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Commissioners set pay for road viewers amid discussion of a standardized fee schedule
Summary
Geary County commissioners approved payment to three road viewers at $20 per hour (estimated 3 hours) and discussed creating a consistent fee or resolution to cover survey and publication costs instead of requiring old-style bonds for road petitions.
Geary County commissioners voted to pay three road viewers a flat rate of $20 per hour and discussed adopting a standard fee schedule for future road-petition work.
The commissioners approved payment for the three people who completed a road viewing, with the payment calculated as three hours at $20 per hour to cover time and travel. The motion carried, according to the meeting record; the transcript does not record a detailed roll-call tally.
Commissioners said a standard schedule would help counties avoid the difficulties of obtaining surety bonds that historically accompanied road petitions. “I think something needs to be done that’s consistent,” Commissioner Trish Giordano said during discussion about whether to require bonds or adopt an application fee. County staff noted that some neighboring counties use an application fee (for example, Franklin County was cited as using a $500 application fee) to cover survey and publication costs normally secured by a bond.
The group reviewed how older statutes underpinning the bond requirement—referred to by one commissioner as an “1896 law” or similar vintage—make bonding harder to arrange in the modern market. Commissioners asked staff to prepare a written proposal and draft resolution establishing a consistent fee schedule to present at a future meeting.
Background and context: Road viewings occur when property owners petition to establish or change a county road. Historically, counties have required bonds to cover the cost of surveys, legal notices and publication; commissioners said bonds are increasingly difficult and expensive to obtain. Commissioners discussed alternatives used by other counties, such as requiring the petitioner to pay survey and publication costs up front or a fixed application fee to cover those expenses.
What comes next: Staff was asked to draft language for a resolution or fee schedule to provide consistency for future petitions and to clarify what the fee or bond would cover. The commissioners did not adopt that resolution at this meeting.
