At last month's DeWitt County Board meeting, calls from DeWitt County township highway officials were made for better communication in light of having motor fuel tax dollars frozen earlier this fall.

DeWitt County Board Chair Joe Witte is not opposed to more communication with those officials in the various townships, but reminds, much of the discussion regarding motor fuel tax dollars takes place in committee meetings throughout the year.

A concern brought up at last week's County Board meeting was the short-staffed nature of the County Highway Department's office, particularly on the engineering side. Witte indicates that while the search continues for an assistant engineer, they have brought in a firm to help with the workload when needed.

Witte hears the calls for transparency and for something to be done so this doesn't happen again; however, he feels there are easier methods to keep track of what is happening at the County government level through the revamped County website and simply attending County Board road and bridge committee meetings.

Witte reminds that the MFT dollars for DeWitt County have, in the last month, been released, and the work those dollars are intended to be used for is underway. Additionally, the Washington Street Bridge, which has been out of commission for a couple of years now, is moving towards being repaired.