Franklin County approves $185,748 road-repair contract, agrees to reimburse contractor $21,743 for utility relocation

Franklin County commissioners on Monday approved a $185,748 contract with Kilo Construction to repair at least 15 road locations damaged during winter and authorized reimbursing Kilo $21,743.58 to cover an AT&T utility relocation charge tied to a separate bridge-widening project.

The repairs, described by county staff as necessary to correct frost boils and other sections that require digging out, milling and base replacement, target the county's most-consistently reported road defects. "I feel that the $138 per ton is very reasonable for what they can do for us," said Jeff, a county public-works staff member who presented the proposal. He told commissioners that, if approved, Kilo could begin work as soon as Friday.

County staff said the work is more substantial than routine patching and may include French drains or other subsurface fixes where water infiltration is the primary cause. "This is just more emergent," a county staff member said during the discussion, adding that Kilo has a record of returning to repair trouble spots at minimal or no cost when issues recur.

Commissioners discussed how to pay for the work and agreed to use reserve funds rather than adjusting the chip-seal program immediately. "We have the funding; this is exactly why we build reserves," said Derek, a county staff member who discussed budget options in the meeting.

The motion to approve Kilo's proposal passed on a voice vote with all commissioners voting yes.

Separately, the board voted to authorize county staff to pay Kilo $21,743.58 after Kilo incurred charges from AT&T to relocate a cut utility line on an Old 50 project. County staff described the sequence as follows: contractors cut a line during work on a road-tie widening; Kilo paid an initial repair fee; AT&T later billed Kilo for a relocation it said was needed to complete the work. County staff said the relocation charge would likely have been paid by the county if the relocation had been included in an earlier bid package. "We would have had to probably pay that if it was on an easement," a staff member said during the discussion.

The commissioners voted to reimburse Kilo for the relocation charge; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

The board also approved a separate one-year rental arrangement under the John Deere governmental program for two tractors to support county mowing operations. The rental rate is $20.72 per hour; the county may rent each tractor for up to 350 hours. Jeff said the program allows the county to run two tractors across the mowing season and to switch to the backup if the primary unit has a breakdown.

Commissioners and staff emphasized that the Kilo work is intended to address underlying structural issues rather than applying short-term overlays, and that prioritization will focus on the southeast quadrant while also addressing other urgent sites such as Rock Creek. Staff said that if repairs are successful the county will reassess how much chip seal to schedule later in the year.

Votes recorded during the meeting show unanimous approval for the Kilo contract, the Kilo reimbursement and the John Deere rental.

The county indicated it will proceed with scheduling and will report back on start dates and progress as work begins.