Dec 15th, 2025 – Lewis County Commission
December 15, 2025
Commission met pursuant to order of adjournment on December 8, 2025, with Presiding Commissioner Wayne Murphy Jr., and Associate Commissioners Travis Fleer and Craig Redmon present. When and where the following proceedings were had to wit: Commissioner Murphy called the meeting to order:
Minutes: Commissioner Fleer made a motion to approve minutes for December 8, 2025. Commissioner Murphy seconded; Commissioner Redmon agreed. Approved 3-0.
Payroll: Commissioner Redmon motioned to approve the payment of warrants #203732-203734 from General fund, warrants #203735-203739 from Road & Bridge fund, warrants #203740 from Assessment fund, and warrant # from LEOF. Commissioner Fleer seconded; Commissioner Murphy agreed. Approved 3-0.
Payroll: Commissioner Redmon motioned to approve the payment by EFTP of warrants # 4450- 4466 from General fund, warrants #4467-4469 from Road & Bridge fund, warrants #4470-4471 from Assessment fund, and warrant #4472-4488 from LEOF fund. Commissioner Fleer seconded; Commissioner Murphy agreed. Approved 3-0.
Bills: Commissioner Fleer motioned to approve the payments of warrants #33160-33173 from General Revenue, warrants #22886-22896 from Road & Bridge, warrants #6032-6034 from the Assessment, warrants #21527-21537 from L.E.O.F, and warrants # from Co Farm. Commissioner Redmon seconded; Commissioner Murphy agreed. Approved 3-0.
Road & Bridge: Road and Bridge Supervisor Drew Frese and Secretary Colclough were present.
Progress Invoice #20 for Contractor Pay Application #1 payable to Bleigh Construction $80,295.00 from Howe Co for Orange Street bridge
Went over the 201 and 202 budgets for 2026
Cut off trees on 359, 373, 357, 528, 508
Chipped hills
New auger for the sander on 2015
Break chamber replaced on 2005 trailer
New tube on Peacocks #201 washing out around the edge put large rock around it
Other Business: The commission have reviewed budgets from Emergency Management, Clerk Sapp, State Public Defenders office, Recorder Parrish, Circuit Clerk George, Collector Lay, and Assessor Logsdon
Clerk Sapp sent an email to those who have not turned in budgets stating they needed to meet with the commission by December 29th
Sarah Boone with the State Auditor’s office set a meeting for Jan 20th for the commission and all elected officials about the upcoming audit
Poole Communications sent a website and seal proof – Clerk Sapp forwarded it to all elected officials
Clerk Sapp submitted the November Sales Tax report
Commissioner Murphy filled out a questionnaire for NEMO RPC in connection to their financial statement audit
Deputy Sly submitted the leave balance report
Sheriff Parrish submitted a memorandum to the commission stating the sheriff’s office is in need of upgrading after seeing the court room upgrade- included in the upgrade is ceiling tiles, lighting, new carpet and repainting- he received 2 estimates from Jason Whiston 1 for $23,850 and 1 for $16,500
Lagers sent the new 2026 Employer contribution rates- General 10.10% and Police 10.90%
Patsy from Fungus A Mungus was here Thursday the 11th to retest the annex building- she said the report will be ready within a few days- she sent an invoice for $2,130
Clerk Sapp called ServPro to have the last wall removed- a crew was sent Wednesday removed the wall and cleaned all the shelves and filing cabinets again- Griffin said they did clean under the building and put air scrubbers- he said they have done plastic but don’t usually do it- ServPro is done unless something else comes up
Clerk Sapp emailed Ivan Schrader to ask about ballot language and putting SB3 on the ballot in April- Ivan called back and said it’s an unconstitutional statue and is in litigation- he advised not putting it on the ballot and seeing what comes from the litigation – the worse that could come out of it not being on the April election is the clerk could be sued and another election date will be selected
Prosecutor Fellinger was in to discuss with the commission the raises/ COLA for 2024 and if they were equal to 3.2% – Commissioner Redmon talked to the auditor’s office and they said to document and what was done was fine- the $2,000 per statute increase needs to be paid to Public Administrator Barton, Northern Commissioner Redmon, Southern Commissioner Fleer, Coroner Arnold who started the 1st of 2025 and Assessor Logsdon who started the 1st of September of 2025
Commissioner Fleer made a motion to put making the Prosecuting Attorney a full-time position on the August ballot. Commissioner Murphy seconded; Commissioner Redmon agreed. Approved 3-0.
The commission set the 2026 raises at .50 per hourly and 2% cola for everyone.
The starting wage for 2026 will be $17.50 everyone
The post mold test for the annex building was emailed to the clerk from ServPro and it showed everything passed except the vestibule and the court room- the court room didn’t have mold during the first mold test- Circuit Clerk George is looking into getting all her files professionally cleaned of mold before the court room can be cleaned
Meetings: Commissioner Murphy, Fleer and Redmon went to the NEMO RPC meeting December 11th in Edina at the Knox County community center
Adjourn: Motion to adjourn to Monday, December 22, 2025, by Commissioner Murphy. Commissioner Redmon seconded; Commissioner Fleer agreed, Approved 3-0.
Respectfully submitted:
Shannon Sapp, County Clerk
Approved:
Wayne Murphy Jr., Presiding Commissioner
Travis Fleer, Southern Commissioner
Craig Redmon, Northern Commissioner
