Commissioners Approve ATM in Courthouse

It may be a shorter walk if you're in the Cheyenne County Courthouse and find yourself short of cash or can't write a check. The Cheyenne County Commissioners Monday approved Sheriff Adam Frerichs' proposal for bringing an ATM machine into the facility. The service is a way to make business in the Cheyenne County offices a little easier, and movement of county inmates a little safer, according to Frerichs.

Frerichs met with the Cheyenne County Commissioners Monday morning with a proposal to install an ATM machine in the courthouse. The motivation is for safer - and hopefully fewer - movements of county inmates outside of the building. Frerichs said the proposed ATM machine would be installed near the sheriff's office. One of the goals is for people who need to post bond or want to purchase from the commissary during a weekend can get cash within an adjacent hallway instead of being transported to a nearby bank.

Frerichs said the ATM would be installed and maintained at no cost to the sheriff's department or the county. Points West would be responsible for maintenance of the machine. He added their request is the ATM would be monitored 24-hours each day.

"Where its going to be in the courthouse right by the jail, I don't think anyone will mess with it," Frerichs told the commissioners.

The ATM would also be available for courtroom clients and for the public.

Presently, the nearest Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is about a block away at the closest.

The commissioners also opened sealed bids submitted by three companies for purchase of a backhoe by the Road Department. Bids varied from $25,308 for a Volvo BB70B with 7,200 hours to $69,000 for a John Deere 310EL with 158 hours. The commissioners decided not to proceed with purchase of a backhoe with Commissioner Philip Sanders commenting all of the bids are out of the county's budget.

"We gotta stay within our budget," Sanders said.

Commissioner Randy Miller asked how long the prices are guaranteed. All company representatives present at the meeting said 30 days or until the units sell.

Best Plumbing and Heating owner Vaughn Russell met with the commissioners. Best Plumbing and Heating is contracted to replace water lines at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds.

The commissioners also met as the Board of Equalization, approving corrections to tax lists for Charles Kielian, Nexgen Outfitters LLC, and Virginia Olson also known as Virginia Craig