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Board opts to formalize annual vegetation-contract for regulated drains
Summary
After discussion of past performance and pricing, the board directed staff to pursue an annual contract with the existing applicator for spraying regulated drains and to prepare contract language and pricing for board review.
Morton County Drainage Board members discussed vegetation management on regulated drains and agreed to pursue an annual contract with the local applicator who has provided services in recent years.
Board members recounted that last season the county paid about $37,000–$37,587 to spray eight regulated drains and that the applicator’s price last year was roughly $0.18 per foot. One board member said keeping a single contractor for multiple years aids evaluation of long-term performance: "If you run a 3 to 5, 6 year type [program] and your brush is being gone and you're having success, then you can credit that to 1 person." The board also discussed recurring problems in judging first-year effectiveness of some herbicide treatments and the need to check multi-year performance before making payment determinations.
Rather than issuing a new open bid this spring, board members favored a written annual contract with specification of footage, chemical costs, and performance expectations. The board noted the work is paid from individual drain maintenance funds, and that the amount for last year was under the county's formal bidding threshold as discussed at the meeting. Members asked staff to take last year's contract to the county attorney (Anne) for review, confirm whether the applicator remains available at a similar price, and return a draft contract to the board.
Key details: The applicator named in the discussion was Dewey Goss of Hoss Spray (described in the meeting as a local, Morgan County applicator). Board members said the highway department uses the same applicator for some spraying work and discussed whether the county could place service under a single county umbrella or keep separate contracts because of different funding requirements and product specifications.
Next steps: Staff will contact the applicator for current pricing, prepare a draft annual contract that specifies treated footage and performance measurements, and present the contract for board review. The board did not take a formal vote to award a multi-year contract at the April 7 meeting; it directed staff to proceed with contracting steps.
