Staff writer
Marion County Commissioners said Thursday they were in favor of creating incentives to encourage property owners to demolish unusable buildings.
Waiving transfer station fees for demolition waste was discussed Thursday as a possible incentive, as commissioners met with County Attorney Susan Robson, County Appraiser Cindy Magill, and County Sanitarian Tonya Richards.
Commissioners encouraged the department heads to develop a proposal for incentives.
Robson, Magill, and Richards met with commissioners in closed session for 15 minutes to discuss matters protected by attorney-client privilege. No action was taken on return to open session.
County to buy dump truck
Williams Service, of Florence, won a bid for a dump truck for Road and Bridge Department to replace a winch truck that the county cannot find parts for any longer.
The company bid $81,802 for a 2011 International truck but cautioned the county the truck was available on a first-come-first-serve basis. If that truck was unavailable, commissioners approved purchasing a 2011 International truck with a different type of engine for $86,702.
Midway Motors, of Hillsboro, bid $76,063 for a 2011 Ford, but the truck didn’t meet torque or transmission requirements. It offered a seven-speed transmission, while the county requested 10-speed.
Its horsepower was about 30 percent lower than the offerings from Williams Service, Road and Bridge Department shop foreman Tom Holub said. Horsepower is important to the longevity of a vehicle, he said.
“The less stress, the longer it will last,” he said.
Sales tax up in 2009
Sales tax receipts in 2009 were $23,937 higher than 2008, County Clerk Carol Maggard said, an increase of about 4 percent. Total sales tax received in 2009 was $600,164.
Tax collected for October sales was $45,423, down about 1 percent from October 2008. The county receives sales tax money two months after a sale.
In other business:
- Holub will seek bids for three snowplows to mount to the front of county trucks. Adding the plows would allow the county to reduce some of the longest snowplow routes.
- Cardie Oil Company, of Tampa, and Cooperative Grain and Supply, of Hillsboro, split bids for fuel for road and bridge department. Cardie Oil will deliver 2,950 gallons of fuel to two tanks for $7,065. Co-op will deliver 3,600 gallons to two other tanks for $8,757.
- Road and Bridge Superintendent John Summerville met with commissioners in closed session for five minutes to discuss personnel. No action was taken afterward.
- Commissioners approved encumbering $276,323 of money for purchases approved in 2009 but not yet completed. Encumbrances in 2008 were almost $300,000, Maggard said.
- Richards and County Health Director Diedre Serene met with commissioners in closed session for 10 minutes to discuss personnel. No action was taken on return to open session.