In order to be a County
Engineer in the State of Ohio, the officeholder must have a dual
registration -- Professional Engineer (P.E.) and Professional Surveyor
(P.S.)
-- as required
by Section 315.02 of the Ohio Revised Code:
"No person holding
the office of clerk of the court of common pleas, sheriff, county
treasurer, or county recorder is eligible to hold the office
of county engineer. No person is eligible in any county as a
candidate for such office or shall be elected or appointed thereto
unless he is a registered professional engineer and a registered
surveyor, licensed to practice in this state."
"Provisions of
this section are mandatory, and one who is not a registered professional
engineer and registered surveyor licensed to practice in state
is not eligible as candidate for office of county engineer or
to be elected or appointed thereto unless he shall have previously
served as county engineer immediately prior to his election."
"It is not contemplated
under the provisions of this section, that two persons, one being
only a registered professional engineer and the other being only
a registered surveyor, may be candidates for or elected to or
appointed to the office of county engineer."
This is what the Ohio
Revised Code has to say concerning a person's eligibility for
the Office of County Engineer. No other public office in Ohio
commands as strict requirements for the officeholder's duties
as does the position of County Engineer.
WHAT IS
A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER (P.E.)
The National Society of Professional Engineers
offers this definition of a P.E.:
"Like doctors
who have passed the medical boards or lawyers who have passed
the bar exam, professional engineers (PEs) have fulfilled the
education and experience requirements and passed the rigorous
exams that, under state licensure laws, permit them to offer
engineering services directly to the public. PEs take legal responsibility
for their engineering designs and are bound by a code of ethics
to protect the public health and safety.
"Engineering licensure
laws vary from state to state, but, in general, to become a PE
an individual must be a graduate of an engineering program accredited
by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, pass
the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, gain four years of experience
working under a PE, and pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering
exam.
"A state engineering
licensure board regulates the licensed practice of engineering
within a state."
DUTIES
OF THE COUNTY ENGINEER
Section 315.08 of the
Ohio Revised Code states:
"The county engineer
shall perform for the county all duties authorized or declared
by law to be done by a registered professional engineer or registered
surveyor...He shall prepare all plans, specifications, details,
estimates of cost, and submit forms of contracts for the construction,
maintenance, and repair of all bridges, culverts, roads, drains,
ditches, roads on county fairgrounds, and other public improvements,
except buildings, constructed under the authority of any board
within and for the county."
"The engineer
shall not be required to prepare plans, specifications, details,
estimates of costs, or forms of contracts for emergency repairs
authorized under section 315.13 of the Revised Code, unless he
deems them necessary."
There are four distinct
roadway systems in Ohio: The Ohio Department of Transportation
(ODOT) is responsible for the State Highway System. This includes
federal highways, such as interstate and U.S. routes, and state
routes; Within each county, the County Engineer is responsible
for a network of County roads; Township trustees oversee maintenance
of their individual township systems; and, municipalities maintain
streets and alleys within their boundaries.
The County Engineer
works with the County Commissioners and Township Trustees to
carry out a wide variety of obligations.
County Roadways:
The County
Engineer is responsible for all maintenance, repair, widening,
resurfacing, and (re)construction of pavements and bridges in
the County roadway system. Maintenance duties include traffic
control, safety projects, mowing, and snow and ice control.
Township Roadways:
The County
Engineer serves as the engineering advisor to the township trustees
for the maintenance, widening, and repair of their roads.
Bridges and Culverts:
The County
Engineer is fully responsible for the bridges and culverts on
the County roadway system as well as certain bridges within municipalities.
The Engineer is also responsible for bridges on the Township
roadway system. Annual bridge inspections and evaluations of
the condition and load-carrying capacity of each bridge are part
of this responsibility.
The County Engineer
participates in county and regional planning commissions and
provides tax map drafting services for the county. In unincorporated
areas, (s)he may also be involved in the establishment and maintenance
of petitioned and assessed ditches, sidewalks, and even county
airports. In some cases, the County Engineer also serves as the
County Sanitation Engineer, supervising construction of sewer
and water lines.
