Mercer County approves nearly $987,000 in bills, including $464,000 paving payment

The Mercer County Commission approved vouchers totaling $986,907.14 on Dec. 18, 2024, including several large vendor payments and a set of adjustments requested for sheriff’s bills.

Auditor Carmen Reed and the commissioners reviewed a long voucher list; Commissioner Jamee Folk moved to approve the bills with specified edits: holding a $742.50 bill from Legend Air and adjusting the sheriff’s Lignite Tire charge from $180.00 to $936.00 and Midco Communications from $190.54 to $381.08. Sheriff Terry Ternes, who was present, signed off on the sheriff-related adjustments. Commissioner Rick Bauman seconded Folk’s motion and the commission voted to approve the vouchers.

Major line items listed in the approved vouchers include $464,022.83 to Bechtold Paving Inc., $163,799.96 to the North Dakota Department of Transportation, $57,972.48 to Motorola Solutions, $37,379.26 to John Deere Financial and $46,586.51 to Core Facility Solutions. The minutes record many other smaller vendor payments and a vendor list and referenced check range; the total approved was recorded in the minutes as $986,907.14.

Why this matters: large single-vendor payments for paving and state transportation charges indicate substantial capital or maintenance work affecting county roads and infrastructure. The minutes do not attach project-specific coding or describe whether the payments were for contracted construction work, ongoing maintenance or emergency repairs.

The commission recessed and later reconvened to continue the agenda; no further votes altering the voucher total were recorded.