Greene County may have its Motor Fuel Tax Funds placed on hold unless they can hire a county engineer.
The Greene Prairie Press reports that the Greene County Board received a letter of final notice from the Illinois Department of Transportation on December 13th that they have until March 25th to hire a county engineer or their MFT funds will be suspended until they find one.
MFT funds are often used for annual road maintenance projects in townships, salt and chemical purchases for winter maintenance, or simple road patch and asphalt to fix potholes.
The county had selected Nathan Bullard to fill the position back in March, but Bullard informed the board he had taken a different position in Alexander County.
The county engineer position has been vacant for more than a year, after long-time county engineer retired on December 31, 2020 to take a job with Volkert. The Prairie Press reports that the Greene County Board has contracted with Volkert in the near term to fulfill any emergency engineering requirements for the county’s roads.
Under state statute, the county had 100 days to fill the county engineer position, but was granted an extension by IDOT to October 15th. The new March 25th date is yet another 100 day extension to get the position filled. IDOT warned in their December 13th letter that if the position remains unfilled, no motor fuel tax money would be allocated to the county.