Montgomery County Panel Backs $6,000 to Outsource Downtown Mowing

Article Summary: The Montgomery County Board’s Buildings & Grounds Committee voted unanimously on Aug. 4, 2026, to recommend budgeting $6,000 in fiscal year 2027 to outsource mowing at downtown county properties, after Maintenance Director Phil Ernst reported that equipment breakdowns had already pushed the work to an outside provider.

FY2027 Mowing Key Points:

The committee recommended budgeting $6,000 in FY2027 to outsource downtown mowing services.

Ernst said he has been paying Seth Yount $210 per week to mow the Historic Courthouse, Court Complex and Montgomery County Jail.

Ernst estimated his own department’s time at $305 for each mowing.

The motion was made by Russ Beason and seconded by Connie Beck; all members present voted in favor.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Montgomery County Board’s Buildings & Grounds Committee on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, voted to recommend setting aside $6,000 in the fiscal year 2027 budget to hire out mowing at the county’s downtown Hillsboro properties.

Maintenance Director Phil Ernst told the committee that frequent mower breakdowns had led him to pay Seth Yount $210 per week for mowing at the Historic Courthouse, the Court Complex and the Montgomery County Jail, according to the meeting minutes. Ernst estimated that his own department’s time costs $305 for each mowing.

The minutes do not state whether the $210 weekly rate and the $305 per-mowing estimate cover the same interval or the same properties, and the two figures are recorded in different units. They are reported here as the minutes record them.

The motion to budget $6,000 in FY2027 to outsource downtown mowing services was made by Russ Beason and seconded by Connie Beck. All members present voted in favor and the motion carried.

A Problem Flagged Earlier in the Same Meeting

Mowing surfaced twice on Tuesday’s agenda. Earlier in the meeting, Ernst reviewed his monthly maintenance report and identified HVAC, plumbing and mowing as areas of concern among 69 items, including 51 work orders completed in July.

The committee had asked at its July 7 meeting to take up a possible FY2027 mowing contract at its August meeting. That earlier discussion produced no motion and named no contractor, property or figure.

Tuesday’s minutes do not record how Yount was selected, whether the arrangement was competitively bid, how long it has been in place, or whether it would continue under the FY2027 recommendation. They do not state which properties fall within “downtown mowing services,” nor whether all three facilities Ernst named are included. Yount’s business status — whether he operates as a company or as an individual — is not established in the record.

The committee’s action is a recommendation to the full County Board. The motion as recorded reads “to budget $6,000 in FY2027,” but committee-level action in Montgomery County does not adopt a budget or commit money. No funds are appropriated until the County Board adopts an FY2027 budget containing the line.