Pottawattamie supervisors approve interim engineer sharing agreement and delegate temporary road authorities

Pottawattamie County supervisors on July 12 approved an interim county engineer sharing agreement with Mills County and adopted three companion resolutions delegating temporary engineering authorities to the interim engineer.

The actions included Resolution 48-25 (interim county engineer sharing agreement), Resolution 45-25 (authority to close secondary roads for construction/maintenance), Resolution 46-25 (authority to administer and manage secondary road contracts and certify completion), and Resolution 47-25 (authority to issue special permits for oversize/overweight vehicles). Chairman Jeremy Bell and all supervisors present voted in favor of the interim-sharing agreement on a roll call vote.

The board discussed terms for the Mills County sharing contract before the vote: a 90-day interim term that would put the likely end date in mid-November, an hourly rate keyed to comparable agreements, a two-hour minimum charge, and an expectation of about 10 hours per week of interim engineer time billed to Pottawattamie County. Supervisors agreed to use figures from previous sharing agreements (including the Harrison County arrangement) as the template and to insert specific dollar amounts into the draft language before finalizing the record.

During debate supervisors emphasized the need to get an interim engineer in place quickly to avoid gaps in permitting and project oversight, while also pressing for clarity on hourly rates and total expected costs. One supervisor said the blanks in the draft agreement — particularly dollar figures and time commitments — were “the important part” and preferred that the board specify its suggested numbers rather than leaving the contract open-ended. Staff reported the parties could amend the agreement later if Mills County requested different terms.

The four resolutions passed in sequence. Resolution 45-25 permits the interim engineer to close secondary roads for construction and maintenance; Resolution 46-25 authorizes the interim engineer to administer and manage contracts, certify completion papers and make final acceptance of contract work under local and federal-aid funding; and Resolution 47-25 allows the interim engineer to issue and sign special permits to move oversize and overweight vehicles on county secondary roads. The board discussed that, as practiced previously, office staff may approve permits only after a licensed engineer signs off; the resolutions provide a clear chain of authority to document that legal sign-off.

Supervisors directed staff to complete the blanks in the sharing agreement (rates, start and end dates and allocation of hours), to circulate the updated draft to named staff (Kristen and Jeanette were asked to receive the paperwork), and to convene a special meeting if Mills County finds the proposed terms unacceptable. The board noted that if Mills County changes its proposed terms, the agreement can be amended later.

The board’s action aims to restore day-to-day engineering authority and permitting capacity while the county continues recruiting a full-time engineer.

Ending: Staff were asked to insert the county’s preferred numeric terms into the sharing agreement, circulate the completed drafts to the board and to return any final paperwork for signature so the interim arrangement can begin promptly.