So far the Lawrence County Commission has received eight applications for the two job vacancies facing the county this spring — Lawrence County Engineer and director of job and family services.

County engineer Doug Cade is expecting to leave at the end of May to take the post of deputy engineer in Hancock County. The commission can appoint an interim engineer until the Republican Central Committee makes a permanent appointment. That person will hold the job until the next county election in 2016.

The only eligible candidates for the job are Patrick Leighty with E.L. Robinson Engineering and former county engineer David Lynd, who retired in 2011. Ohio Revised Code requires the engineer be a licensed surveyor and licensed civil engineer.

Leighty will become the county’s deputy engineer on May 1, working with Cade until he leaves.

Commission president Les Boggs said the commissioners will review the applications at their Tuesday work session.

“We expect to get more in,” he said at the commission’s Thursday meeting.

The commission will make the permanent appointment of the new director of job and family services, following the retirement of Gene Myers on May 1.

The state bureau of workers compensation has commended the work of commission administrator Tami Ailster in reducing claims. That has cut the premium from $700,000 to $235,000 in eight years. Recently the state met with Ailster to discuss what strategies she uses to keep claims down and get employees back to work.

“People at the state said other counties are not that pro-active,” she said. “They are amazed how pro-active we are at bringing back our employees.”

Part of that is a transitional program that brings employees back in stages.

“We build the job up until they can come back 100 percent,” she said.

Ailster said the county’s success is the result of a partnership with department heads.

In other action the commission:

• Terminated Richard English, Matt Horne and Dustin Hazelett from the county EMS for not showing up for mandatory orientation;

• Approved awards for demolition by Brian Pinkerman for $7,600 for location on State Route 243, MS Demolition Contractors for $4,500 for location at 606 N. Sixth St. and $5,000 for location at 424 S. Ninth St.;

• Received the weekly dog warden report where no dogs were destroyed and 22 were adopted or sent to rescue.