Otoe County Commissioner Dale Haverty said Tuesday he expects to see prompt corrections after Highway Superintendent Glen Steffensmeier criticized rock haulers and the county’s response to road washouts.

Commissioners previously told the county’s four rock haulers they would be laid off on Sept. 1, but rescinded the order after the Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning questioned a closed meeting held prior to a vote on Aug. 12.

Commissioners voted 2-1 at a subsequent meeting to lay off three workers on the bridge crew and foreman Lynn Dennison, but the rock haulers were not included.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Steffensmeier told commissioners that rock haulers had failed to complete 60 tickets used to track when and where road rock is applied.

The cost of rock that is used on a project that qualifies for Federal Emergency Management Agency funds can be reimbursed, but Steffensmeier said without completed tickets the county can not get the funds.

Haverty told Steffensmeier he needs to institute a policy to make sure the tickets are checked when they are given to a foreman or turned into the office.

Steffensmeier then said that the county has failed to put up road barricades prior to planned road projects. He said some workers have been missing from work, some expect to leave early and others failed to preserve red flags that were placed near dangerous washouts in the road.

He showed photographs of road conditions telling commissioners that the driving surface of one county road had been reduced to 14 feet because of washouts on both sides. He said grading work on south 63rd Road began before road work warnings were in place.

“These roads should have had some barricades put up,” he said. “I don’t know how many times I have to preach it. Maybe we should hire a private contractor and then we would get them up,” he said.

Prior to laying off the bridge crew, commissioners had discussed the potential for hiring private contractors to do bridge work.

Steffensmeier also said motor grader operators place red flags on the side of the road to mark some dangerous washouts.

Haverty asked the road foremen what happens after a red flag is put out, but there was no answer. He later said the issues that warrant the red flag should be fixed right away.

“The red flags are a very temporary thing. They are not a good warning device,” he said.

Commissioner Joy Schroder said the foremen can not be expected to order repairs until the motor grader operators report that they put a red flag out. He said motor grader operators have knocked some red flags down while grading.

“The motor grader operator is really the guy to blame here,” Schroder said.

Dale Wurtele, a former county board candidate who regularly attends meetings, said it is not unusual to see red flags remain along a roadway for over six months.

Joan Cook, who lives south of Nebraska City, said she has been told for decades that there is not enough money in the budget to fix all of the washout holes that are flagged.

Steffensmeier said the county knows the flags are there because the foremen mark them down on road maps. He said barricades need to be used for dangerous areas.

“Since I’ve been here, we have made over 100 barricades. When barricades sit in the yard and we have holes in the road, that upsets me,” Steffensmeier said.

When Wurtele asked commissioners why the flagged holes are not fixed, Steffensmeier stood and asked to answer.

“We have guys who are supposed to be working sitting in this room,” he said.

He said some employees have not reported to work and he discovered others washing a cat in a tub at the Nebraska City shop.

He said a foreman recently told him workers left a culvert job around 1 p.m. with no plans of resuming work that day.

Schroder asked Steffensmeier to document incidents, such as the cat washing. “Coming in and saying they are not doing their jobs does not cut the mustard,” he said.

Steffensmeier referred to some disciplinary forms he said he had with him, but Commissioner Haverty said the forms should be filed and handled according to the contract with Union Local 251.

“There’s no reason to bring them before this board. You deal with that,” Haverty said.