County commissioners discuss code enforcement, road maintenance during regular meeting

At the Public Works portion of the Adams County Commissioner’s meeting on July 7 Director Todd O’Brien reported on road maintenance in Adams County.

Crews were seal coating in the Lind area. They started on Monday on Tiel Road and would be moving to Wahl, then Neilson and working out west on Franz.

After completion of those roads, crews will then start on the west end of Rosenhoff Road and work east to Ritzville before moving south to the Washtucna area and work towards Othello.

In his report on solid waste management, Director O’Brien also presented the commissioners with contracts from Paradigm Software to purchase software for $14,957.50 and a software maintenece agreement for $18,037.50.

This software is for use at the waste transfer stations scales. It will give the ability for payments at transfer stations to be made with credit or debit cards.

The expenditure’s were already contained in the budget.

Engineer Scott Yaeger reported on the Danekas Road project.

The cement treated base for the road will be laid down on July 16, and the contractor expects to have it completed in a day.

The road should be graveled in time for harvest.

He presented the commissioners with the contract for the second phase of construction with an engineer’s estimate of $998,046.38 no action was necessary on the contract and that once funding was approved the overlay can begin.

In a later session with Sherriff John Hunt and Prosecutor Randy Flyckt, commissioners discussed problems with code enforcement in Adams County.

Sherriff Hunt expressed concern over the documentation of code violations and that without detailed reports and pictures of the violations that the Sheriff’s Department could not conduct an investigation.

Prosecutor Flyckt also outlined that in order to prosecute violators that a more formalized reporting procedure needed to be implemented.

Sherriff Hunt also discussed the possibility of having a deputy dedicated to code violation investigations. Commissioner Jeffrey Stevens agreed with Sheriff Hunt saying that code violations are going to keep happening.

He also discussed the possibility of bringing back the traffic deputy position to also function as code enforcement. No action was taken and it was decided to revisit the subject when planning the budget for 2015.

Commissioner Stevens outlined the need for sustainability in the budget for the position.

Sherriff Hunt also gave a report on the Adams County Jail.

He stated that soon the jail will be fully staffed and that he would like to purchase another Tazer for jailers. Currently there are two in the jail but one is out for repairs.

Hunt also gave a report on maintenance needed in the jail and the problem with overcrowding that the jail is currently experiencing.

Hunt set up a meeting with the commissioners on Monday, July 14, at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the needs of the jail and possible solutions in detail.