Commissioner questions road costs
Staff writer
County commissioner Clarke Dirks raised questions Monday about $798,000 the county spent this year to purchase and haul rock.
He also questioned how much the county was spending on concrete and whether it was seeking bids before buying.
“Probably not at this time,” County Administrator Tina Spencer said. “There are a lot of nuances to this.”
Dirks contended that better planning could control costs.
“We should have an idea how much rock there is to haul,” he said “I am concerned if we don’t put a little effort into this we are not going to be careful with taxpayer’s money,
“We should be able to preplan. I just think we can do better for the people of Marion County.”
Concrete costs between $4.80 and $8 a ton. Without seeking bids, he said, the county could be paying more than needed.
Spencer reiterated that there are a lot of nuances to rock and hauling costs.
“All I am asking is we look at doing better things in the future and get the best bang with taxpayer’s money,” Dirks said.
Spencer agreed.
“We can definitely do more,” she said.
On other topics Monday, commissioners also passed a resolution installing stop signs at 160th and Pawnee Rds.
They also approved the county’s Women Infants and Children nutrition agreement, which had been postponed due to the federal shutdown.
“We were notified last week we should be getting funding,” health department director Krista Schneider said.
SNAP (formerly food stamp) funding is not something she is in charge of, but she said the state had taken a conservative approach to funding this year.