County Approve Cattle Guards Resolution

After some concerns were expressed, Roosevelt County Commissioners approved a new resolution regarding cattle guards and the installation of cattle guards.

Requirements will include landowners providing a map of affected area to county, an approved encroachment permit and that cattle guards be designed and installed to accommodate H-20 loadings with concrete footings. All costs of furnishing, installing and maintaining the cattle guard are the responsibility of the landowner or permittee. The minimum width of cattle guards should be 24 feet.

Installation of the cattle guard will be performed by Roosevelt County, but the county is not responsible for the maintenance or snow removal on cattle guards.

Commissioners also approved a new sick leave donation policy change.

The policy was that employees could have a maximum of 160 hours of sick leave and could donate 40 hours. The new policy is 320 hours maximum of being able to donate 80 hours a year. Members of the sheriff’s office were in attendance to support the change in order to help a deputy dealing health challenges.

Also on the agenda was a pay raise of attorney office employee Erika Fyfe for 1 percent. She started in the office in March 2021, but she didn’t begin working in her current position until October.

County attorney Frank Piocos noted that because the county doesn’t have a deputy attorney, Fyfe picks up some of those responsibilities. He also said that she took a pay cut for the position.

Commissioner Gary Macdonald said he feels her annual pay raise should occur in October.

“All of this she agreed to when she was hired,” Macdonald said.

Piocos said that the commissioners wanted her to be trained for the position when she was originally hired in March.

The motion for the pay raise was approved by a 2-1 margin with Macdonald opposing the motion.