Russell County Commissioners Approve Local Disaster Proclamation

Russell County Commissioners met Monday at the courthouse in Russell and approved a Proclamation of State of Local Disaster Emergency for Russell County.

Emergency Manager David Elliott presented the proclamation to commissioners and explained that this was due to flooding that occurred in the county on June 8 and June 20. This proclamation could help the county get FEMA emergency funds to help with repairs.

Several county roads were damaged from recent flooding. Public Works Director Justin Mermis told commissioners there were numerous washouts, including damage to structures, wingwalls and culverts, in the Gorham, Fairport and Waldo areas along with washout of a low-water crossing structure on County Line Road at 205th Street. Mermis also mentioned the overlay project near Gorham has been completed and recognized and thanked the Russell County Highway Department for their hard work.

Sheriff Andy Van Der Wege updated commissioners on the issues they have been having with integrating the Tyler Technologies and Enterpol interface. He said the patch did not work as intended. After discussion, commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of Tyler Technologies software in the amount of $14,504 to resolve the issue.

The meeting wrapped in just under an hour utilizing their new format with the introduction of Heather Fletcher, who will take over as Russell County Attorney on August 1 following the retirement of Dan Krug.

A reminder, the commissioners will hold a special meeting on Monday, July 13 at 9 AM inside commission chambers at the courthouse in Russell to discuss the 2027 budget. The meeting is open to the public.