Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Highway And Bridges topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Highway superintendent warns of staffing shortfalls; council considers one‑time transfer from insurance reserve for bridges
Summary
The highway department said it is short multiple truck drivers and crew leaders, which constrains in-house work and increases reliance on contractors. Council members suggested a one‑time transfer from the county’s health‑insurance reserve to supplement bridge and culvert work and to help pursue federal matching funds.
Henry County’s highway superintendent told the council the department is understaffed and that recruiting difficulty is increasing the county’s reliance on contractors and constraining maintenance work.
Braden, the highway superintendent, said the department is short two crew leaders, two truck drivers and one laborer, and that two other employees are out on short‑term disability or workers’ compensation; in total, he said the department is about seven employees short of a fully staffed complement. “We’re short in truck right now...we're short 2 truck drivers at this time, and we're short 1 laborer,” Braden said, and added that the department has 23 on‑staff positions when fully staffed, compared with historical staffing levels above 30.
Those shortfalls matter for capital and maintenance planning. County Engineer Joe described bridge and culvert costs the council faces: large culvert replacements and small bridge work can quickly total hundreds of thousands of dollars per structure, and full bridge replacements (including design, permitting and construction) can approach or exceed several hundred thousand dollars before federal/state matches.
Council member Chad proposed a one‑time transfer from the county’s health‑insurance fund surplus to the bridge fund as an interim fix to pursue federal-aid matches or to perform urgent maintenance. Chad said, “My thought was...we consider lowering that in the general fund and giving the road the street the bridges a onetime shot of money.” He and others discussed a placeholder figure of $500,000 that could be used as match or direct local projects; Joe estimated $500,000 could fund several culverts or a small bridge plus overlay work, and that using federal-aid programs (80% federal match on eligible projects) could stretch the local dollars further.
County staff cautioned that the insurance fund is self‑insured and carries a statutory deductible (historically large) for claims; staff said the health‑insurance reserve is currently strong, above 70% of annual outlays, but warned the move should be a one‑time measure because large unexpected claims could quickly erode the reserve.
Ending: Council members asked highway leadership and staff to prioritize critical projects, to pursue federal‑aid opportunities where appropriate, and to return with a clearer list of candidate bridge/culvert projects and required local match if the council wants to pursue a one‑time transfer.
