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Supervisors approve road management report after debate over milling machines, driveway aprons and contractor work
Summary
Board approved the road management report and discussed equipment needs (two milling machines), driveway apron concerns, contractor responsibilities on driveways, sign orders, and renting specialty equipment and a primer truck to another county.
The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors approved the county road management report after extended discussion about equipment, driveway transitions and contractor responsibilities.
Supervisors and road staff debated whether the county should acquire or rent additional equipment — in particular a second milling machine — and whether routine contracts should include shoulder dressing and driveway apron work. Supervisors said residents are reporting vehicles grounding out at driveway aprons after recent work; staff explained that some apron issues result from the contractor’s specified thickness and that concrete aprons would be more permanent but cost more.
Staff told the board the milling machine vendor price discussed in the meeting was about $800,000 for a new unit and that renting specialty shoulder equipment is being explored. County engineering staff estimated that adding driveway shoulder dressings into a paving contract for a project like Sturgis Maven Road could add roughly $150,000, though figures vary by site. Staff said leaving millings on site for re-use would require agreement with the contractor; one vendor (APAC) typically hauls millings back to be recycled at the plant rather than leaving the material on-site.
The board approved the road management report. It also approved a right-of-entry/ditch cleanup and pipe replacement on Pike Road to address drainage causing localized flooding; supervisors moved and seconded the motion and voted to approve the work and right-of-entry. The board approved renting the county’s distributor (primer) truck and operator to Knoxville County for an agreed rate; staff said the county would send a truck and operator and that insurance and an MOU could be used to address liability coverage.
Supervisors asked staff to provide comparative cost estimates for including shoulder dressing/apron work in future contracts versus relying on county crews to perform that work after contractors finish paving. Staff said they will include shoulder dressings in future estimates to allow the board to compare contracting vs. in-house costs.
The motion to approve the road management report passed.
Context: The discussions reflected routine trade-offs between up-front contracting costs and long-term maintenance workload for county crews. Supervisors repeatedly stressed resident complaints about vehicle damage at driveway transitions and the need for durable apron finishes.
