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Buffalo
County, Nebraska >
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Highway Superintendent
There are approximately 962 square miles in Buffalo County. Within this area there are 1500
miles of road: 101.5 miles are County oil or concrete roads. There are 3650 bridges over 20
feet in the County. There are also 222 bridges that are 20 feet and under which are not
considered bridges but are classified as culverts because of the constricted water flow.
There are 40 full time employees and during the summer months we employ two or three more
people. In addition the Highway Superintendent, there are: one assistant Highway Superintendent,
two clerical, three foremen, 16 maintainer operators, five heavy equipment operators, three bridge
crew laborers, one sign man, one welder, one mechanic, one mechanic assistant and five truck drivers.
We have an inventory of approximately $1,745,982.00 which includes office equipment and supplies,
signs, sign posts, lumber, steel, tools, culverts, filters, oil, grease, radios and other supplies.
We also have a large inventory of machines and equipment valued at $6,079,034.00. This includes 19
maintainers, one crane, two backhoes, seven crawlers, three loaders, five scrapers, five dozers, 35 pickups
and trucks and a considerable number of other pieces of equipment. The cost of fuel alone for operating
this equipment in the fiscal year 2006-2007 which ended June 30, 2007 was $411,145.00. The cost of repairs
was $155,629.00.
The Highway Department Budget for the present 2007-2008 fiscal year is $4,612,594.00. The Special Road
and Bridge Budget is $1,822,000.00.
We have an excellent communication system which includes 2-way radios which are used extensively.
They save many miles of driving and enable people to communicate from one corner of the county to the other.
They have saved many maintainer men from having to walk for help after having a flat tire, being stuck in a
snowstorm or any other emergency type situation. Our foremen also have cellular phones.
We have 2-way radios in all the maintainers, office, loaders and in a majority of our other equipment.
The radios also give us communication with the Sheriff’s Department and the County Surveyor. The
telephone system gives us easier communication with the Sheriff’s Department, Surveyor, other County
Courthouse offices and also the City of Kearney offices by dialing just four digits.
Buffalo County is divided into 26 Townships. Each has its’ own budget and governing board. Some
of the townships do the maintaining of their own roads. The rest contract with the County Highway Department
for maintenance of their roads. We are, however, responsible for all roads that are mail routes and for
the gravel on school bus routes. These roads are given priority over the rest of the roads as far as gravel,
snow removal, maintaining, etc.
We have divided the townships into Zones 1 through 26. We bid gravel once a year. The bid period is from
April 1 of one year to March 31 of the following year.
Buffalo County went to the GEO Base Addressing System and signs were installed in 1997. This system makes
finding a resident faster in an emergency type situation.
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