Beneficial rainfall in the area Monday morning and a wet forecast has prompted the Ellsworth County commissioners to rescind the county-wide burn ban, effective Monday, May 2.

However, they plan to review it on a weekly basis in case it needs to be implemented again.

Both Commissioner Dennis Rolfs and Commissioner Steven Dlabal were in favor of lifting the burn ban. Commissioner Greg Bender was absent from the meeting.

In other business:

• Wilson Mayor Mike Peschka requested the commissioners consider an exception to the county-wide burn ban for Wilson and the other communities in Ellsworth County.

“We’ll have a plan,” Peschka said. “We’ll have the fire department out there. It’s not just like we’re going to light it off and walk away from it.”

Peschka said the city’s burn pile has gotten full of tree limbs, thanks, in part, to last Friday’s high winds which whipped through the area. He made the request at the beginning of Monday’s meeting, before commis sioners lifted the burn ban.

“I think we’ll talk to Greg (Bender),” Rolfs said. “I think there should be the ability to make an exception.”

• Joyce Kraus and David Trowbridge with the Wilson Heritage Museum, submitted a $4,000 budget request for 2023. In 2022, the museum received $2,000.

“We’d appreciate any help you can give us,” Trowbridge said.

• Matthew Fulkerson, owner of th Astra Ad Astra former missile silo complex east of Wilson, requested the county consider looking into the cost, etc., of smoothing out a portion of Fourth Road near the old base.

The road, however, is not a county road, but a township road.

Commissioners said they will talk with Dale Houston, county road and bridge supervisor, to see what can be done and at what price.

• Commissioners approved a proclamation recognizing May 1-7 as National Travel and Tourism Week in Ellsworth County.

• After a 10 minute executive session to discuss non-elected personne (payscale) with Sue Arensman, county register of deeds, commissioners approved changing the maximum pa range for the deputy register of deeds from $20 per hour to $20.08 per hour, which is the same as the deputy county clerk.

• Sheriff Murray Marston asked if the commissioners had decided yet on how the second portion of funding from the American Rescue Program Act would be spent. The sheriff ’s office has requested $300,000.

According to Shelly Vopat, county clerk, the county has not received those funds yet. They are due the first part of June. The county is scheduled to receive a total of $600,000.

After the funds are received, the county will run an ad for two weeks in the Independent-Reporter letting the public know they can apply for those funds. Decisions will then be made on how the funds are spent.

• Approval was given to have Bill Garnor of Gladstone, Mo., jail consultant, proceed with the needs assessment for the county jail. The cost of the assessment will be $6,840.

The next meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners will be at 9 a.m. Monday, May 9, at the county courthouse.