LINCOLN – Officials with the Alcona County Road Commission recommended rehiring the Michigan State Police to act as county weighmasters and enforcers during the 2017 highway frost law season.

Last year the agency hired an MSP officer to patrol roadways during the spring to enforce load limits during the spring thaw. According to Managing Director Jesse Campbell, who discussed the matter Wednesday during a road commission meeting, overloaded logging trucks and other freight haulers can severely damage roadways during the spring thaw.

In 2016 the commission hired MSP for $72 an hour to patrol county roadways, with an upper limit of $4,000.

Campbell said MPS used up $3,200 and said troopers were busy keeping the roadways from being damaged.

“Last year they had nine stops,” he said, adding that of the stops there was one truck that had a registration issue.

He said three speeding tickets were issued to truckers and there were multiple load carrying violations and inspections conducted on county haulers.

Campbell said although the road commission does not have an official weighmaster, others with the road commission, including Maintenance Supervisor Mike Escarino, could do the job, but there are problems. One is the cost of a weighmaster, which is figured at $20,000 a season. Campbell told the board the figured included the weighmaster’s pay as well as the cost of construction work that could be done if the person was not on the patrol job.

Another factor is the county does not own a set of load scales as they were destroyed in the 2013 fire that leveled the county’s maintenance facility.

Chairman Alfred Scully said he favored MSP because it had more authority than a road commission employee.

“If you have troopers out there (haulers) are going to pay more attention to the weight,” he said. “If we have our guy out there, they may be more lax.”

He said troopers have the ability to issue tickets and other enforcement whereas road commission workers cannot. Scully argued the presence of having MSP do the job would keep more haulers in compliance.

Campbell said although Alcona County is too small to have a full-time weighmaster, it could have a part-time position in addition to the MSP weighmaster.

Escarino said it was a good idea because if the trooper had to be pulled from a job, a county weighmaster would be working.

Trustee Theodore Somers said he believed it was good to hire MSP.

“We would have to get some scales,” he said.

Campbell recommended going with MSP again.

“I am open to any suggestions but I think the MSP has a lot more respect in the community,” he said.

Members of the board directed Campbell to ask MSP to work up a contract that would have to be approved ahead of the spring thaw. There was no motion, though Scully and Somers said Campbell should increase the contract limit to $5,000 over last year’s amount of $4,000.

In other business:

* Escarino discussed ongoing regular projects. He said all the township gravel projects have been completed for the year and they are working on putting down gravel in some areas that need it outside of projects. He also said the county’s supply of road salt has been delivered and the crews are prepping the plowing equipment for the coming winter.

* the board scheduled a budget hearing on Dec. 28 beginning at 2 p.m. A regular meeting of the road commission will follow the budget hearing, Campbell said.

* there was a unanimous vote to cancel the Nov. 23 meeting for lack of business.

Jason Ogden can be reached via email at jogden@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5693. Follow Jason on Twitter @jo_alpenanews. Read his blog, Sunny side up, with Jason at www.thealpenanews.com.