Franklin County highway engineer Mike Rolla reported Wednesday that work had started to replace a bridge on Linn Road.
Rolla said work would begin on the bridge on Blackbird Road next week.
In other matters discussed at the rescheduled Franklin County Board committee meetings, Rolla said a bid letting for rock and oil under the Motor Fuel Tax program will take place at 10 a.m. Feb. 16 in his office.
Rolla also reported that the county is running low on cinders and salt, adding that cinders are difficult to obtain. He said he would buy sand to mix with salt if he couldn't get cinders.
"We have enough cinders and salt for the next storm that is supposed to hit later this week, but we are running dangerously low," Rolla said.
Circuit clerk Donna Sevenski updated board members on the storage building, saying the space was being filled.
Approximately 95 percent of records from the county clerk, treasurer, coroner and administrative assistant are now stored in the building. Things are going well, Sevenski said, adding that there is still room to add other records inside the storage building — which is located behind the sheriff's department on East Main Street in Benton.
Board member Danny Melvin reported on a recent Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department meeting. Melvin said 6,482 H1N1 vaccinations had been administered in the two-county area as of the end of the year. Melvin said the department still has doses of the flu vaccine left.
Treasurer John Gulley submitted claims, saying claims and payroll would leave $20,000 in the bank at the end of the week. He reported $161,000 in the common account, saying claims totaled $140,000.
Gulley urged employees to curb spending.
He said the county had received reimbursement for salaries for juvenile detention center employees for the month of July.
"We will never see half of the reimbursement for the months of March, April, May and June," he said. "We get 65-percent reimbursement for salaries at the detention center but have not received any reimbursement for the state's attorney's salary or the public defender or the supervisor of assessments."
Gulley said he would be depositing an additional $12,000 on Thursday.
"Thirty thousand dollars in the bank is not enough of a cushion," he said. "We should be getting circuit court fees within the next week or so. With the increase in fees, we should receive $100,000 or more per month."
He said he would continue to recommend postponing copy machine purchases until the budget improved.
Gulley said he anticipates another $100,000 in real estate distribution to add to the county coffers in the future.
