Humboldt County approves purchase of two Chevy Silverados after brief delay

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted to approve buying two Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks from Hanson Motors after briefly tabling the item to confirm specifications and final pricing.

The board first moved to table the purchase while staff double-checked whether one vehicle used a diesel engine and to obtain final prices. The board later removed the item from the table and approved the purchase by voice vote; no commissioner recorded a dissent.

County staff described the purchase as one Chevrolet Silverado 2500 (intended for shop use and heavier towing) and one Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (for the engineer’s office). The vehicles will be funded with FEMA reimbursement dollars, not with amounts from the county’s original operating budget. Staff said one truck will be kept for the courthouse and one will be sent to the Humboldt shop so each shop will have two pickups.

Order details discussed in the meeting included a headache rack priced in the transcript as $575 and mud flaps for $300. Staff described the 1500 as a standard gasoline engine and the 2500 as a Duramax turbo-diesel in some of the discussion; staff said they would confirm the final engine choices before finalizing purchase orders. The seller’s estimated delivery for the ordered trucks was reported as February.

The board’s approval followed a motion to un-table the item and a subsequent motion to approve the purchases. The motion carried on a voice vote with no recorded opposition.

The board also discussed the status of older pickups to be moved between shops rather than immediately sold and noted mileage on one truck of approximately 60,700 miles.

The minutes show the board requested final numbers be provided next week for the second pickup before completing paperwork.