Morton County commissioners on Sept. 11 authorized out‑of‑state travel for County Engineer John Psyche and Road Superintendent Chad Schneider to attend Caterpillar Governmental Training & Safety Days in Peoria, Illinois, Sept. 30–Oct. 2. County staff described the trip as training and networking with equipment vendors and other county road staff; Butler Machinery will cover travel, lodging and meals, so county officials said there will be no fiscal impact to Morton County.

John Psyche told commissioners the conference covers equipment ownership, financing, safety and demonstrations of new equipment and technologies. Commissioners who had attended similar events recommended the training as valuable for staff that oversee heavy equipment and road operations. Psyche said the training does not qualify for continuing education credits for his professional development hours but is useful for vendor and equipment familiarization.

The commission approved the travel request by motion and voice vote; the board recorded that there would be no expense to Morton County because Butler Machinery is sponsoring the registration, lodging and meals.

Speakers on the record included John Psyche (county engineer), Chad Schneider (road superintendent), and supporting commissioners and staff.