Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mercer County Commission approves engineering contract, payroll audit and $70,000 shop improvement
Summary
At its Feb. 20 meeting in Stanton, the Mercer County Commission approved a one-year engineering contract, hired an auditor to review January payroll errors, authorized a $70,000 shop improvement and approved vouchers totaling $99,244.11. Several other routine permits and abatements were also approved.
The Mercer County Commission met Feb. 20, 2025, in Stanton and approved a range of administrative actions including a one-year county engineering contract, a county payroll audit and a planned $70,000 improvement at the county shop.
Commission Chairman Gene Wolf called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and commissioners approved the amended agenda. Commissioners then approved amendments to prior minutes and accepted both the Feb. 6 regular minutes and the Feb. 6 special meeting minutes after correcting an engineering invoice figure and removing an attendee name.
Tax Director Jen Neumiller presented six USA Trust tax abatements from the Three Affiliated Tribes (parcel numbers recorded in the minutes) and Temporary Use Permit Renewal #653 for use of a nonfarm residence as rental housing; both items were approved unanimously. An informal update on operations at the Coteau Freedom Mine was provided by Coteau Properties environmental specialist Darren Hellman; no formal action followed.
Interstate Engineer Harvey Fitzgerald presented a revised invoice for $16,308.10, which the commission approved. Separately, commissioners approved an estimated $70,000 building improvement project at the county shop.
In procurement actions, the commission awarded the 2025 county engineering contract to Moore Engineering on a 4–1 vote (Commissioner Mark Pierce, Commissioner Jamee Folk, Commissioner Rick Bauman and Chairman Wolf voted yes; Commissioner Casey Voigt voted no). The board also set the 2025 Annual Bid Letting for 10:00 a.m. April 2, 2025 at the courthouse in Stanton.
The board approved sheriff’s office requests to pay lost vacation hours as a one-time payout for staffing-related pressures: 136 hours for Kent Roth ($5,728.32) and 16 hours for Mark Schmitt ($674.72). Commissioners approved a duplicate warrant #55152 for $10,861.14 and added an amendment requiring a stop payment on the original check before issuing the duplicate.
Following reported payroll errors for January 2025, the commission voted unanimously to hire Eide Bailly LLP to audit the payroll. Commissioner Mark Pierce’s amendment expanded the engagement to include a full walkthrough of payable and payroll processing, an assessment of control design and recommendations for control improvements.
Commissioners reviewed and approved vouchers totaling $99,244.11 (an itemized vendor list is recorded in the minutes). There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 12:23 p.m.; the next regular meeting is scheduled for March 5, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in the Mercer County Government Center boardroom in Stanton.
The minutes record motions and vote tallies for each action; where the minutes indicate "all voted aye" the record shows unanimous approval by the five commissioners listed as present.
