NACE (National Association of County Engineers) awarded Todd J. Kinney, P.E., the 2015 Rural County Engineer of the Year. Since 2001 Kinney has served as County Engineer for Clinton County, Iowa, with a population of nearly 49,116 and 200 miles of paved roads, 800 miles of gravel roads, and 300 bridges.
"Todd was born and raised in Clinton County, so he brings passion to his position as County Engineer--not just engineering expertise, ingenuity, and management," said Brian Roberts, P.E., NACE Executive Director. "Under his leadership, Todd has saved his county's taxpayers millions of dollars by maintaining rural property tax transfers well below the maximum allowed by the state of Iowa."
During his career with the county, Kinney has replaced 90 functionally obsolete, deteriorated, and deficient bridges. Most of these were designed in-house and constructed with his county's crews. In 2006 Kinney was a founding member and Chair of the Clinton County Risk Management Committee. He was instrumental in reducing the worker's compensation premiums by 36%, reaching one of the lowest rates in the state.
A champion of safety, Kinney has been granted over $700,000 of various state safety funds. He has also administered nearly $1 million dollars for FEMA and FHWA relief projects, which were designed and constructed in-house. Kinney is a certified bridge inspector, licensed professional engineer, licensed groundwater professional, and certified water treatment plant and wastewater plant operator. Prior to joining the county, Kinney was employed by Shive-Hattery Engineers and Architects for seven years.