BROWN COUNTY — Brown County commissioners will consider authorizing a $300,000 fund transfer from the county general revenue fund to Judicial Ditch 30 R&B on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

The board request was made to cover a deficit incurred due to a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) event on the ditch system. The funds would be paid when and if the FEMA money is received, according to the request from Brown County Auditor-Treasurer Jean Prochniak.

The current JD 30 R&B drainage system balance is $66,844.54. The billing approved was $305,386.14, according to the board request. The board may transfer funds from the county general revenue fund or from any other drainage system account under its jurisdiction by unanimous resolution.

The fund transfer amount must be reimbursed at a four percent interest rate, according to state law.

Commissioners will also consider:

• Approving the $305,386.14 drainage repair request and payment for a slough repair in JD 30 R&B in Section 31, Home Township.

• Award a seal coat oil contract for 36 miles of highway repair as part of normal maintenance using maintenance funds. Contract bids were $237,440, $448/ton from Flint Hills Resources, $244,027.90 ($460.43/ton) from MEIGS and $253,774.60 ($478.82/ton) from Jebro, Inc. The Brown County Highway Dept. recommends Flint Hills Resources low bid.

• Approving FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) Drug and Alcohol Testing for Commercial Drivers. The policy created the National Drug and Alcohol Testing Clearinghouse for CDL drivers that went into effect Jan. 6, 2020.

The purpose of the clearinghouse is to identify current and prospective drivers who are prohibited from operating a commercial vehicle based on DOT drug and alcohol program violations.

It also helps to identify drivers who work for multiple employers or more to a new employer and fail to notify them of violations.

The Clearinghouse requires employers to query the Clearinghouse for current and prospective employee drug and alcohol violations before permitting the employees to operate commercial motor vehicles on public roads.

Employers are also required to annually query the Clearinghouse for each driver they employ.

• Ditch Authority Teleconferences are set for 8:20 a.m., Feb. 4 for JD 12 B&R involving Commissioners Simonsen, Windschitl and Veerkamp and 8:25 a.m., Feb. 4 involving Commissioners Simonsen and Veerkamp.

• The regular board meeting begins at 9 a.m., Tuesday in the courthouse commissioner’s room.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.