BENTON – [VIDEO FOLLOWS REPORT] Mike Oliver with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 1 for the upcoming road improvement season to the Fiscal Court on Tuesday. Oliver said 8.587 miles of resurfacing will be done in the county at a cost of $960,000.00 and the Flex Fund amount is $269,059.00 which comes to $1,179,059.00.
OLD BUSINESS
County Uniforms
Bids were received from three companies and opened at the February 7th Fiscal Court meeting and since have been under review. Two of those, Siegels Uniforms and Galls have websites, making it easy for departments to order from directly. Brad Warning, Deputy Judge/Executive addressed the bid from Siegels and showed a view of their website, set up like most e-commerce sites where a customer logs in, picks the desired item then checks out.
Commissioner Rick Cocke questioned the boot purchase in which some departments give their employees money to go out and purchase their boots. Commissioner Bob Gold brought up the various styles and fits of steel toe boots, saying everyone has their own preference on what type of boot they prefer to wear.
Judge/Executive Kevin Neal said each department head submits the type of boot their employees need to wear and the employees can pick from the choices on the site.
Siegels has been used by the Sheriff’s Department for the past 25 years and Sheriff Kevin Byars said he has been pleased with their service.
Rob Schnieder, a representative from Galls out of Lexington, one of three companies that bid on the county uniforms was present at the meeting and went through his company’s website explaining a few of their many services, their inventory and what they can do for the county as far as being an integrated website with items processed as soon as they are ordered.
Each employee logs in with an email address that distinguishes what department they are in and will recognize what that particular employee needs in uniforms and other items, they can proceed to put them in the cart and check out. Schnieder explained that allotments can be set up for each employee and can be tracked so the employee never goes over their allotment. If they go over their allotment, they can continue to check out and use their personal credit card to pay the remaining balance.
Sheriff Byars said his department currently does not have allotments set up but order on an “as needed” basis. Road Department Superintendent Wendy Greer said her employees get a check to purchase work clothes and they basically do what they want to with it, but said boots were done separately with receipts turned in and then reimbursed. Greer said in her viewing of the two websites, Galls had more to offer for what her department needs.
Schneider addressed the concern over boots saying employees are not required to buy from Galls, and used an example of buying a Redwing boot which is not offered on their site, saying they can purchase them separately and the department administrators on the site can still go in and deduct that amount from that employee’s allotment within the website. which Schneider feels is a great tool for the county.
Departments can generate reports at the end of each year to see what is left in allotments for each employee or if an employee leaves their employment with the county, they can be deactivated from the website immediately.
Neal likes the tracking tool within the website which would allow the county to track inventory at any county agency as well as items purchased, for example tazers and body armor for the Sheriff’s Department, that the county needs back in the case of someone quitting or a termination.
With this being the third meeting on county uniform discussions, Neal asked a decision be made as to who the county should go with for their county departments needs and said the website based vendors is a great management tool for department heads and the employee.
Cocke addressed Schneider, asking what relationship Galls has with the county, saying currently the Sheriff’s Department and Ambulance Service uses Siegels. Schneider said he understood how important those relationships can be but urged the county to “just give them a try” confident that they would find their site a great service to the county.
Neal was fine with some departments remaining with Siegels, emphasizing as long as it is a web based service which allows the county to manage the items and be accountable for items purchased that will be previously identified by department heads.
Neal likes the services and management tools offered by Galls. Commissioners Bowlin and Cocke want to see departments that have used Siegels be able to remain with them which Neal said is not a problem and would like to hear from other departments that are with Siegels to determine if they want to remain with them.
Gold moved to allow the departments that have been with Siegels remain with them and all other departments go with Galls, which was seconded by Neal. Cocke and Bowlin both voted no, resulting in a tie.
“I think this is ridiculous that we’ve spent this amount of time on this issue”, Neal said. “And not be able to get this passed through on what basis? We’ve had three meetings on the vendors.”
Cocke spoke again to the relationship some have with Siegals, to which Greer responded to saying their department uses many different vendors and on her end, being with one company would make it easier with the exception of leaving the purchase of boots separate.
November 2015 was the last time county employees received an allotment check for uniforms, according to county treasurer Emily Martin.
“We’re at the final stage of this”, Neal said. Another vote was taken in which Neal asked each commissioner individually and the votes remained the same after an hour and 33 minute discussion.
“So all this work that we’ve put through, we still haven’t accomplished anything”, Neal said. “I think today is a shame. We’ll go back to the drawing board and we’ll try to come up with some more accountability measures of the taxpayers money.”
Rescue Squad Sonar
One bid was received from Atlas North America in the amount of $31,559.50 which the court approved.
County mowing bid
Ten bids were received for the one year contract of 22 county properties. The low bid from Adkins Lawn Service in the amount of $14,500 was approved by the court.
Payday Delay
A letter was sent to employees concerning the pay date changes to the 7th and 22nd of each month which begins July 1, 2017, explaining that to alleviate any hardship on employees, the Fiscal Court opted to allow an employee a one-time pay-out of vacation or sick-leave up to 80 hours and the letter went on to explain who qualifies for this and what the process will be. The court approved the new pay period dates.
Mandatory Direct Deposit
The court approved mandatory direct deposit beginning in July with the new pay dates with the exception of the Refuse Department.
Ambulance Contract
With a March 31st deadline looming, a bid form for an ambulance management service has been drawn up by the county attorney’s office. Commissioner Gold said he has talked about this with several people to get their opinion and said there is such a wide range of opinions and costs saying, “I can’t right now get myself to support separating from the hospital at this time.”
Gold said he has spoken with a few counties and found opinions that costs won’t be any better and our service may or may not be better with a management service and isn’t prepared to support it at this time.
Neal said in speaking with Hospital CEO David Fuqua, they will support whatever the Fiscal Court decides. Fuqua’s concern is the calls and patient transports to the hospital which Neal said is also a concern of the court. County Attorney Edwards said based on the statute, the ambulance service contract should be reviewed every year, but not re-bid.
At the end of the Fiscal Court meeting, discussions returned to the ambulance service contract, discussions that have taken place since January.
The court’s concern is stepping away from the contract with the hospital and bids coming in higher than the current contract, which they agree could happen. Neal feels the advantage of a management company would be having a system in place that would work efficiently.
A motion for a Request for Proposal (RFP) was raised but not made. Without a motion, no action could be taken on the ambulance contract agreement.
NEW BUSINESS
911 Board Resignation
A resignation from the 911 board led to a discussion by Judge Neal concerning the fact that 911 has an expired interlocal agreement dating back to 2010. Neal said the management of the 911 terminals should fall under the Sheriff’s Department. The March 21st meeting of the Fiscal Court will discuss funding issues faced by the 911 agency.
Road Department Spring Projects
Several spring projects that road department will address include ditch and cut back trees on several roads scheduled to be paved, the creek on Victor Darnell Road, cleaning damaged buildings, new decking on Cold Water Lane bridge, aluminum box culvert on Green Acres Road, sheet piling on Foust-Sledd Road bridge, cut down hill on Ridge Road, turn around on Denzel Washington, RR banks at Big Bear Park, dozer work at Mike Miller Park, concrete by brine tanks and concrete where signs are stored and enclosed at the Road Department.
Judicial Building Cooling Tower
A bid needs to be placed for the replacement of the cooling tower. The court an for advertisement for bids.
The next meeting of the Fiscal Court will be Tuesday, March 21st. The April 4th meeting has been rescheduled for April 11th.