For the fourth straight week, Osage County Commissioners table a contract to deliver meals to residents in the Fairfax area.

 

Osage County Nutrition Director Jeanie Howerton is asking commissioners to approve a contract allowing James Hunt to deliver meals for $350 a month. She says the department has relied on county employees and volunteers since its previous Fairfax meal delivery arrangement ended. Howerton says the contract would allow the department to get a regular driver back on the route.

 

The proposed contract is for the same $350 monthly amount the county paid its previous meal deliverers. Commissioners have cited budget concerns while delaying approval of the contract. District Two Commissioner Steve Talburt says his frustration is with how the nutrition department got into its current situation. He says commissioners had previously asked the department not to make changes while looking for possible solutions.

 

Talburt says replacing the previous delivery arrangement at the same cost does not help solve the department’s overall budget problem. The board ultimately tabled the contract for another week.