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Commissioners approve coroner truck and retain law firm; highways, opioid fund and personnel items discussed
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Summary
At the March 16 meeting the board approved routine minutes and claims, purchased a 2026 Chevrolet truck for the coroner, retained law firm Baker Tiley, approved a $5,000 opioid-fund donation for an after-prom, and heard highway and parks updates.
The Switzerland County Board of Commissioners used its March 16, 2026 meeting to approve several routine and departmental actions, and to hear operational reports from county staff.
The board approved the minutes from its March 2 meeting and the claims as presented by motion and unanimous vote. In a separate equipment purchase, commissioners approved buying a 2026 Chevrolet truck for County Coroner Joseph Spillman. The Kelsey Chevrolet quote recorded in the transcript was $28,969.80 with a $6,500 trade-in allowance for the old Durango; Commissioner Ryan Harrison moved to authorize the purchase from the casino rainy day fund, Joe Bennett seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. The board also approved a not-to-exceed cap of $2,500 for a truck cap for the new vehicle.
Commissioner Joe Bennett moved to retain the law firm Baker Tiley for 2026; Jamie Peters seconded and the vote was unanimous. The board approved Bond #67347446 for Joseph Spillman as county coroner. On the opioid-fund item, Dr. Findley explained the distinction between restricted and unrestricted settlement monies; the board approved a $5,000 donation for the after-prom (motion by Joe Bennett, second by Jamie Peters).
Highway Superintendent Dusty Hunt reported that right-of-way for bridge #16 has been secured, crews have hauled 3,601 of a projected 6,000 tons of #11 chips for chip-and-seal work, are repairing tree damage, and have placed three new dump trucks into service; three older Chevy dump trucks will be auctioned after removal of brine-tank wiring. Travis Miller, Craig Township trustee, asked to purchase T-posts and the commissioners approved. Backhoe quotes were discussed and tabled for a future meeting.
The board discussed options for county custodial services and agreed to post a part-time custodian position at 24 hours per week rather than proceed immediately with a single-company contract quoted at about $40 per hour. The board also deferred a handbook question about whether new hires should start immediately upon accepting an offer or only after background and drug-screening results are returned.
With no further business, Chair Ryan Harrison moved to adjourn; the motion passed and the meeting ended at 5:57 p.m.