an extension the Board approved in May, and will be in effect from January 1^st through June 30^th, 2014.

On a related note, Auditor Dale Sunderman informed the Board the current courthouse computer server is overburdened and needs to be upgraded, soon. Sunderman said they plan to enter into an agreement with Solutions for the purchase of a new network server in the future, which ties in more than 50 computers in the courthouse.

The Board also approved the purchase of vote tabulation equipment from Unisyn Voting Solutions. Sunderman said the current Automark tabulation equipment is about eight-years old and becoming obsolete, not ADA compliant and is very heavy and hard to move. He said 29 counties have purchased from Unisyn, and have reported no problems with the system, including many in southwest and western Iowa. Sunderman said the system is ADA compliant and weighs less than 30 pounds.

The new system will cost $116,163 and will be paid in three annual installments, beginning in July, 2014. By trading-in the old equipment and return of recently purchased memory cards for those machines, the County will be refunded about $4,000. Another benefit is that there is no maintenance of the new machines necessary. The machine will be paid for through the General Supplemental Fund.

In other business, the Board authorized a $20,000 down payment for the newly purchased property at 707 Poplar Street. The funds will be derived from the Local Option Sales Tax Fund (LOST). And, the Supervisors set February 12^th at 9-a.m. as the date and time for a public hearing with regard to the vacating/closure of a portion of 644th Street in Section 14 of Grove Township.

As you plan to celebrate the New Year, authorities are hoping safety is your number one concern. No matter what kind of partying you maybe doing, the Iowa State Patrol and local law enforcement hope that safety is a priority. Iowa State Patrol Trooper John Farley says the last few years the patrol has seen an improvement.

“The New Year’s Eve celebration is one that is traditionally recognized and I think through the years that they have understood that law enforcement will be out this evening looking for those drunk drivers.” He says the STEP program has been beneficial in keeping Iowa roads safe.  “The availability of extra officers being visible and then the public PSAs or media notices that law enforcement is going to be out there has been a great deterrent in itself.”

If you are planning to celebrate the New Year, make sure you are taking a long a cell phone in case of an emergency along with a car kit and before heading out choose a designated driver for the evening. Most local Police Departments, including the Harlan PD, will offer rides to those unable to make it home for free with no strings attached. Contact your local law enforcement agency in your area to confirm a ride will be offered.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)