Grundy County Commission approves change to drug testing policy; addresses lengthy agenda at latest meeting

The Grundy County Commission approved changes Tuesday, July 21^st to a drug testing policy for Grundy County employees. The changes were proposed by Tomo Drug Testing. Presiding Commissioner Phillip Ray notes Tomo has performed drug testing for county employees since 2009. The changes involve following future Department of Transportation regulation changes and non-DOT testing methodology.

The commission appointed Cathy Rice to finish an unexpired term on the Senate Bill 40 Board, which is also known as the Friends and Families of the Developmentally Disabled. The term is set to expire in December 2022. Rice will replace Bert Winn who resigned.

It was announced the Community Preparedness Fund was awarded Thursday, July 16^th. About $2,500 of funding for the program is anticipated within the next 10 days. It was previously reported the funds are primarily used for hazmat training and Local Emergency Planning Committee meetings.

There was also an update on the Emergency Management Performance Grant. The county reimbursement of $630 has been sent to the State Emergency Management Agency for fiscal approval.

Three Federal Emergency Management Agency projects have been obligated. They are $21,000 for debris removal countywide, $11,000 for culvert reimbursement countywide, and $39,000 for Southeast 98^th Avenue and Southeast 20^th Street.

There are several projects waiting to scope. Those projects include the Berry Bridge on Northeast 82^nd Street and the Sandhill Bridge on Northeast 10^th Street. Those projects will be considered large projects based on preliminary damage estimates according to FEMA. Total estimated damages are to exceed $150,000 for each bridge.

The Road and Bridge crew is performing maintenance on equipment during wet conditions.

Agents from HIC Insurance reviewed the status of health insurance spending and expense considerations. As of July 1^st, Grundy County had used 24.39% of the claims account funding.

The Grundy County Health Department reported no new cases in the county. Grundy County has a total of 22 cases. No cases are active at this time. The health department is following some close contacts related to positive cases in other counties. Close contact follow up is described as a reciprocal process. When close contacts are identified in other counties, a follow up is conducted.