The Greenwood County Commission held its regular weekly meeting Monday, July 27, approving plans to move forward with replacing a bridge on H Road with an earth crossing and addressing a variety of road, infrastructure and administrative matters.
Road and Bridge Sup e r v i s o r Allen Gr e e nwood told commissioners he had met with property owners south of U.S. Highway 400 on H Road, where the county plans to remove an existing bridge and construct an earth crossing. Greenwood said both affected property owners supported the project, which will mirror a similar crossing previously completed at 290th Street and U Road. Commissioners approved moving forward with the project.
Greenwood also reported that the Road and Bridge department continues working through recommendations from recently completed project lists and provided updates on several ongoing projects.
He said he met with APAC last week to request a quote for crack sealing P Road from the Eureka city limits to the city lake, as well as approximately one-half mile of chip seal work on Reece Road. As of Monday’s meeting, the county had not yet received a quote.
Commissioners also discussed the future of a bridge on FF Road, considering whether it should be converted to a rock crossing rather than be repaired/replaced.
Road and Bridge Administrative Assistant Kassie Lazar reported that bids had recently been opened for the bridge at 250th Street near H Road. B&B Bridge Company LLC, of St. Paul, submitted the successful state bid of $983,384. Lazar noted the county will pay the state $2,000 in preliminary costs, while the bridge construction itself will be fully funded through the state program.
Flint Hills Technical College President Caron Daugherty provided commissioners with an overview of the college’s programs and the services it offers area students. She also discussed opportunities to expand educational offerings in Greenwood County and surrounding communities and announced the college plans to host an open house on Oct. 17.
Commissioners approved extending the county’s medical director agreement with Dr. Mark Basham.
The commission then entered a five-minute executive session for a personnel evaluation with Health Department Administrator/Registered Nurse Jayme Lewis. No action was taken following the session.
Commissioners later met in two additional executive sessions, totaling 25 minutes, with Emergency Management Director Levi Vinson for a personnel evaluation. No action was taken.
County Treasurer Stacie Pearse and Treasurer’s Office employee Staci Crumrine presented a proposal to outsource the mailing of county tax statements. Crumrine said Professional Office Services Inc. (POS) provided a quote of $4,534.75 to prepare and mail approximately 13,400 tax statements. According to Crumrine and Pearse, this task currently requires about two weeks of staff time. According to Crumrine, the company could complete the mailing within one week while saving 16 cents per envelope on postage. She estimated the county would spend approximately $4,976.35 to complete the mailing in-house.
Pearse and Crumrine said the expense would be paid from the contractual expense fund and would allow staff to focus on other duties during the busy tax statement mailing period. They also believe the POS statements would be easier for residents to read. Commissioners plan to review the proposal and discuss further in the coming weeks/months. Tax statements are traditionally mailed in November.
Commissioners also discussed recent concrete work and questioned how much had been spent on labor costs this year.
The commission tabled the audit management representation letter to allow additional time for review before signing.
Commissioners reviewed the treasurer’s report, approved the minutes from the July 20 meeting as presented and approved special payables for July 27 totaling $1,463.74.
The Greenwood County Commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 3, at 9 a.m.
