Chickasaw County board awards trailer, waives EMS installment and approves election invoice, payroll and pay changes

The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors on April 20 took several operational actions: it awarded a surplus county trailer to the high bidder, waived a quarterly EMS installment payment, approved an election printing invoice, approved payroll and claims, and authorized a contract-based pay increase for a road mechanic.

Trailer sale: The board opened sealed bids for a 1999 Black Cargo Mate trailer that the Cemetery Commission declared surplus. Bids ranged from $359 to $1,002.80. Chair read the bids and moved to award the trailer to Ned Brents for $1,002.80; the motion (moved by Charles, second by Scott) carried. “I really think that’s reasonable,” the chair said as the board completed the award.

EMS installment waiver: The board discussed the cities’ installment payments to the county EMS under the interlocal agreement. Joel, present for the EMS discussion, described timing for vehicle chassis purchases and warranty considerations. The board then moved (motion recorded as by Steve, second by Isaac) to waive the 07/05/2026 quarterly installment payment from the county and the cities under the agreement; the chair called the ayes and declared the motion carried. One supervisor reiterated prior opposition to waiving the payment, but the board approved the waiver.

Election invoice and payroll/claims: Auditor/finance staff presented an invoice from Henry M. Atkins & Sons for election printing and support. The transcript includes two different amounts in the same discussion ($10,289.11 and $10,002.89.11); the board approved the invoice in a motion by Isaac, second by Steve. The board also approved payroll (April 17) and multiple claims; recorded motions carried.

Road mechanic pay change: The board approved a contract-based step/pay change for the county secondary road mechanic. The motion (moved by Travis) increased the mechanic’s wage from $27.31 to $28.82 per hour effective April 20, 2026; the chair recorded the ayes and declared the motion carried. The transcript records the mechanic’s name inconsistently as William Schuetz and William Schmitz; that discrepancy is noted in clarifying details.

What the board said: On the trailer sale, the chair said the high bid of $1,002.80 appeared reasonable. On the election invoice, staff noted the high cost of ballot printing and the invoice’s components (absentee printing, coding/testing, all-day election support and shipping).

Next steps: Staff will prepare purchase documentation and return final paperwork for the trailer sale to the treasurer’s office. The county auditor will process the approved election invoice and payroll/claims; staff will follow up on the EMS payment schedule with participating cities as required.

Quotes: "We do have 4 bids...the high bid is Scott Ohavi for $1,002.50...Mike bridal $1,002.80," the chair said when reading bids. On the EMS installment discussion, Joel said the down payment and chassis timing will likely shift the vehicle purchase into later fiscal quarters.