At the start of the meeting Jefferson County’s maintenance supervisor summarized recent and planned public-works work across the county, and outlined near-term capital needs.

Highlights included completed patchwork in Batavia and work on County Road 240 (between Ash and Libertyville), an 8-foot culvert replacement on Pine Boulevard that the crew prioritized to finish before winter, pipe repairs on Stockport Road, and hydroseeding at repaired bridge turnouts. The supervisor described the hydroseeding process and said results had greened up locations where contractors applied seed and mulch.

On procurement, the supervisor said the county uses state bid pricing for road salt and has contracted through the IDOT bid system; last year’s price was about $105/ton and this year’s contracted price was about $110/ton delivered. Crews plan to continue blending salt 3:1 with sand for winter treatment and will reassess use of calcium chloride because of pavement wear concerns.

For capital equipment the department requested planning for another dump truck and a midsize trailer that could move the mini haul and skid loader in a single trip. The supervisor said prior equipment purchase (a larger truck) required using about $250,000 in a previous year’s budget and cautioned parts availability for older Sterling trucks.

Supervisors asked staff to prepare cost estimates for the equipment wishlist and to include the requests in next spring’s budget discussions.

Ending: Staff will supply equipment pricing and a budget timeline so supervisors can consider capital purchases during the next budget cycle.