At the Tuesday, July 13, 2010 county board meeting, commissioners authorized Maintenance Director Brian Silence to move forward on purchasing another fleet vehicle for county employees to use on county business. Thecounty had been trying to get along on fewer vehicles, but providing vehicles when they are needed is proving very difficult. “It’s just not working,” Silence said. “We really need one soon.”
Silence has not been able to find a suitable vehicle for sale in town but found an all-wheel-drive Ford Escape for $22,838 at Benna Ford.
“I really trust Brian’s assessment of this,” said Commissioner Bob Fenwick. “People really need to get places.”
The board also authorized Silence to get cost estimates on a storage building with dimensions of up to 30’ x 50’ that could be located on the west parking lot across the street from the courthouse. TheMaintenance Department does not have enough storage for things like lawn maintenance equipment, and its storage areas inside the courthouse building are full. Silence will also investigate the possibility of erecting a smaller structure on the parking lot and another one on another piece of county property.
In other news:
. The board approved a request for proposals document submitted by Sheriff Mark Falk for professional services to help the county switch over to narrowband radio transmission that would interface with other public
safety entities throughout the state. The system being implemented is the
Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER). . As county departments prepare their 2011 budgets, they have been advised by Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers that the levy limit will remain at 3.9 percent again this year, the third and last year of levy limits
under current law. No cost of living adjustments will be made, but health
insurance costs are expected to go up 8 percent. . The board passed a motion approving a grant agreement in which the state would pay 70 percent of a total cost of up to $6,000 for professional help creating a storm water prevention plan as County Road 8 is realigned
past the Cook County Airport. The county would be responsible for up to
$1,800 of the cost. . Election judges have been approved for this year’s primaries and general elections. Judges must declare their party affiliations, and the county is
required to maintain party balance among its roster of judges. . Cook County Tennis Association President Gene Glader talked to the board about installing a drinking fountain on county property near the tennis courts. Last fall, the board approved expenditures of up to $4,000 for
the fountain, but current costs are estimated at $5,831. The board asked the
tennis association to return with a sketch of the proposed fountain. . Commissioner Fenwick reported that the Community Center Steering Committee working on plans for a new community center to be funded by the new 1 percent county sales tax has agreed that cost savings and quality would be greater if they hire a consultant or consulting firm to manage the project from the planning stage through construction.
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