The courtroom was filled Tuesday with people angry about county lay-offs in attendance at the county commissioners' budget meeting.

Around 30 people crowded into the Otoe County courtroom and adjacent hallway Tuesday afternoon to confront commissioners about their decision to lay off seven road workers effective Sept. 1. Workers, spouses, friends and other interested parties attended what was originally deemed a budget workshop.

Much of the two-hour meeting consisted of audience members shouting questions to the commissioners regarding their actions and motives in approving the layoffs.

Numerous individuals questioned whether contracting bridge work and rock hauling would save the county money in the long run, while others called for the firing of Highway Superintendent Glen Steffensmeier, saying he mismanages the county road budget and is responsible for the current budget problems.

Several claimed that the county had been looking for ways to push the Union out of the county.

Loud applause in support of these ideas could be heard following some exchanges between members of the audience and County Boad of Commissioners Chair Dale Haverty.

Haverty said the decision to eliminate the workers was not a pleasant one. “None of us sitting at this table enjoyed eliminating the employees,” he said.

Newly-appointed first district commissioner Nicki Kreifels said she had reservations about voting for the cuts. “I should have been given a lot more information and a lot more time,” she said. Kreifels said she now wishes the matter would have been tabled until she was brought up to speed on the issue.

Local 251 Vice-President George Forst said he is still willing to help find an alternative solution. “We would still like to work with the county to avoid the layoffs,” he said.

Haverty said the layoffs are intended to compensate for $200,000 of the $500,000 budget shortfall in the county’s budget.

Steffensmeier attended the meeting and said he estimates the county will spend around $271,000 this year to contract out the hauling of rock, compared to $372,000 using the county’s own workers.

Steffensmeier said there have not been any binding contracts signed so far, but that the savings projection was based on figures provided by a large hauler and information from other counties. The cost of contracting bridge work will be known once projects have been bid.

Otoe County Clerk Janene Bennett said $250,000 in anticipated FEMA funding will also help offset the budget shortfall. Haverty said budget cuts have been made within the courthouse to help address the budget crisis.

Additionally, Bennett said the county will no longer have a road levy in addition to the general fund levy. She said the county will save $70,000 to $75,000 because it will not have to share funding with county villages.