OTTAWA — Franklin County commissioners debated Wednesday morning how to deal with overwhelming snow and winds such as what occurred during the Christmas blizzard. The county has cut back on the number of road employees over the years and they had to work around the clock during the blizzard cleaning county roads throughout the blizzard.
Commissioner Don Stottlemire said what happened was a once-in-a-20-year event. Because road crews were overwhelmed, he and other commissioners discussed the possibility of hiring outside contractors to provide additional personnel and equipment to plow county roads during times of extreme snowstorms. Commissioners say the county road crews did an excellent job removing snow but Commissioner Don Hay said he heard complaints. They will devote a study session to snow removal later.
