County road department has conversations with city public works about maintenance

YORK – Over the course of the past two weeks, members of the county roads department and the city’s public works department have had some conversations about working together on road maintenance and snow removal.

​Greg Heine, roads foreman, told the commissioners this past week how they met to talk about the standing interlocal agreement which already exists.
In some areas around the city, the county does some work for the city and the city does some work for the county when it comes to snow removal and more.
“We talked about where we each could help the other out, where it makes sense,” Heine said. “And an updated interlocal agreement will forward soon, for both the county board and the city council to consider.”
Commissioner Andy Bowman also added how the county will be seeing some future cost savings due to annexations which have taken place and some which might happen in the near future.
“There have been some really good conversations with the city,” Bowman added.
In other news regarding the roads department, Heine said the latest endeavor of snow removal “went really well.”
There are currently three motorgraders out of service, due to repair work needing to be done, “but luckily, for right now, the weather is holding,” Heine said.
He also noted how major intersections along Highway 34 are lit, when the intersection is that of paved roads.
“But the intersection with the road going to Thayer has no lighting and I think that it should, for safety purposes,” Heine said. “I have talked to Perennial and I think it would be a good thing to make happen. There will be minimal cost.”
Heine also said he has had conversations with Green Realty and Auction regarding the auctioning of surplus property from the roads department and a grader operator has been hired for the Waco area.
In additional business, York County Commissioner Daniel Grotz said an interlocal agreement with Lushton was reviewed and the commissioners signed off on renewal.
"Nothing has changed since we updated it earlier this year, but we had agreed to review it on an annual basis," Grotz explained. "Lushton receives state money and then they give it to us to do their road maintenance and provide gravel when needed."