Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Roads topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bakersfield Select Board unanimously approves short-term hire to speed grading during dry windows
Summary
Faced with narrow weather windows for grading and multiple failed culverts, the board voted 4–0 to temporarily rehire a local grader operator (Mac) at his prior rate plus 3% COLA to boost roadwork capacity when conditions permit.
The Bakersfield Select Board voted unanimously on April 13 to allow a temporary rehire of a local grader operator to take advantage of expected short dry windows for road grading.
Committee members described multiple failing culverts on Class 4 roads and heavy vehicle and ATV damage that have left some roads unpassable. Road staff and board members urged a short-term approach: bring back an experienced operator who can run a grader on short notice when weather allows. One member said the operator offered to work "at his old pay rate plus 3% for COLA," and the board voted 4–0 in favor of extending such a temporary contract.
Board members said the arrangement is intended to be time-limited and focused on high-travel roads and known pothole clusters. "When we get this window, Mack asked if he could run one of the graders, and he'd do it at his old pay rate plus the COLA," a staff member said. The board asked road staff to coordinate hauling and scheduling so graders and gravel trucks can be staged to maximize the short dry periods.
The action was taken as a motion and roll-call vote during the meeting; members described it as a pragmatic response to a seasonal maintenance challenge rather than a change to long-term staffing policy. The board also discussed using an extra experienced hand and prioritizing roads that serve the most traffic during the brief grading windows.
