County to draft contract-review policy after deputy attorney's recommendation; Flock license-plate reader arrangement clarified

Deputy County Attorney Barbara Armstead told the board that best practice is to have contracts and memorandums of understanding reviewed by the County Attorney’s Office and to document any delegated signing authority in writing. Armstead noted that memorandums of understanding are not governed by the County Purchasing Act but legal review can protect the county from future vulnerability. As Armstead put it, the best practice "for contracts and memorandums of understand be that they are all reviewed by the Seward County Attorney's office." The board directed Commissioner Raegan Hain to work with Armstead to draft a county-wide policy.

Sheriff Vance and department employee Blake Swicord explained the county’s relationship with Flock, a license-plate reader vendor. The minutes state Seward County paid for a two-year subscription to the Flock database but did not have a formal contract; the county will keep the subscription while Saline County will become the primary domain and pay upcoming subscription fees. The board voted to develop a policy that clarifies when legal review is required for contracts and similar documents.