Wayne County Extension Board

WAYNE COUNTY EXTENSION BOARD MINUTES

January 13, 2026

The Wayne County Extension Board held its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at the 4^th Jug Restaurant in Wayne. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Trevor.

Public Notification was sent to the Wayne Herald and KTCH Radio Station. An agenda was available in the Extension Office. Open Meeting Act guidelines were applied at this meeting. 

Members present: Eric Ekberg, Barb Hochstein, Kathy Meyer, Brent Svoboda, and Trevor Sullivan.

Staff present: Julie Schultz, Emily Eilers, and Laurie Gansebom

Minutes from the November 12 meeting were read. Brent made a motion and Eric seconded to approve. Motion carried.

The Non-Tax Account Balance on the following dates were November 30 ($9836.82) and December 31 ($9573.58).

Bills for December ($5241.16) and January ($6,623.10) were discussed. Barb made a motion to approve all the bills and Financial Statements and Brent seconded. Motion carried.

Verbal staff reports:

Julie: Planning Connect the Dots program, hiring judges, and working on year-end reports. School enrichment programs in the Wakefield and St. Mary’s schools. 

Emily: Working on the Fair Book, year-end reports and school enrichment programs.  

4-H Council: The last meeting was in November. New officers were elected; by-laws were updated for quorum to be members present; Food Stand discussion. Meetings have moved to the 3^rd Monday of the month. 

Unfinished Business:

1. Extension Board member recommendations: Welcome to Kathy Meyer (Winside representative). Board is now full. 

 New Business:

1. Extension Board Training - Shared the training flyer and encouraged members to participate and watch the videos.
2. Election of Officers - President: Tim Lurz, Vice-President: Trevor Sullivan, Secretary: Barb Hochstein. Nominations for President were entertained. Eric moved that nominations cease and to elect Tim as President. Brent seconded. Motion passed. Nominations for Vice President were entertained. Brent moved that nominations cease and to elect Trevor VP. Kathy seconded. Motion passed. Nominations for Secretary were entertained. Kathy moved that nominations cease and to elect Barb as Secretary. Brent seconded. Motion passed.
3. NACEB Feb. 10 – Invited board members and to reach out to Julie if they would like to go. Barb expressed an interest. Julie and Amy Topp will be attending. 
4. Computer Order – Laurie will get a new computer. Estimated price range is from $2500-$3000 depending on the package chosen. Kathy made a motion to approve the purchase and Barb seconded. Motion carried. 
5. Chamber Coffee – The Extension Office will be hosting Chamber Coffee on February 13. 4-H Pie will be served. 
6. Meeting Dates and Time – Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:15 pm. 
7. Other: Volunteer Screening Forms completed and turned in. 

The meeting adjourned at 6:55 pm on motion by Brent and second by Kathy.

Next meeting: February 9, 2026, 6:15 pm.

Minutes submitted by Emily Eilers.

WAYNE COUNTY EXTENSION BOARD MINUTES

November 12, 2025

The Wayne County Extension Board held its regular meeting on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at the Wayne County Courthouse in Wayne. The meeting was called to order at 6:18 pm by Tim.

Public Notification was sent to the Wayne Herald and KTCH Radio Station. An agenda was available in the Extension Office. Open Meeting Act guidelines were applied at this meeting. 

Members present: Lauren Gilliland, Barb Hochstein, Tim Lurz, Brent Svoboda, and Trevor Sullivan.

Staff present: Julie Schultz, Emily Eilers, Nicole Luhr, Amy Topp

Minutes from the June 10 meeting were read. Brent made a motion and Trevor seconded to approve. Motion carried.

The Non-Tax Account Balance on the following dates were June 30 ($10,612.87), July 31 (10,462.51), August 30 (10,377.26), September 30 (10,113.33) and October 31 ($10,108.68).

Bills for July ($11,266.47), August ($7,349.37), September ($5,107.57), October ($19,543.65) and November ($5,495.44) were discussed. Lauren made a motion to approve all the bills and Financial Statements and Brent seconded. Motion carried.

Verbal staff reports:

Julie: County and State Fairs were a success. Northeast Nebraska Career Day had 40 schools and 1000+ students participate. School Enrichment programs are in full swing. Lots of days in classrooms. Nebraska 4-H now must offer 4 programs to the schools in their county. Helped at STEM Day in Madison County. Connect the Dots & Life on the Farm coming this spring. Achievement Open House went well~66 attendees. 

Emily: Helped with County Fair, State Fair, and Northeast Nebraska Career Day in October. Completing onboarding sessions, observing and working in classrooms. In a Norfolk classroom this week. 

4-H Council: The next meeting is tomorrow evening. Conversations will include the Food Stand and Scholarships. New Council members have been elected and will attend. 

Unfinished Business:

1. 2025-2026 Budget: approved
2. Extension Board member recommendations: Kristy Fox 

 New Business:

1. Amy Topp: The County has been very supportive of Extension. Budget is a topic of focus. NACEB is February 10, 2026, in Lincoln. Share your stories of Extension to help promote. NACEB Directors meeting is November 20.
2. Nicole Luhr: The North American Manure Expo is July 2026 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds. 1000-1200 people are expected to attend. Accomplishments and tasks include NE Nebraska Ag Update, Biology Day at Haskell Ag Lab, Pesticide Training, Grain bin Training (with the assistance of UNL) to study moisture management, STEM Days in Columbus, and presenting in Grand Island. 
3. Holiday Closedown: Office will be closed Dec. 26, 29, 30, 31. Staff will use vacation time. Motion to approve holiday closedown by Lauren and seconded by Barb. Motion approved. Approval from the county commissioners was granted.
4. January Meeting: January 13, 2026. Location suggestions include The 4^th Jug or Pearl Street Steakhouse.
5. Other:  

The meeting adjourned at 6:54 pm on motion by Lauren and second by Barb.

Next meeting: January 13, 2026, 6:15 pm.

Minutes submitted by Lauren Gilliland.

No meeting, lack of quorum

No meeting, lack of quorum

No meeting, lack of quorum