Franklin County Commission approves appointments, annexation, surplus sales, engineering agreement, public-health mutual aid and vehicle purchase

The Franklin County Commission voted unanimously to approve a series of administrative and contract items, including board appointments, a City of Pacific annexation, surplus property declarations and several interagency agreements and purchases.

The commission approved Commission Orders 2025-87 through 2025-94. The measures, taken by unanimous voice vote, included reappointments and new appointments to county boards, acceptance of a municipal annexation ordinance from the City of Pacific, declaration of county equipment as surplus, a $8,400 supplemental agreement for right-of-way acquisition on a federally funded bridge project, an intergovernmental mutual-aid agreement for environmental health services with Crawford County, awarding a midsize SUV bid for the sheriff's office funded by a state canine-program grant, and approval of a consent agenda that included liquor licenses.

Why it matters: The orders clear administrative appointments and allow the county to proceed with infrastructure and public-health coordination work. The engineering agreement and surplus sales enable planned capital work, while the mutual-aid pact and vehicle purchase affect public-safety and public-health capacity.

What the commission approved

- Appointments to the Franklin County Building Department Board of Appeals (Commission Order 2025-87). The commission approved reappointments and standing members named in the file: Paul Landware, Thad Brady, Doug Allen, James Borgman and Joe Tobin. Motion and second were given by commissioners; the vote was recorded as ayes and the order approved as written.

- Appointments to the Franklin County Building Commission (Commission Order 2025-88). The commission approved replacing former commissioner Todd Bolan with Paul Overschmidt as First District commissioner, and approved Thad Brady, Joe Tobin, James Borgman and Richard Kleinheider for the commission. The order passed on a unanimous voice vote.

- City of Pacific annexation ordinance (Commission Order 2025-89). The commission acknowledged City of Pacific Ordinance 3442 to annex property at 584 Katy Lane into Pacific city limits and approved the county action as written.

- Declaration of surplus property (Commission Order 2025-90). The county declared various items surplus: computer equipment deemed nonfunctional, scrap culverts and other scrap materials from the highway department, two John Deere tractors, a Ford half-ton 4x4 truck and sign-shop equipment. Highway Department staff described plans to consolidate and transport scrap to a recycling depot for disposal and proceeds. The commission approved the declaration and disposal as written.

- Supplemental Agreement No. 11 with Cochran Engineering for the St. John’s low-water crossing replacement and new-bridge project (Commission Order 2025-91). Staff said East West Gateway had given preliminary approval and that the work is federally funded. The agreement covers right-of-way acquisition work and includes $8,400 for a consultant retained by Cochran to assist with permanent right-of-way and construction-easement acquisition. The commission approved the agreement as written.

- Intergovernmental mutual-aid agreement for local public-health environmental services with Crawford County (Commission Order 2025-92). County staff described the agreement as a neighbors-helping-neighbors arrangement that allows counties to provide mutual inspection and environmental-health support after disasters or during staffing shortages; the agreement also participates in a state incentive program that can provide funds to participating counties. The commission approved the mutual-aid agreement as written.

- Award of bid for a midsize SUV to Stratman Toyota for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (Commission Order 2025-93). County staff said the vehicle will be purchased through a Department of Public Safety grant for a canine program; the purchase is time-sensitive to meet reimbursement deadlines and will be reimbursed, creating no net cost to the county. The commission approved the award as written.

- Consent agenda approvals, including liquor licenses (Commission Order 2025-94). The consent agenda included liquor licenses for Players Advantage at three locations and other items submitted by the county clerk; the commission approved the consent agenda as written.

Votes and procedure: For each order the commission moved, seconded and took a voice vote; commissioners recorded “aye,” and the chair declared the ayes had it. The minutes record each order as “approved as written.”

Background and next steps: The engineering agreement advances a federally funded bridge replacement that will require property acquisition and construction easements. The mutual-aid agreement will allow reciprocal inspection support with Crawford County and may make the county eligible for state incentives. Staff will proceed with disposal logistics for surplus materials and finalize procurement under the awarded bid. No separate public hearings or contested votes were recorded on these items at the meeting.

Ending: The commission completed the listed business and then moved to reports and discussion items on disaster recovery and cleanup operations.