Fleet Services vehicle and equipment purchase is one of the items on the agenda to be discussed by the Columbia County Board of Commissioners during its meeting Tuesday, March 7.
According to the recommendation from the Community and Emergency Services Committee, one Gen 3 MowerMax, three Grasshopper Mowers, one Gradall XL 5100 and 13 Ram 1500 are needed.
The MowerMax slope mower will be purchased through the Georgia State Contract for $233,904.50 from Atmax Equipment Company. The grasshopper mowers will be purchased through the Georgia State Contract for $49,371.90 from Moridge Manufacturing. The Gradall will be purchased for a discounted price of $600,000 from Tractor and Equipment Company. The 13 Ram 1500s will be purchased from Thomson Motor Centre for the quoted price of $558,896.
“The equipment is over budget due to increases in steel and production prices and the trucks are over budget due to the inability to purchase them in the 21/22 budget year,” according to the recommendation from the committee.
Deputy County Manager Glenn Kennedy told the committee during the Feb. 28 meeting that the request is for the vehicles that need replacing the most. He added that the maintenance cost is going up and some of the vehicles are being run into the ground.
“These are vehicles that were supposed to be replaced in ‘21, we got these prices in 2020, which was amidst COVID,” Kennedy said. “We made the decision to not buy them. The first year we couldn’t buy them, and last year we chose not to buy them, just waiting. But what we’re doing is we’re putting our fleet farther and farther behind. There’s going to be a day of reckoning where we’re going to have to buy a lot of equipment. We try to do this a little along, but it’s beginning to really stack up on us and you’re going to start seeing some junk riding around on the street with the county log on it.
Commissioners will also vote on a request from Animal Services to purchase a large incinerator from Therm-Tec to replace the current incinerator, which was purchased in 2011 and is currently damaged, Kennedy said. The new incinerator will cost $110,732.
“I think this is a good purchase,” Kennedy said. “It’s not only a need item, I think it’s also a safety item and we’re going to have to really pay close attention to using this between now and when the new one comes in.”
