Commissioners split gravel bids between two

Red Willow County commissioners split the county's gravel bid between the two companies that presented bids during the board's meeting Monday morning.

Paulsen's Inc. will provide gravel for these precincts: Lebanon, Beaver, Danbury, Tyrone, Missouri Ridge, Bondville, East Valley, Indianola, Red Willow, North Valley, Alliance and Coleman.

Paulsen's average cost per cubic yard of gravel in these precincts is $7.34.

Hancock Sand and Gravel was awarded these precincts: Gerver, Grant, Valley Grange, Driftwood, Willow Grove, Perry, Fritsch and Box Elder. Hancock's average cost per cubic yard in these precincts is $6.74.

Commission Chairman Earl McNutt said the county has spent about $175,000 so far this fiscal year on gravel, explaining that commissioners budgeted $200,000 for the year. "It gets kind of close (to that budget figure) some years," fellow commissioner Steve Downer said, "depending on whether it rains or not."

Using a calculator and estimating transportation costs, commissioner Leigh Hoyt figured county crews and equipment hauling the gravel from the pits to the county roads could save about $40,000 on the gravel bid. However, Hoyt and fellow commissioners questioned whether that $40,000 would cover the county's manpower, equipment, fuel and time.

In other action, commissioners:

* Approved a list of omitted, corrected and over- or under-valued properties presented by County Assessor Sandra Kotschwar. Kotschwar told commissioners the list includes some canal-irrigated farmland that has been recertified (with documentation from the Farm Service Agency) from irrigated to dryland, because of the lack of irrigation water from local canals and reservoirs.

* Tabled until the July 12 meeting discussion of two amendments to the county's medical and dental plans for HIPAA (privacy) compliance, to allow the county's privacy officer, Phil Lyons, to review the documents.

* Received a check for $1,419 from Lexington Area Solid Waste for a household hazardous materials collection conducted by Red Willow County's hazmat personnel.

Commissioners will not meet Monday, July 5.