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Roads, transfer station and noxious-weed staff warn of heavy cleanup season and staffing strains
Summary
Road-and-bridge and noxious-weed staff told commissioners that chemical prices have risen, crews are short-handed, and cleanup season will be lengthy following storm damage; commissioners discussed overtime, borrowing equipment, and potential drone or aerial spraying contractors.
Staff from the county’s road-and-bridge and noxious-weed operations gave an operational update describing a demanding cleanup season following severe weather, recent chemical-price increases, and ongoing staffing shortages.
The weed supervisor said certain chemicals—identified in the discussion as 'Loval'—had increased substantially in price since the start of the year, and staff are trying to stretch current supplies into the busy season. Crews reported using new equipment (a clutch/filtration machine to safely empty aerosol cans) and noted a recently acquired truck required some fine-tuning before regular use.
Commissioners and staff also discussed options for handling noxious weeds and hard-to-reach properties, including contractors and an aerial sprayer from Abilene. A drone sprayer capability was mentioned as a potential revenue source or subcontract option for difficult locations. Transfer-station staff said they were short-handed and have temporarily borrowed trucks to keep operations running; commissioners discussed recruiting seasonal youth workers for light tasks but noted legal limits on what under-18 workers may do and supervisor/insurance constraints.
Action items included staff obtaining bids for tire replacement on the new truck, continuing to manage overtime and staffing, and following up on potential aerial/drone contractor contacts. The meeting record does not show any formal votes related to these operational updates.
