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County staff to rewrite right‑of‑way permit after MidAmerican subcontractor works without permit; board approves permit action
Summary
County engineer/staff reported a MidAmerican subcontractor replaced poles without an approved right‑of‑way permit; the county plans to rewrite permitting rules and intends to invoice $250/day for the permit violation; the board approved staff action to process the permit.
County staff told supervisors a MidAmerican subcontractor, Michael's Power Inc., replaced utility poles on 210th Street without an on‑file right‑of‑way permit and that the county would pursue the $250‑per‑day penalty for working without a permit.
Ben, a county staff member handling right‑of‑way permits, said he found a pile of rock on the road during a site visit and that MidAmerican and its subcontractor have since provided copies of insurance and paperwork. "We would do the permit on Monday, and he'd probably be getting an invoice for $250 for failure to get a permit before working in the right of way," Ben said.
Ben told the board he plans to rewrite the county work‑in‑the‑right‑of‑way permit this winter and add a separate utility permit requiring the facility owner (for example, the utility company) to submit the application rather than the subcontractor. He said the rewrite will aim to make the owner responsible for permit compliance so problems do not revert to short‑lived subs.
Board members discussed emergency repairs that occur outside normal hours and accepted staff practice of approving emergency work administratively and reporting permits back to the board at the next meeting. The board moved, seconded and voted to approve the permit action reported by staff.
