Fulton County Commissioners reorganize to start 2025

Dave Sommers was elected president of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners during its first meeting of the year Monday, which featured updates on various projects concerning roads and bridges, the county's website, a warming shelter and 911 medical calls.

From road and bridge projects and a new county website in the works to updates on a warming shelter and the possible return of medical dispatching, Fulton County Commissioners covered a lot of ground at their first meeting of the year Monday. 

Before delving into that business and more was election of officers, which comes with the new year. In unanimous votes, Commissioners Dave Sommers and Rick Ranstead were elected president and vice president, respectively.

Sommers, taking the reins of the board for the first time, would later thank Commissioner Bryan Lewis for his leadership as president over the last several years. Ranstead would echo that sentiment, adding that Sommers had "big shoes to fill."

Kicking off department updates was Highway Superintendent John Geier, who began by detailing a bridge project granted federal aid. The project is replacement of Bridge No. 161, carrying traffic over Grassy Creek along County Road 800 West, with an accepted bid of $1,268,000.

The county's match toward the project is $253,799, or 20 percent, with transfers needed to cover the expense. Geier explained that money was saved back in the county's cumulative bridge fund, however, it wasn't placed in a line item. Come March, the county can reappropriate the funds back. 

The good news, as Geier pointed out, is that the county saved roughly $100,000 more than the amount needed for the project.

Geier is scheduled to present another bridge project for potential federal aid funding on Wednesday. A decision on that one likely won't come until March or April, he noted.

Geier also detailed plans for pursuing funding through the state's Community Crossings Matching Grant program. The newest call for project opened last week, and the county is submitting three roads for paving: County Road 250 South from Kewanna to County Road 1200 West; County Road 550 South from State Road 17 to County Road 1200 West; and County Road 950 South from State Road 17 to County Road 900 West. 

Commissioners would go on to sign a letter of financial commitment totaling $333,520 for those three projects. As in the past, the county intends to use wheel tax revenues for that match. 

Website Work

"I don't have good news for you, at least for today," IT Director Josh Sriver began in giving an update on progress of the county's new website. 

He went on to note that installers were set to be on site Monday, but were delayed by the winter storm that hit the southern portion of the state.

Those installers are expected to arrive Tuesday, and the county will accommodate with after hours to get the work done in a timely fashion. 

Sriver noted the website is on track to launch Jan. 30.

Warming Shelter

Emergency Management Agency Director Dawn Sewell reported that a warming shelter, providing overnight stays for those needing to escape the cold temperatures, would be opening Tuesday evening at Heartland Church, 321 E. Eighth St., Rochester. 

"They are taking the first month, and we have two other churches in line," she said. 

It opens at 6 p.m., so long as the temperature is, or is forecasted to be, below 32 degrees. 

The health department has assisted in ordering various supplies for the warming shelter, a couple individuals also donated some equipment and other churches are jumping in to provide meals. 

"I know that Woodlawn has already been letting some of our homeless in the area into their foyer at night," Sewell said. 

Aside from drug testing for entry, she noted that Fulton County's warming shelter will operate very similarly to another faith-based facility in Warsaw. 

"If anybody asks, yes, there will be a breathalyzer," Sewell said, adding that she understands there will be zero tolerance. 

911 Communications Director Brittney Thompson suggested that the churches have Narcan on hand to treat potential opioid overdoses.

"I don't want to affiliate homelessness with drugs or alcohol, but in this community Narcan is necessary, so that's something I would ask for these committees to consider," Thompson said. 

She also weighed in on screening for alcohol, particularly from a faith-based perspective, saying, "God accepts people for where they're at."

"I would ask the committee to reconsider turning anybody away unless there is an issue," she added. 

Medical dispatching

On the dispatch side, Thompson sought and received commissioners' blessing to pursue the return of local dispatching for emergency medical calls made to 911. Those calls have been handled by Parkview EMS since it replaced Lutheran EMS as the county's ambulance service provider last July. 

Thompson said her staff is more than up to the task, and in her opinion, there's just too much time currently passing in handling those transferred calls. 

"It's not because Parkview is doing anything wrong. I'm just passionate about making sure our community is taken care of," Thompson said. 

She voiced concerns about there being miscommunication between medics and firefighters under the current method and noted community members have voiced concern as well. Additionally, local fire chiefs agree that 911 medical calls need to be back in the county. 

Thompson also pointed out that it only makes sense to have medical calls dispatched in-house as police, fire and EMS commonly intertwine with one another. 

Commissioners gave her approval to consult with Ritter Strategic Services LLC on the matter.