The Fayette County Commissioners met on Dec. 28 to discuss and agree on several business items that will impact various county entities as they continue to prepare for 2016.

Beginning with a contract which was entered into on Dec. 28, the commissioners agreed unanimously to approve a contract with Union Township Trustees to agree on zoning inspection services. The contract states that the Fayette County zoning inspector will attend and direct all meetings of the Union Township zoning inspector and Union Township zoning appeals board. The inspector will also attend the Union Township Trustee meetings, which are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. to update the trustees on issues pertaining to zoning within the township.

The contract will continue from Jan. 1 until Dec. 31 and the services will be paid in four installments of $3,307.75 for a grand total of $13,231. The contract also entitles the inspector to be paid 45 cents per mile in addition to the hourly rate. Union Township trustees David Edwards, Jeff Armintrout and Wes Wilson, Jr. also approved this contract.

In other business, the commissioners moved to enter into an agreement on the recommendation of Dan Drake, assistant prosecuting attorney, to purchase a new phone system through AT&T Corporation for an IP Office 500 V2 telephone system at the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office. This new system and equipment will cost $23,188.40 in addition to the cost for support services for three years at $2,866.61 annually. The motion carried unanimously.

A final resolution was moved to authorize the county engineer to proceed by “Force Account.” Force account is the part of the expense account of a public body (such as a municipality) resulting from the employment of a labor force (such as for garbage collection and the maintenance of streets) usually distinguished from the part resulting from contracting similar services with commercial agencies, according to merriam-webster.com.

The motion was carried unanimously and allows the engineer to proceed with construction, reconstruction, improvement, maintenance or repair of roads, bridges and culverts in Fayette County and to use the existing county employee forces. The engineer can do this as he deems appropriate in 2016.