Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The Routt County Board of Commissioners will take up a proposal Tuesday to temporarily boost the salaries of three employees who have taken on extra duties while the positions of Road and Bridge director and Road and Bridge senior engineer/assistant director are unfilled.

In a memo to the commissioners, County Manager Tom Sullivan said Road and Bridge Department Field Coordinator Tammie Crawford, Purchasing Director Tim Winter and Purchasing Agent Marti Hamilton have all assumed duties that go beyond their job descriptions and pay scale. Sullivan is proposing 10 percent pay increases for all three retroactive to May 22 and effective through Sept. 30. The aggregate sum of the pay increases, which are offset by savings from the open salaried positions, is $8,391.

In all three cases, Sullivan wrote, the 10 percent pay increase is based on differences in salary schedule for Tier 1 and 2 managers at the county.

Sullivan said Crawford have assumed responsibilities formerly handled by senior engineer Heather McLaughlin related to processing of permit applications for oil and gas drilling. Specifically, she has reviewed potential impacts on county roads and bridges from truck traffic related to energy exploration, while coordinating consulting engineers.

Winter has been assigned management of capital projects this summer, including the construction of the Routt County Road 27 traffic roundabout designed to smooth out the flow of heavy truck traffic that will be generated by the new Sage Creek Coal Mine. The king-sized roundabout will be 200 feet in diameter and is due to be completed in October. It is being built under the supervision of the county, but the coal mine will bear the roughly $1.2 million cost to build it.

Hamilton will assume more responsibilities for projects that come under Winter’s second role as building and plant director.

To reach Tom Ross, call 970-871-4205 or email tross@SteamboatToday.com