Austin lays out his priorities for final six months on county board

Published 9:55 pm Tuesday, June 9, 2026

QUINCY — At Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the Adams County Board, Chairman Bret Austin laid out three main priorities he hopes to see accomplished before his term ends later this year.

Austin, R-1, has chosen not to seek re-election this year with his term ending following the November election. Austin has served on the county board for 10 years.

One of the three items Austin hopes to gain traction on is the next phase of the South 48th Street project. The project was originally a joint project between the county and city before the Quincy City Council voted in 2024 to withdraw support.

Since that time, the county completed reconstruction of the intersection at 48th and State streets and some distance south. The next phase would continue the resurfacing and addition of sidewalks to the south, a project supported by John Wood Community College to make access safer for students.

Austn said when the project is completed, control and responsibility for the the 48th and State intersection while the county will take position of portions of Seminary Road and North 18th Street. Austin said he hopes the project will go out for bid before the end of the year to put it on the calendar for the 2027 construction season.

A second item Austin is hoping to see well underway, if not completed, was a shift in oversight of the joint 911 center. Contract negotiations are currently underway with employees at the center, and Austin noted that part of those discussions is the potential shift to move those employees from city employment to county employment.

Austin said he believes there are potential benefits to making the change that would make the shift optimal for the county, the city, and the employees.

Finally, Austin said he believes the time is right for the county to create a county administrator’s office. He noted that in his time on the board, the budget for the county has gone from $42 million annually to $60 million. He noted that less revenues from the state is one part of the puzzle, but he also said that higher costs for material and services are also increasing the needs of the county.

Austin said even with 21 county board members, the day-to-day work of managing the county as a whole operation is larger than part-time officials who meet once a month can efficiently handle.

Based on a sample organizational chart that Austin said he’s been working on, creating the position would likely add around $150,000 to personnel budgets for the county, but he reiterated that the board isn’t designed for daily oversight.

Based on the proposal as discussed Tuesday, the concept for county reorganization would place it in a similar position as the Quincy Park District. The park district has an executive director that handles the day-to-day operations while being answerable to board, much the way Austin proposes a county administrator would operate.

Austin said these are three items he hopes to see substantial progress on, if not completed, before he lays down the gavel in December.