Adair County talks about whether or not to share engineer at deeper level with Adams County

The Adair County and Adams County supervisors talked last Wednesday as part of Adair County’s regular meeting on the topic of county engineers.

The Adair County supervisors said they want to think on it, then talk things out more, before they make a call on whether or not Adair County might enter into a deeper, more permanent sharing agreement for an engineer with Adams County. Adams County has been searching for an engineer of their own for more than 18 months.

Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman is shared with Adams County on an interim basis. He brought information to the supervisors meeting about the possibility of making the arrangement more permanent.

Among other things, Kauffman said accessability to some state and federal funds used for construction projects is contingent on whether or not a county has its own engineer. A 50/50 or even 60/40 sharing agreement would help Adams County in that endeavor greatly.

“We’ve talked a little about what they’re getting for their money. It’s not a lot of savings for us. On the other hand, they’re not really getting what they need either,” Kauffman said. “Their board chairman called me a couple of weeks ago and asked me what it would look like financially for us to share. The numbers were kind of surprising to me. I think we’d save a little more than I thought.”

In a scenario Kauffman developed for conversation only, the two counties would split costs evenly. Adams County would also be billed for the work of Adair County’s office manager and assistant to the engineer.

“It’s not just my time. It’s pooling resources from two counties,” Kauffman explained, mentioning that the strength of the secondary roads teams in each county could help.

Kauffman sought feedback from counties that already share similar positions. He received one response from an engineer who covers Decatur and Clarke counties and was formerly the Taylor County Engineer, who also shared with him a copy of their contract.

Kauffman suggested splitting his salary 50/50 and keeping track of mileage, if Adair County provides the vehicle.

“In all of this, I’m not sure if it’s a long term solution or not,” Kauffman said. “In the short term, I think it’s something that’s probably doable. Maybe you try it for awhile and see.”

Supervisor Matt Wedmeyer admitted this was the first time he had heard about this and didn’t know Kauffman was interested in possibly sharing beyond the interim agreement that is already in place. Kauffman said it wasn’t on his radar much; however, after talking to officials in Adams County and putting numbers to it, he began to warm up to the idea and decided to bring it up.

Kauffman continued, saying that next year’s budget will be difficult to maneuver as it is, despite revenue coming in from FEMA. His only large purchase he is considering making for Adair County is one motor grader.

“The admin costs are getting on the high side. Maybe splitting my time might be worth it,” Kauffman said.

Because of past experiences with sharing engineers that didn’t go well, Wedemeyer said he wasn’t for a deeper sharing agreement. Supervisor Jodie Hoadley stated similar concerns, also stating that her concern was that Adair County’s needs could fall by the wayside in such an agreement. Both said they have full faith in Kauffman’s abilities, saying numerous times that their concerns stem from a time before Kauffman came. Kauffman’s second stint as engineer here started in 2012.

Adams County supervisors Leland Shipley and Scott Akin were present. They expressed gratitude for Adair County’s willingness to share on an interim basis and were understanding of the concern Adair County’s supervisors had with going deeper.

Adams County officials interviewed three people to possibly become their own, permanent engineer, but they were were unsuccessful. They plan to continue trying to find their own engineer no matter the status of sharing agreements with Adair County going forward.