It was apparently executive session day at Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners.

The meeting began with a 10-minute executive session to discuss legal matters pertaining to attorney-client privilege with county attorney Paul J. Kasper. No action was taken after returning to open session.

The second executive session was also with Kasper for 10 minutes to discuss pending litigation pertaining to attorneyclient privilege. Again, no action was taken upon returning to open session.

The third executive session was for 20 minutes with county road and bridge supervisor Dale Houston to discuss wages pertaining to non-elected personnel.

Upon their return to open session, commissioners announced three employees would receive raises to their salaries.

When questioned by the Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter as to which employees received raises and what those raises were, commissioners declined to give specifics.

However, when pressed by the I-R because that information was a matter of public record of interest to Ellsworth County taxpayers, and because commissioners supplied similar information in the past under similar circumstances, Kasper was summoned for a fourth executive session — this time for 10 minutes to discuss matters pertaining to attorney-client privilege.

Upon return to open session, commissioner Kermit Rush moved to raise Nick Nelson’s salary to $18.50 per hour, raise Brandee Kanak’s salary to $17 per hour, and raise Vince Perry’s salary to $16 per hour. The motion was approved. The raises will begin with the October payroll.

In other business:

• No action was taken after returning from a 10-minute executive session to discuss land acquisition with Houston. Rush said the matter is still on-going.

• Jeremiah Brown, director of the county EMS, asked commissioners if he could purchase some new office desks for his department. Commissioners instructed Brown to get some prices and report back to them.

• Brown said he has been elected president of the state’s EMS Region 4 and will start attending state committee meetings every other month overnight in Topeka. The next meeting is Oct. 3-4.

• Keith Haberer, Emergency Management director for Ellsworth and Russell counties, said he met with USD 327 bus drivers recently to provide them with information on dealing with such scenarios as severe weather, active shooter and civil disobedience.

• Commissioner Dennis Rolfs was selected to be the county’s representative for a Sept. 17 flood map initial review and discovery meeting of the Lower Solomon/ Saline Project in Minneapolis.

From the Sept. 3 meeting:

• Teresa Shute, director of the county landfill, noxious weed department and recycling program, said the county will no longer be paid for recycled cardboard. Rolfs said the county should keep on recycling cardboard, even if it has to pay a small fee to do so because it will save on the amount of cardboard taken to the landfill. Rush agreed.

• Shute said as of Sept. 9, the county will no longer accept glass.

• Approval was given to a $3,311.93 bid from Wenz Interiors in Holyrood to install a new steel door at the northwest building of the Noxious Weed Department, including the optional keyless lock.

• Don Siemsen and Lois Wenz, representing the Santa Fe Depot Museum committee, asked whether the county has a fund for museums. Rush said the county has an historical preservation line item, but the 2020 budget has already been set. He asked them to submit a budget request in June of 2020 for the 2021 budget.