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County engineer defends lending bridge‑engineering help to Ottawa County amid local staffing concerns
Summary
County Engineer Mike Brimsky told commissioners Lucas County has the capacity to assist Ottawa County with an emergency bridge project, while at least one commissioner pressed that county staff should prioritize local permit processing and housing development concerns.
County Engineer Mike Brimsky asked the Lucas County Board of Commissioners to approve a joint cooperation agreement to provide bridge engineering services to neighboring Ottawa County on an as‑needed, time‑and‑materials basis while Ottawa County seeks a replacement bridge engineer. Brimsky said the work was requested to finish plans for a closed bridge and that Lucas County would help “as long as we can” while Ottawa County recruits new staff.
A commissioner raised concerns that lending top management time to another county could divert attention from Lucas County priorities — in particular permit processing and housing development. The commissioner said, in part, “our population is declining. We have a housing ... challenge, and the permit process in your top staff [should] focus on Lucas County who pays for our salaries.”
Brimsky replied that bridge engineering is a separate function from permit processing, that the engineer’s office has availability and the capacity to perform the single bridge job without compromising local services: “we have the availability with our bridge engineer to be able to perform that.” He also noted the engineer’s office recently received recognition for stormwater work and defended the office’s performance.
The engineer also reported other routine items: rejection and rebid of crack‑sealing bids after all three bids exceeded the engineer’s estimate by more than 20 percent; acceptance of a dedication of right‑of‑way for Kilburn Road in Richfield Township tied to a prior roundabout project; joint agreements with the Lucas County Soil & Water Conservation District for ditch maintenance and stormwater education required by permit; and the county engineer’s annual report listing 278 road miles maintained, six miles resurfaced, 3.5 miles of thin overlay, two bridge replacements, and a roads capital improvement budget of $11,100,000 within a $22,300,000 overall budget.
After discussion the board separated item 4 for individual consideration but ultimately approved the joint‑cooperation arrangement and the other engineer items during the meeting.
Why it matters: The vote clarifies how the county will allocate staff resources and confirms routine capital and maintenance priorities for county roads and stormwater obligations.
