(KLZA)-- Richardson County Commissioners received updates from various departments including the Law Enforcement Center when they met last week.

Sheriff Rick Hardesty reported 629 calls during the month of September, 423 traffic stops, 46 bookings into jail of which 39 were done by the Sheriff's Department with 7 from other agencies. At the time of the meeting there were 15 inmates housed in the Jail.

Sheriff Hardesty also reported that a Nebraska certified officer will begin work in Richardson County as a deputy on October 23.

Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Kirkendall discussed a vacancy in his office and requested approval to fill it. The position of Administrative assistant is vacant. Fifty percent of the salary for the position is paid for from grant funds received from the Nebraska Emergency Management Program Grant.

District 3 Commissioner Rick Karas questioned why Nemaha County Nebraska has just one staff person for Emergency Management and Richardson County has three.

Kirkendall explained the duties of the position which in addition to regular duties, the person in this position also assists the sheriff's Department with monitoring the metal detector with District Court security and assists with the maintenance of the software program which is kept to coordinate comprehensive disaster pre-planning and damage assessment to report disaster damages immediately to FEMA.

Board members approved filling the position.

The Board also approved the appointments of Dylan Handley and Allen Fankhauser to the Public Defender Policy Review Board as practicing attorneys and reaffirmed the appointment of Merle Veigel as the lay person.

Formerly attorney's Richard Halbert and Neal Parsons served on the board.

An agreement with the Village of Stella for grant funding through the Help American Vote Act, to fund improvements at the Stella Village Hall as a polling place was also approved.