Williams County approves up to $80,000 for new skid steer

Williams County parks officials voted to authorize up to $80,000 to buy a new skid steer after staff presented multiple vendor quotes and use-case analysis.

Parks staff showed quotes from four vendors for high-flow wheeled and tracked models and discussed the trade-offs of wheel versus track, operator controls and warranties. Parks foreman Carter Harris said the three major brands (Bobcat, John Deere and Caterpillar) offered similar feature packages and that Caterpillar's warranty was longer; Kubota came in lower but with a different control configuration. Harris recommended a wheeled, high-flow machine to match local uses and attachments.

The recommendation to approve spending authority up to $80,000 was moved and seconded and passed on a roll call. Jeremy Ludlow, parks staff, said the funds would come from the master plan budget and that he felt comfortable the purchase would fit within that allocation.

Why it matters: The skid steer will be used across parks for snow removal, trail and campground maintenance and to support new park improvements. Board members discussed operator comfort, turf impact and winter performance before approving the authorization.

Discussion highlights included warranty length and operator controls. Harris said, “I've personally only ever ran Bobcat. The John Deere is, I think, also right there, so I would look at either one of those two.” Ludlow explained budget intent: the purchase would draw from the master plan equipment line and he urged staff latitude to select the best option within the approved amount.

The board instructed staff to proceed with procurement within the approved dollar limit and did not specify a brand or vendor in the motion.