Greg Nelson of Johnson County Getting Some Help

Johnson County residents may not know what the county weights and measures department does, but they feel the effects of its work.

The department is currently a one-man shop led by director Greg Nelson, who is responsible for testing every single gas pump and retail scale in Johnson County. Checking all of these scales ensures consumers get what they pay for in everything from fresh produce to medicine to gasoline.

With the county continuing to grow, he recently told the county council he can’t do it alone. Soon he won’t have to.

The department is hiring another full-time employee to work alongside Nelson. The job consists of checking every gas pump in the county, retail, noncommercial, large, pharmaceutical/hospital and graham scales. It also includes high-flow tests for truck stops.

People see the department’s green inspection sticker on scales at gas stations and grocery stores, but the job is more expansive than that. The department tests scales at pharmacies, schools, doctor’s offices and hospitals, WIC, quarries and granaries as well, Nelson said.

“Right now, (the challenge is) being by myself,” he said. “It’s up to where I need another full-time person, there’s just too much for one or even a part-time person to do.”

This year, Nelson said he will conduct 2,106 gas tests not including retests, 670 other scale tests and 86 high flow tests.

For the last U.S. Census, Johnson County ranked No. 11 in population and most counties above Johnson County’s population have multiple full-time people, Nelson said. Most of the counties below Johnson County either have only one full-time weights and measures employee, a full-time employee with part-time help or only part-time employees, he said.

However, Nelson said it is “almost impossible to do a true side-by-side comparison” because some counties have more grocery stores than gas stations.

The Daily Journal reached out to other weights and measures departments across the state to see how Johnson County’s department compares with similarly-populated counties. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Johnson County has an estimated 2023 population of 167,819 people.

Vanderburgh County has an estimated population of 179,810 people. Its department has four inspectors and conducts 10 to 12,000 inspections per year on average.

Madison County has an estimated population of 132,504 people. It has one inspector and conducts over 8,000 inspections per year.

The Daily Journal reached out to Monroe and Porter counties but did not hear back by publication. According to a list of weights and measures inspectors from the state in 2023, there is one inspector in Monroe County and two inspectors in Porter County. Monroe County has an estimated population of 139,342 people and Porter County has an estimated population of 175,335 people.

“(Another full-time employee would help with) just being able to do more,” Nelson said. “I’m very limited.”

For example, a full-time employee could help with rechecks, he said. One person would be able to recheck one gas station while the other conducts an initial test for a different station.

Nelson used to have a helper that would assist him with the department’s workload. He said Jerry Napier, the former director of the department, would help two days per week but stopped working in December 2023.

When he approached the county commissioners and council with the ask of a new employee in April, they were understanding and agreed he needed another person. Some council members wanted to wait until the next budget cycle, but a majority agreed to let him go forward now.

“I told them, ya know, right now I’m by myself and it’s going to be very hard this year if that’s the case,” he said.

Nelson said there were approximately 60 applicants for the position. The salary will be in the $48K range for candidates who are certified.

“(I’m most excited about) just the extra help,” Nelson said. “You get out here, today’s gonna be 82 (degrees). (In) July, August, September, we’re talking 90s, and you’re standing out here doing gas stations and it gets real rough on one person.”

He estimated that the position will be filled by the end of the month if all goes well.

https://dailyjournal.net/2024/06/11/johnson-county-weights-and-measures-weighed-down-by-work-load/