Mike Prottsman will keep county sanitation contract

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Mike Prottsman Sanitation, of Mt. Pleasant, will retain the county?s sanitation contract for the next three years and eight months.

Henry County Supervisors voted unanimously during their regular meeting Tuesday not to re-open bids on the contract. Prior to the successful motion, board Chairman Greg Moeller asked for a motion to re-open the contract but did not receive a motion.

Earlier this month, Lynn Whaley, owner of WEMIGA Waste, of Mt. Pleasant, appeared before the board, asking that the contract be reopened. The sanitation contract can only be reopened if either party (Prottsman Sanitation or the county) asks for a change in the contract 60 days prior to its expiration. The deadline for such a request is Dec. 20, 2015. If neither party requests a change, the contract automatically renews.

Whaley also appeared before the board on June 8 with a similar request. At that time, Supervisor Marc Lindeen stated he presently was not in favor of re-opening the contract, Supervisor Gary See said he did not see the need and Moeller said he favored opening the contract up for bid.

When Whaley visited with the board on Dec. 3, the board said they would continue the discussion on Dec. 15. Whaley was on the agenda for yesterday?s meeting but did not appear.

The county pays Prottsman a base monthly fee of $9,820 for sanitation service, according to the county auditor.

In other business, County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss also gave his monthly report Tuesday to supervisors. Hotchkiss said the county secondary roads crew had been busy hauling spot rock, installed crossroad pipe in three years and was beginning to cut brush.

?We?re starting to get away from hauling rock and beginning brush cutting,? Hotchkiss reported. ?The biggest issue we are fighting right now is pot holes on roads.?

Work on modifying the road at Faulkner?s Access is being slowed, he stated, due to wet weather.

Finally, he said the Skunk River is about to crest due to recent rainfall. He did not anticipate anything more than minor flooding. ?I think we are in pretty good shape,? Hotchkiss assessed. ?Hopefully, the river goes down because more rain is expected next week.?

Supervisors will meet again in regular session on Thursday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m., in the Henry County Courthouse.