County Board approves Operating Engineers contract
<span>After tabling an agenda item during its previous meeting to approve a new contract with Local 399 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners needed all but five minutes to approve it on Friday.</span>
<span>The three-year contract, which includes raises at 2.5, 3 and 3 percent levels, expires on November 30, 2018.</span>
<span>Commissioner David Holder noted that the new deal is "pretty much in line with the other (union) contracts."</span>
<span>"We had pretty much a rewrite from three years ago," he said.</span>
<span>In other action, the commissioners approved a side letter of agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council.</span>
<span>The agreement includes a personal day for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, to be used at the discretion of each agency.</span>
<span>"This year, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve fall on a Saturday," said Board Chairman Dr. Marc Kiehna. "Usually, when the holidays fall on a weekend, the following Monday is a day off."</span>
<span>"(The personal day) is for deputies who have to patrol those days," added Holder.</span>
<span>Lastly, the commissioners approved a special use permit for Baldwin resident Gerald Cox. Cox was wanting to separate seven acres from a pre-existing homesite in an agricultural-zoned district.</span>
<span>The homesite existed before the zone.</span>
Roundup
<span>• County Engineer Mike Riebeling said the county has received the final two loads of road salt to fulfill its contract for the year. He said crews were currently doing ditch work throughout the county.</span>
<span>• Randolph County Health Department Administrator Tom Smith noted that his agency is working with the county's municipalities on preventative work for mosquitos.</span>
<span>"We do not recommend spraying for adult mosquitoes," he said. "Controlling the larvae is much more effective."</span>
<span>Smith said mosquitoes do not have an overly large range.</span>
<span>"If a person has a problem with mosquitoes, they should look no further than their own property or a neighbor's property," he said.</span>
<span>• General assistance for the period was $1,939.24. Commissioner Ronnie White noted that the amount was higher than usual due to the rising cost of medicine.</span>
<span>"We're able to help the same amount of people, but there's extra medicine costs," he said.</span>
<span>• The Randolph County Care Center was reported to have 66 residents.</span>
<span>• The commissioners appointed Doug Sachtleben to the Randolph County Board of Review to replace Don Weiser, who had passed away.</span>
<span>• The next meeting of the Board of Commissioners is scheduled for Thursday, March 24, at 9 a.m.</span>