The Murray County Board of Commissioners met on January 4, 2022 in the first session of the year. The first item of business was the organization of the board. Commissioner Molly Malone was elected to serve as chair with Commissioner Dennis Welgraven to fill the role of vice chair.
Auditor Treasurer Heidi Winter presented the final list of warrants for the year 2021 along with the final ditch bills for the year. A Resolution was approved that will allow Winter to pay certain claims for the year with payment dates that fall between the meeting dates of the Board. A Resolution was also passed that will allow posting on the website of the audit report as a cost saving effort. Publication of the availability of the report and the website address will be made.
The date of January 27 was set for the opening of bids on the Improvement of County Ditch 22 based on plans submitted by Bolton & Menk. The bid will be awarded at the February 1st meeting of the Commissioners. Completion date for the improvement will be December 2, 2022.
Zoning Administrator Jean Christoffels received approval for the 2022 Retainer Agreement for Legal Services from Scott Anderson. The cost remains $5000 for the year with slight increases in the hourly rates to be charged. Anderson, under the contract, will provide one three hour on site training session on a drainage ditch topic.
The Commissioners asked that the final payment of $8,888.30 on the Dinehart House restorations be held until it is determined if there is a warranty period on the newly applied paint.
County Highway Engineer Randy Groves presented a printed list of the equipment purchases anticipated in 2022. The purchase of a used Quadtrac tractor at an estimated cost of $325,000 was discussed as a replacement for two very old truck snow blowers. The units are obsolete and need constant repairs when in use. The tractor will also be used to create “snow fences” in fields. The cost necessitates the purchase be made on the bid process following a two week publication.
Human Resources Director Ronda Radke presented an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to be used if OSHA requires Covid vaccines and testing. She estimates that nearly one half of the County’s ninety-one employees remain unvaccinated at the present time. The big question in the discussion was, “Who will pay for the testing?” Also, the question of how and when will testing be done?
As required by law the Minimum Salaries of Elected Officials were set at $5,000. The offices included were: Auditor-Treasurer, Recorder, Sheriff and Attorney. The Board can now set the salary for any of the offices at whatever it deems appropriate as long as it is above the minimums.
The Board once again delayed action on the HVAC system for the Law Enforcement Center as Commissioner Thiner continued to argue towards changes to the current system. An attempt will be made to have the original contractor discuss changes in the operation of the system to meet current OSHA standards.
Appointments to a long list of committees were made for the year 2022. Many of these were for organizations or a multi county agreement in which the County has an interest.
