OTTAWA — Franklin County will take the CHIP money but not the CHIP committee. Commissioners agreed Monday to transfer what’s left of the money in the County Highway Improvement Program fund — about $341,000 — and move it into another road fund. County administrator Lisa Johnson said because the county has paved those roads at the top of the county’s priority list, and because it will be several years before any more are paved, the moey in the CHIP fund can be better used elsewhere. However, the commission agreed to keep the CHIP committee going. Several members of the CHIP committee showed up to ensure they had a green light to keep meeting, if only for once a year. Dennis Woolman and Tom Weigand, CHIP committee members, said although there’s no money left, the committee is still useful. The committee was originally conceived in response to complaints from county residents about road maintenance and to take politics out of the process of selecting roads for maintenance, they said.
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 8 a.m.
