Allen County will take a test drive, of sorts, with a decision to lease two tractors from the local John Deere dealership.
Mark Griffith, road and bridge director, asked commissioners to consider a proposal to lease tractors rather than purchase them outright, especially as county departments have faced numerous equipment breakdowns this year.
Over the summer, the county’s newest boom mower caught on fire and was destroyed. It was covered by insurance, but led to a debate over how to best replace the county’s fleet of large, expensive machinery.
The proposal from John Deere offered four tractors available for lease for between $56,000 to $60,000 per year. The cost of a new tractor would be somewhere around $200,000.
The county fleet typically includes four tractors and two boom mowers.
Commissioners were intrigued by the lease proposal, but reluctant to go all-in. Instead, they asked Griffith to look at leasing two tractors as a sort of trial run.
Although it’s common practice to lease vehicles, it’s unusual for tractor providers to offer lease agreements, Griffin said. It’s possible the county could purchase the tractors at the end of the lease period.
“I say come up with a plan and go for it,” Commission Chairman Jerry Daniels told Griffith.
The purchase of a new boom mower is a separate issue. Griffith has been considering a MowerMax utility machine, which would be an upgrade from previous equipment. It also has a more expensive price tag, at $271,000 fully loaded. The county received $104,000 in insurance from the mower that burned. Commissioners advised Griffith to see if he could get a boom mower for closer to $200,000.
COMMISSIONERS also gave their blessing to Jason Trego, emergency management director, for his plans to purchase a cellular system that would prioritize first-responder communication during an emergency.
The system comes in a box about the size of a small briefcase, and would allow cellular communication and data to be transmitted on FirstNet, a separate system dedicated to emergency response. Trego recommended the county purchase a system from Mega-Go for $4,199, with a recurring monthly charge of $38.
He recommended that system over others, including a satellite-based SkyLink proposal.
Such a system is important during an emergency because communications towers may be damaged and cellular traffic can get congested, Trego said. This will allow emergency responders to communicate even if others cannot.
THE COUNTYWIDE burn ban will remain in effect despite recent rain.
Just 0.61 inches of rain fell in Iola on Monday. But conditions remain dry, with just 1.26 inches this month and 25.50 inches for the year so far. That’s about 7.87 inches below normal.
IN OTHER business, commissioners:
Heard an update on airport improvements. The airport was expected to be closed Tuesday or Wednesday of next week for a striping project. Public Works Director Mitch Garner also asked commissioners to consider building more hangars at the airport, as requests have continued to increase.
