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Area residents get opportunity to hear from County Commission candidates
HARTINGTON — Cedar County residents got the chance Thursday to learn more about the three men vying to become the next District 3 Cedar County commissioner.
About four dozen residents attended a candidate forum at the Hartington Public Library organized by the Farm Bureau.
The format allowed each candidate to answer the same questions, along with time for introductory remarks and closing statements. After the forum, candidates spoke one-on-one with voters.
Tim Burbach emphasized from the start that he is running to keep a lid on taxes.
“I’d like to find new ways to hold off this great big snowball of increased taxes, most of it through valuations where the state comes in and says, ‘this is the way it is,’” he said. “I’ve come up with some different ideas on how to offset that. I believe they will work. That is my main goal — to do everything in my power to at least hold the line on where we’re at today for as long as possible.”
Burbach, a former Hartington city councilman, said he reviewed county budgets and expenditures closely.
“My goal was to find at least 10 percent savings, but because my predecessors have done a fairly decent job of holding the line, I found about one percent that I thought was iffy,” he said. “For the most part, the commissioners have done a pretty good job with what they’ve had to work with.”
Kelly Hammer, a Wayne native now living in Coleridge, has worked for both the Wayne County and Cedar County road departments.
He said he wants to ensure everything is done by the letter of the law. Hammer said he initiated a fraud investigation into a Wayne County commissioner that resulted in that official leaving office. He also reported concerns about former District 2 Commissioner Craig Bartels to State Auditor Mike Foley. The audit identified concerns but no unlawful activity. Hammer said he believes that process contributed to Bartels’ decision not to seek re-election.
“I’m all for any fraud that needs to be taken care of — it needs to be completely gone,” he said. “I’m out for the taxpayers 100 percent.”
Hammer added that his road department experience gives him a strong understanding of the commissioner’s role.
“I love working with the Cedar County crew,” he said. “Those guys are capable of getting a lot of work done, and I intend to utilize them to get a lot of roads built and projects completed.” Fellow candidate Heikes, a first-generation farmer who also serves as county weed superintendent, said he believes the current board is doing a strong job managing the budget.
“I don’t see much that could be trimmed,” he said. “The only thing I could see is utilizing things a little more efficiently to try to do more with what we have — just subtle changes like that. I’m not going to say those subtle changes are going to create massive amounts of money, but maybe we could get by with less.”
Hammer suggested one cost-saving measure would be reducing how often county crews mow ditches, noting state statute places that responsibility on landowners.
Burbach said he sees opportunities to generate new revenue, including the possibility of a county-owned gravel pit.
“Right now, we are on the demand side instead of the supply side,” he said. “We’re at the mercy of other suppliers. The prices go up and we say ‘how much? and OK.’ We have no control over that.”
He said owning a gravel source could provide long-term savings and additional revenue through sales to other counties.
“I do not see any reason not to have our own gravel pit,” he said. “The amount of savings over the course of 40 or 50 years cannot be discarded. You need another source of revenue to offset your expenditures.”
Hammer disagreed, saying the available material may not meet longterm needs.
“It might work short term, but not long term,” he said. “We do have issues with gravel prices and trucking costs, but I don’t think using lower-quality material is the solution.” Heikes also expressed concerns about the investment.
“Gravel is expensive. There is no doubt about that. We spend $1.67 million a year on gravel. That is trucking, that is everything all said and done from seven to eight different suppliers. That rock we’re bringing in, that’s washed rock. That’s high quality. If any of those providers we’re working with, start producing a rock that we’re not satisfied with, we have the ability and the right to turn around and drive away.”
Heikes said the county loses that ability if it operates a gravel pit that can’t produce high enough quality rock.
“If a county owns a gravel pit, there is no real way to say how long that lasts. We’re talking infrastructure that we’d have to invest in — conveyors, wash plant, most likely bulldozers and a payloader and most likely more manpower and other insurance. The cost would be pretty extreme to where $1.67 million sounds fairly cheap. With what we have now, we get to pick what we want and how we get it.”
Heikes said Hayes County and Thayer County have their own gravel pits. Hayes County hasn’t mined their gravel pit since 1950, Heikes said. Thayer County just closed theirs down eight months ago and are actively trying to lease it out.”
The candidates were also asked about rural economic development.
Burbach said agriculture remains the backbone of the county and emphasized helping young farmers get started.
“They need all the help they can get,” he said. “I want to make sure the county does everything it can to help them succeed.”
Heikes said while the idea is appealing, the county has limited ability to assist.
“Speaking as a first-generation farmer, it’s very difficult to start farming,” he said. “I don’t see much the county can realistically do, but I’m open to ideas.”
He added that hard work remains the key.
“The only thing you can really do is just work your butt off,” he said.
Heikes said he approaches decisions carefully.
“I’m a slow, methodical thinker,” he said. “I rely on weighing pros and cons.”
Burbach said he seeks input before making decisions, while Heikes noted he would lean on experienced officials for guidance.
When asked about challenges they expect to face as a Commissioner, Burbach pointed to state-level decisions.
“It seems like there’s a trickle-down effect, and rural communities often get the short end of the stick,” he said.
Hammer cited maintaining roads and equipment, along with adapting to state and federal changes.
“Mainly, what keeps things going is having a great crew,” he said.
Heikes said his biggest challenge would be learning the position.
“Quite frankly, none of us has any experience being a commissioner. That’s going to be a big challenge, just learning the job. I’d rely on Dave (McGregor) a lot for advice. All the other commissioners I’ve talked to in all the other counties said it takes one or two terms to really get a grasp on the job,” he said.
