The National Association of County Engineers (NACE) awarded Thomas Klasner, PE, the 2017 Rural County Engineer of the Year during its 2018 Annual Conference held April 22-26 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Since 2003, Klasner has served as County Engineer for Jersey County, Illinois.

L-R - NACE President Brian Keierleber presents Tom Klasner with the
Rural County Engineer Award, with Awards Committee Chair Greg Parker.

“Tom’s experience in both private and public sectors enables him to be an innovator to further stretch his county’s tax dollars,” said Brian Keierleber, P.E., NACE President 2017-2018 and Buchanan County, Iowa, Engineer. “A good example is he completed a 5.1 mile $4.7 million Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) project. He not only saved $875,000, but also saved on natural resources and reduced wastes. He also streamlined his department by combining their offices with the maintenance operations.”

Under Tom’s leadership, the number of structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges in the county decreased from 19 to 5. Currently, the number of structurally deficient bridges is one, with construction anticipated in the summer of 2018. In addition, Jersey County has received a $1.34 million Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) project, to perform systematic guardrail improvements throughout the county highway system.

Since 2003, Tom has been a member of NACE having attended every annual conference. He served as President of the Illinois Association of County Engineers in 2012.