Marion County commis?sioners discussed funding options to fix four miles of road going from Tampa west to Kansas Highway 15 at the commission?s regular Monday meeting.
Jim Herzet, road and bridge supervisor, suggested two methods to improve the road. Herzet mentioned using geogrids as the base of the roadway topped with an additional 8 inches of material, including the top 4 inches of asphalt. Use of geogrids would cost $460,000 per mile.
The second option would be to use the existing road-base covered with 6 inches of asphalt, costing $390,000 per mile.
Although geogrids cost more, Herzet said that with proper maintenance the road should last at least 10 years.
?How do we pay for it?? Commissioner Dan Holub asked. ?That?s always the bottom line. But I don?t want to put anything in there that just gets by on it cheap.?
Holub supported laying a ?good, solid base? and paying for the road with Marion County funding.
Commission Chair Randy Dallke suggested implementing a cost-share with the Agri-Producers Inc., the farmers? cooperative, as a way to fund the project.
?This is a pretty big hunk of our budget,? Dallke said. ?I don?t know what kind of a percentage we would pursue (with a cost-share), but that?s who you?re building the road for. You?re not building for anyone else but the co-op of Tampa.?
Holub said, ?We?re setting a precedent there with what you?re going to do. Where are we going to stop if we start doing the cost-sharing? (The co-op is) already paying commercial taxes. We need to support what we do have (in Tampa).?
Although no action was taken, Dallke requested at the end of the discussion that Holub speak with the API in regard to sharing costs.
Other business
In other business, the commissioners:
? heard from Holub that the state has three options in regard to the TransCanada-Keystone Pipeline: (1) Repeal the tax exemption; (2) state what constitutes access to the pipeline; (3) exempt only the original start-up costs of $271 million, but tax the difference of the revised start-up costs of $740 million.
? decided to proceed on fixing the stairwell at the Marion County Health Department.
? asked Dallke to contact the city of Florence regarding the contract for collecting waste from the Dumpsters at Marion County Lake. Florence wants to charge for fuel costs.
? voted 3-0 to approve a conditional-use amendment for Martin Marietta to extend the boundaries of its rock quarry from 300 feet away from Clear Creek back to 100 feet. John Stafne and Roger Beecham re-presented the company at the meeting.
? discussed charging for new 911 addresses. No action was taken.
? was asked by Michele Abbott, director of communications and emergency management, to contact state representatives in opposition of a landline/wireless bill going through the Senate. If the bill passes as currently written, Marion County will lose $11,000 a year in fees.
? heard that a record 119 people attended the county?s weather-spotting meeting last week.
? approved the decision of Teresa Huffman, county economic development director, to apply for a grant to purchase new equipment, including laptops and software, for a resource center. The grant deadline is April 1. Citizens State Bank will be the membership bank used for the grant.
? heard from Rollin Schmidt, transfer station director, that Marion County will pay $200 per month to Dickinson County for a recycle trailer rental.
? agreed 3-0 to purchase a new Bobcat Skid-Steer Loader for $30,612.40. The cost will be paid over three years.
? met in three five-minute executive sessions to discuss personnel. Two executive sessions ended with no action; one session ended with Travis Wilson, sheriff?s officer, getting a raise from $14.46 to $15.08 per hour for taking on additional duties by means of caring for the police dog.
? met in one 20-minute executive session with attorney David Cooper. No action was taken.
