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Commissioners push road crew to adopt tracking spreadsheets, increase maintenance cadence
Summary
Smith County commissioners urged broader use of supervisor-created spreadsheets to improve blade-crew productivity, required more frequent equipment greasing, and asked for improved walk-around procedures; staff said few employees currently use the spreadsheets.
Commissioners pressed supervisors to ensure blade operators use tracking spreadsheets designed by Travis Story to increase production. Story told the board that "very few people are using them," and Blade Foreman Gary Baetz said he typically receives verbal updates rather than written ones, underscoring the gap the spreadsheets are intended to fill.
The board also instructed more frequent greasing of heavily used equipment (from weekly to multiple times per week as needed) and asked Kevin Marcum to implement improved walk-around procedures (shared responsibility between Marcum and Cole Conaway). Commissioners discussed 10-hour workdays used mainly for a recent P Rd project and asked supervisors to increase production while monitoring safety.
The minutes record training and equipment-preference conversations (joystick vs. wheel), with several staff saying they prefer joysticks and recommending operators look beyond the front wheels when steering.
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