Finance committee approves county vehicle purchase

By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

Hurley — Iron County employees likely won’t have to use their own vehicles when traveling out of the area for work, after the Iron County Board of Supervisors’ finance committee recommended purchasing two county vehicles Thursday.

The two Jeep Cherokee Latitudes are expected to cost roughly $22,098 a piece, according information presented at the meeting. Based on information presented at previous committee meetings, the purchase is expected to be less than the county spends paying for mileage each year and the county would have the vehicles for a number of years.

The decision still needs to be approved by the full county board.

The purchase is designed to reduce the amount of money the county pays in mileage for work trips county employees take elsewhere in the state.

These trips can be for a variety of reasons, including attending conferences and trainings.

The county now needs to create a policy for use of the vehicle, which would likely cover such things as when the vehicles are to be used and whether longer trips should get priority.

“We’re trying to get away from gray with the county (employee) handbook and policies … so as long as we’re starting out here with these vehicles, let’s start with a good policy,” Human Services financial manager Diane Schmidtke said.

In other action:

—The committee approved forwarding a recommendation to the county board to spend $34,990 to install 20 door locks that require key fobs to open. The locks would be installed on the Iron County courthouse’s exterior doors, as well as the doors in the sheriff’s department and human services department.

—The committee approved a memo of understanding between the county and the Iron County Economic Development Zone Coordinator to clarify the coordinator’s role and duties.

—The committee recommended forwarding a resolution in support of the Duluth-based 148th Fighter Wing Minnesota Air National Guard to the full county board.

—The committee agreed to upgrade one of the sheriff’s department’s part-time jailers to full-time.

—The committee approved a wage adjustment for Health Department employee Melissa Geach.