Commissioners accept Hoffman's bid for road/bridge work; permit issues and culvert repairs discussed

Steele County commissioners voted to accept a bid from Hoffman for a road/bridge project after staff said Hoffman’s quote was roughly $232 lower than the competing bid and the company was licensed and ready to proceed.

S6 recommended selecting Hoffman, saying the bid was competitively priced and that Hoffman was licensed and prepared to start. The board made and seconded a motion to accept the Hoffman bid and voted in favor; S6 said, "I will call Hoffman right after this until he gets on it done." The county’s road supervisor also briefed commissioners on related work: removing beaver dams to relieve water backing up onto County Road 1 and a planned replacement for a 48-inch culvert on County Road 6.

Commissioners also addressed contractor compliance: CSI left a recent project "with no permits" but later resolved the matter after county staff contacted the company and said it had made the permit situation right; the supervisor described the issue as roughly a "$6,000" permitting shortfall. Road staff additionally reported stopping a wind-tower vendor that attempted to move oversized loads without proper permits and requiring them to obtain correct permits before continuing.

Votes at a glance: - Hoffman bid accepted — motion made and seconded; voice vote carried (no roll call tally recorded). (provenance: discussion and motion beginning SEG 312; acceptance recorded SEG 328–336). - Bills approved — motion to approve bills passed by voice vote after motion by Barry and second by Krueger. (provenance: SEG 1423–1446). - Appreciation fund $1,000 approved — motion by S4, seconded by S9; voice vote carried. (provenance: SEG 758–766).

Next steps: staff will contact Hoffman to schedule work, follow up on culvert procurement and riprap installation, and continue enforcing permit compliance for large deliveries and tower work.