County engineer defends testing, incentives after paper scrutiny; board approves contracts and updates pavement standard

Crow Wing County’s highway engineering staff told the county board on April 8 that outside reporting about an industry investigation did not involve the county’s projects and that county controls protect taxpayer investments. The board approved the consent agenda, which included awarding roadwork contracts to Anderson Brothers.

County Engineer Tim Bray told the board the county requires independent material testing and onsite checks to ensure public works meet specifications. "A lot of these tests require two samples to be taken — one done by the contractor and one done by the county or MnDOT or another independent agency — so there's always some check and balance," Bray said. He described tests for asphalt content, aggregate distribution, density and smoothness and said noncompliant work can result in deductions, incentives withheld, or, in rare cases, removal and replacement.

That technical account followed questions from commissioners after a newspaper article raised concerns about Anderson Brothers. Bray said the county’s records and staff were not part of the outside inquiry and that his review of county files and processes left him confident county projects receive appropriate testing and oversight. He reported that, from February 2017 through the present contract period, net incentives paid to Anderson Brothers totaled about $1,300,000 — a sum Bray said covers a multi-year period and reflects both incentives and some disincentives applied under contract terms.

The discussion also covered a separate staff change to pavement specifications for the first assessment district: the county intends to require a 3-inch compacted bituminous top layer (rather than 2 inches) to achieve a seven-ton design for new roads. Bray said the specification change is intended "to make sure that new roads are built to the standard" and that the county will notify townships that adopt the county standard so they may choose to change their ordinances.

Commissioners moved and seconded approval of the consent agenda, which included the Anderson Brothers contract awards. The motion passed on a recorded voice vote.

Board members who raised questions said they had spoken with constituents and township officials before the meeting and that county staff had shared documentation and answered those concerns during the discussion. No member asked the board to withhold the contract awards pending further review.

Bray said the county stops specification items that do not provide value (he cited ending a thermal-profiling requirement after finding it did not produce verifiable benefits) and continuously reviews inspection procedures. He said MnDOT and other independent laboratories help perform tests the county does not run in-house.

The board did not direct additional audits or contract suspensions during the meeting; instead it approved the consent agenda and moved forward with the county engineer’s recommended oversight procedures.

The board’s vote to approve the consent agenda was recorded as a motion by Commissioner Coring, second by Commissioner Lee; the roll call recorded ayes from Commissioners Barrows, Lubcke, Lee, Coring and Franzen. The motion carried.

Looking ahead, Bray said staff will notify townships on the pavement-spec change and that any developer-built roads still must meet independent-engineer design requirements for a seven-ton standard before county approval.

The county’s formal minutes will record contract numbers and award amounts under the consent agenda; those details were not read into the record during the discussion.