Commissioners facing winter head-on

Janet Morales - February 22, 2011

With what could have been daunting obstacles, the Randolph County Commission has met problems with teamwork and creativity to keep the county running smoothly.

When it came to the blizzard of a few weeks ago, the Commission credits road crews with forethought and ingenuity in tackling the problem.

“We did something that we had never done before,” said Susan Carter, presiding commissioner. “We heard the reports and knew the snow was going to be bad. So the crews decided to take their graders home with them. It turned out to be a godsend because they might not have been able to get out otherwise. They started right away on the first day and did all but 20 miles of the county roads. They weren’t beautiful. They weren’t two lanes. But they were done so people could get moving. It was important to get the roads open. Our new Road and Bridge director Mike Rogers did a great job through it all.”

New Western Commissioner Jerry Crutchfield explained the main reason taking the graders home helped in digging out the roads so quickly and efficiently.

“When diesel gets cold,” said Crutchfield, “They’re hard to start. So the graders were taken home and plugged in to keep them warm. This isn’t standard operating procedure and hopefully it’s a one time thing, but it was the quickest and most efficient thing this time.”

“All the crew members agreed to this beforehand,” said Commissioner Wayne Wilcox. “They will be compensated for the utility use. When they were asked to do it there was no hesitation. They responded very favorably.”

The Commissioners give credit to the planning and foresight of previous commissions and former Road and Bridge Director bill Dougherty in that equipment was available. The county owns 13 maintainers as well as trucks with snow plows. It also owns five V-plows that can be attached to the maintainers for dealing with snow.

“Those V-plows, they’re the cat’s meow,” said Wilcox. “You can hitch them onto the maintainers. They are equipped for special equipment. Consequently we can average 39 miles per maintainer. We usually use 12 and keep one as a spare but we can put operators in 13 if we have to.”

“We want to thank everybody for being patient and understanding,” said Carter. We want to thank them for heeding the warnings to stay home.”

The budget is finished. While the general revenue fund is in the black, the Road and Bridge Fund is at a deficit. Part of the problem is the monies the county had previously from a tax levy was not renewed by voters. That is about $192,000 the county no longer has to pay bills. Also, a drop in the “car fund” has hurt. With fewer cars being purchased there is less motor vehicle tax money, less registration tax money and less motor fuel tax money that would help pay for road improvements.

“The budget process went very smoothly,” said Carter. “Jerry jumped right in and we have very disciplined elected officials.”

The prosecuting is now full-time but an assistant attorney has been dismissed to keep costs neutral. Mike Fusselman, prosecutor, had worked from his own building when he was still part-time but state statute does not allow the same arrangement for a full-time prosecutor. Therefore, the building he had occupied has been sold and is being leased to the county for $800 per month.

“We are still saving money,” said Wilcox.

With what could have been daunting obstacles, the Randolph County Commission has met problems with teamwork and creativity to keep the county running smoothly.When it came to the blizzard of a few weeks ago, the Commission credits road crews with forethought and ingenuity in tackling the problem.“We did something that we had never done before,” said Susan Carter, presiding commissioner. “We heard the reports and knew the snow was going to be bad. So the crews decided to take their graders home with them. It turned out to be a godsend because they might not have been able to get out otherwise. They started right away on the first day and did all but 20 miles of the county roads. They weren’t beautiful. They weren’t two lanes. But they were done so people could get moving. It was important to get the roads open. Our new Road and Bridge director Mike Rogers did a great job through it all.”New Western Commissioner Jerry Crutchfield explained the main reason taking the graders home helped in digging out the roads so quickly and efficiently.“When diesel gets cold,” said Crutchfield, “They’re hard to start. So the graders were taken home and plugged in to keep them warm. This isn’t standard operating procedure and hopefully it’s a one time thing, but it was the quickest and most efficient thing this time.”“All the crew members agreed to this beforehand,” said Commissioner Wayne Wilcox. “They will be compensated for the utility use. When they were asked to do it there was no hesitation. They responded very favorably.”The Commissioners give credit to the planning and foresight of previous commissions and former Road and Bridge Director bill Dougherty in that equipment was available. The county owns 13 maintainers as well as trucks with snow plows. It also owns five V-plows that can be attached to the maintainers for dealing with snow.“Those V-plows, they’re the cat’s meow,” said Wilcox. “You can hitch them onto the maintainers. They are equipped for special equipment. Consequently we can average 39 miles per maintainer. We usually use 12 and keep one as a spare but we can put operators in 13 if we have to.”“We want to thank everybody for being patient and understanding,” said Carter. We want to thank them for heeding the warnings to stay home.”The budget is finished. While the general revenue fund is in the black, the Road and Bridge Fund is at a deficit. Part of the problem is the monies the county had previously from a tax levy was not renewed by voters. That is about $192,000 the county no longer has to pay bills. Also, a drop in the “car fund” has hurt. With fewer cars being purchased there is less motor vehicle tax money, less registration tax money and less motor fuel tax money that would help pay for road improvements.“The budget process went very smoothly,” said Carter. “Jerry jumped right in and we have very disciplined elected officials.”The prosecuting is now full-time but an assistant attorney has been dismissed to keep costs neutral. Mike Fusselman, prosecutor, had worked from his own building when he was still part-time but state statute does not allow the same arrangement for a full-time prosecutor. Therefore, the building he had occupied has been sold and is being leased to the county for $800 per month.“We are still saving money,” said Wilcox.