Franklin County Commission approves vehicle and equipment purchases, adopts 2021 ICC amendments and several licenses; tables dump-truck order and personnel-man​

The Franklin County Commission approved a string of routine procurement and regulatory items Wednesday during a regularly scheduled hearing while tabling two agenda items for further review.

The commission approved Commission Order 2025-36, a settlement-related accounting directive for the Franklin County Treasurer; Commission Order 2025-37, authorizing execution of a lease/quote from Enterprise Fleet Management for a 2024 Ford F-150 for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; Commission Order 2025-38 authorizing the purchase of a cab tractor from Deere & Company for the Franklin County Highway Department; Commission Order 2025-40 authorizing a business associate agreement with the county’s incoming third-party administrator for health claims; Commission Order 2025-42 adopting proposed 2021 International Code Council building-code amendments; and Commission Order 2025-43 approving the consent agenda, which included multiple liquor licenses. Several other items were tabled for further review.

Why it matters: These approvals commit county budget lines and procurement actions that affect public-safety fleet availability, highway maintenance capacity and local regulatory standards for building codes and business licensing.

Most significant actions and votes

- Commission Order 2025-36 (settlement/accounting direction to the Franklin County Treasurer): motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (ayes recorded from the presiding commissioner and Commissioner Overschmidt).

- Commission Order 2025-37 (lease/quote with Enterprise Fleet Management for a Ford F-150 for the Sheriff’s Office): motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (ayes recorded). The commission noted the attached quote identifies a 2024 F-150 police responder unit.

- Commission Order 2025-38 (purchase of a cab tractor from Deere & Company for highway right-of-way mowing and maintenance): highway staff said the machine includes a side-mount brush hog hydraulic arm and will be used for right-of-way mowing; staff said purchase was already in the department’s budget and the vendor is on a state-approved bid list. Motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (ayes recorded).

- Commission Order 2025-40 (business associate agreement to substitute county third-party administrator for health claims): Human Resources staff explained the county’s health-plan third-party administrator (previously IPMG merged with AMI) experienced processing and customer-service problems; the proposed new administrator was described in the meeting as “Occsient” (as stated in the record). Staff said the change is already budgeted. Motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (ayes recorded).

- Commission Order 2025-42 (adopt 2021 International Code Council building-code amendments): no one from the Franklin County Building Commission attended; the clerk’s office will process the adopted amendments. Motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (ayes recorded).

- Commission Order 2025-43 (consent agenda): included issuance/renewal of liquor licenses for multiple local businesses and organizations; motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (ayes recorded).

Tabled items

- Commission Order 2025-39 (adoption of a revised employee personnel policy manual for designated county employees): after discussion and requests for clearer redlines and circulation to elected officials and department heads, the commission voted to table this item for further explanation and distribution of the draft.

- Commission Order 2025-41 (purchase of four dump trucks for the Highway Department): highway staff said two trucks were previously included in the fall budget revision and the department recently moved funds to increase the planned purchase to four; one commissioner said they were not aware of the recent budget revision and moved to table this item for further review. Motion to table carried.

Supporting details and context

Highway Department staff said the cab tractor purchase is a routine fleet replacement/augmentation used for right-of-way mowing and that the tractor was budgeted. On the dump trucks, staff said a budget revision approved roughly a week earlier shifted dollars to expand a two-truck order to four trucks; commissioners asked for additional detail and review before approving the expanded purchase.

Human Resources staff summarized problems under the county’s previous third-party administrator and presented the replacement administrator as a budgeted item. The record includes the administrator name as stated in the meeting; county staff indicated the vendor would take over claim-administration duties previously handled by AMI.

Quotes from the meeting (verbatim as spoken)

“Is this replacing one? This is ...” — Jim, Highway Department staff

“We always invite the comments from our elected officials and from our appointed positions and department heads and from the public for that in that regard.” — Presiding Commissioner (as stated in the record)

“What this is in regards to, the treasurer shall basically account for all school monies and funds of any and all kinds received by her, from whom, and on what account…” — Presiding Commissioner (agenda reading)

What’s next

Tabled items will return to a future commission hearing after staff circulates the draft personnel-policy revisions and provides additional budget documentation for the expanded dump-truck purchase. The commission adjourned and said the next hearing was scheduled for 10:30 (time announced at adjournment).