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"That is going to be tough," KCRC vice chairman Jim Green said. Green was sitting in for board chairman George Nice, who was absent. "Right now we have got the money all together (in the budget) but next year we are going to break the commissioners (salary) out separate."

Dryden asked if the commissioners would have to amend the budget, to which Green said that might be the case later in the year.

"We will know more about that later on in the year," he said, adding the commission currently has an employee in Iraq right now, so they could use some of his salary to offset the cost of the two new commissioners. ÒI think that the person is only as good as their word," Dryden said, "and if that was stated (at the last meeting that the county board would revisit the issue) why didnÕt they go by it? I will be checking their minutes and I will be at their next meeting challenging it."

During the February public hearing, county board chairman George Shetler indicated that the commission was not ready to make a decision at that point, but would probably do so a future meeting. During the next meeting, March 13, at which Shetler was absent, commissioners moved ahead with the process of appointing the two new commissioners.

In a letter to Green from county board vice chairman Craig Wood, he said that Òwe will be receiving applications in the very near future and expect to make the appointments within the next month of two after interviewing each candidate.Ó

"We have got to get the funds out of the budget," Green said. "There is going to be a discussion and a decision after we get a better handle on our payroll."

In other business, commissioners learned available employees are painting the garage area and will eventually progress to doing the board meeting room. KCRC managing director John Rogers said a combination of night drivers and others washed and scraped the walls and started the process.

In other business, members: ¥ Agreed to hire the state Department of Treasury to conduct the KCRCÕs 2006 audit. Rogers said there still needed to be some minor items completed before the review could start. ¥ Agreed to wait until Nice returns to possibly authorize a finance seminar for newly-hired office manager Rebecca Jerry to attend. The seminar cost is $130 and Rogers had recommended it for her continued review of the road commissionÕs operations. Green suggested the matter be addressed when Nice returned, as he would be voting against it.