Salt bid OK'd, wellness quote approved, by Cape Commission

With awareness of supply-chain disruptions impacting many products, Cape Girardeau County Commission voted Thursday to go ahead and buy road salt in advance of the coming winter season.

The commission chose St. Louis's Rock Salt USA's bid of $125 per ton delivered.

Commissioners also were told of a second bid of $139.26 per ton, also to include delivery, from Independent Salt Company of Kanopolis, Kansas.

"Salt suppliers know they have a commodity everyone pretty well needs; in fact, one company said they would put (the county) on a waiting list but I don't know what that means. When you need salt for the roads, you need salt," said First District Commissioner Paul Koeper, who oversees road and bridge matters for the three-member commission.

Approximately 330 tons of road salt will be ordered with payment from the county's highway department.

Health fair

Julie Triller, the county's human resource/payroll director, told commissioners of plans for the annual health fair for county employees.

Triller, who assumed her current role May 10, 2021, presented a SoutheastHEALTH Works proposal to conduct wellness screenings and administer flu shots on a voluntary basis.

Triller said she is looking at two dates, one at the county administration building and the other at the county sheriff's office, both in Jackson.

It is anticipated the health fair will be held in late October or early November.

"The idea is to do a wellness fair and flu shots together so we can do 'one-stop shopping,' so to speak, to get it all done at one time," Second District Commissioner Charlie Herbst said.

Triller said the county last year added a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to the list of annual screenings at a cost of $15.

The county will also pay for $25 flu shots out of the Health Fund budgeted line item for its approximately 260-member workforce and for employee spouses.