Hancock County Highway, Road and Bridge Committee met Sept. 29.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
The Hancock County Highway, Road and Bridge Committee meeting was called to order by Mr. Bolton at 8:30 A.M. Committee members present were Steve Bolton, Patsy Davis, Wayne Bollin, Mark Menn, Harry Douglas, and Pat Cramer. Also present was County Board Chairman Delbert Kreps and County Engineer Elgin Berry. Absent was Tom Scheetz.
Claims and expenditures for the month of September were presented to the committee for approval. A motion was made by Mr. Cramer and seconded by Mr. Menn to pay all bills as presented. All committee members present voted ‘Aye’.
County Engineer’s Report
The County Engineer recommended approval of a resolution to expend Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds in the amount of $620,000 for general maintenance of county highways in the 2021 calendar year.
The County Engineer recommended approval of a resolution to expend Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds in the amount of (TBD) to pay the salary of the County Engineer in the 2021 calendar year.
A motion was made by Mr. Douglas and seconded by Ms. Davis to recommend approval and final action by the Hancock County Board for both MFT resolutions as presented by the County Engineer. All committee members present voted ‘Aye’.
The County Engineer reported that a Contract Letting to rehabilitate a bridge in Sonora Township was held on September 28, 2020 in the conference room at the Hancock County Highway Department. The following bids were received:
(1) Low Bid: $52,950.00 by County Contractors Inc. of Quincy, IL
(2) (No other bids were received)
(3) The Engineer’s Estimate was $42,000.00
The County Engineer recommended awarding a contract in the amount of $52,950.00 for rehabilitation of the bridge in Sonora Township to County Contractors Inc., pending the approval of IDOT and the Sonora Township Road Commissioner. The road commissioner wants to discuss it with his township board before agreeing to accept the higher price. IDOT will only approve the use of Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds if a revised estimate can be justified. The County Board is the awarding authority for township MFT projects, even if the county is not a financial partner.
A motion was made by Mr. Cramer and seconded by Mr. Bollin to recommend approval and final action by the Hancock County Board to accept the low bid and award the contract to County Contractors Inc. pending IDOT and Township approval. All committee members present voted ‘Aye’.
The County Engineer reported that the La Moine River bridge rehabilitation project on the St. Mary – Bentley Road has been delayed until next year. The September start date would have created a situation where the old deck would be removed before the winter shut-down period but not replaced until spring. One farmer has already contacted the Highway Department about the hardship of moving his grain to the Colmar elevator this fall.
Old Business
The county board previously requested the consent of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for the re-appointment of the incumbent county engineer. As of the date of this committee meeting, IDOT’s consent to the re-appointment of Mr. Berry as the Hancock County Engineer has not been received. Mr. Bollin recused himself from the discussion and vote on the county engineer’s salary and left the meeting.
Mr. Berry stated that he is fully qualified for the position and that he anticipated receiving IDOT’s consent to his re-appointment. He also informed the committee that the county engineer must be appointed to a six-year term in accordance with an Illinois state statute.
After some discussion, the committee offered Mr. Berry a salary increase of 2% per year for the first three years of the six-year term. Mr. Berry accepted the offer.
A motion was made by Mr. Cramer and seconded by Ms. Davis to recommend approval and final action by the Hancock County Board for the appointment of Elgin Berry as the Hancock County Engineer with a 2% salary increase for the first three years. All of the remaining committee members present voted ‘Aye’.
New Business
Mr. Menn said that a concerned citizen had asked about the status of the Spillman Creek bridge replacement project in the Village of Pontoosuc. Mr. Berry stated that the Village was in the process of selecting their consultant engineer for the project and offered to contact the Village President, Bob Durand for an update.
Adjournment
As no further business was brought before the Committee at this time, a motion was made by Mr. Menn and seconded by Mr. Douglas to recess until Thursday, October 29, 2020 at 8:30 A.M. All committee members present voted ‘Aye’. The meeting adjourned at 9:15 A.M.
https://www.hancockcounty-il.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Highway-Road-Bridge-Committee-Minutes-September-29-2020-Minutes-1.pdf
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