Washington supervisors OK bridge replacement plan

WASHINGTON - A new bridge, staff changes and employee pay changes were topics quickly discussed Tuesday at the Washington County Board of Supervisors meeting.

County Engineer Jacob Thorius presented information regarding a bridge improvement on Elm Avenue, northwest of Wellman. He said it is a dead end road with only four residents.

Thorius said the bridge is weight-restricted and is affecting the farmers traveling in and out. The plan is to replace the bridge with a prefabricated one that comes in three parts.

'It's not a brand-new structure, it's a rehab of the existing structure,” he said.

It will takes two days to install, Thorius said and is a less expensive option.

It will cost $40,000 to purchase. He said county employees will do the work and the final cost will be around $70,000.

The board approved it unanimously.

Thorius also asked for a staff change. The two individuals were on payroll as backup secretary office manager. He said neither individual has been used in the position for years.

The Washington County Ambulance Service as well as the Washington County Sheriff's Department presented handbook changes regarding overtime pay and holiday pay.

Call back time for part-time workers is now time and a half for the first two hours, a change from just having regular time, Ambulance Director Jeremy Peck said. He added this is a way to attract part-time workers.

He said it is more expensive to have full-time workers respond, because they receive time and a half the entire time.

The second addition is employees who work holidays get 2½ times the pay for the entire shift, Peck said. He said this was to align with the sheriff's department.

Chief Deputy Shawn Ellingson said the Sheriff's Department changes follow the union contract as well as the communications commission.

If an employee is on a rotating schedule and it is their day off, the hours do not count toward overtime, he said. The other change is if an employee works on a holiday, it is holiday pay.

Both department changes were approved unanimously.

Leon Simon has been appointed as the Iowa Township Trustee by unanimous vote. The current trustee Richard Schneider has stepped down, County Auditor Dan Widmer said. The term expires in 2024.