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County committee approves hiring mechanic; highway staff may build plow trucks in‑house to save labor costs
Summary
The highway department received committee approval to advertise for a mechanic. Committee members discussed canceling a contracted truck build and constructing plow bodies in‑house to save on builder labor; funding for the mechanic would come from equipment revenue, not the general fund.
Ashland County’s finance committee approved a motion to authorize hiring a highway mechanic, with the understanding that the executive committee must approve the hire before a candidate is onboarded.
The highway presentation described potential savings if the county built service bodies in‑house rather than paying an outside bodybuilder. The presentation estimated the builder’s labor portion at about $73,000 per truck and forecasted in‑house labor costs near $30,000 per truck, plus modest component savings from using state purchasing agreements. "The 73,000 is what we are paying for labor to the bodybuilder. ... we would save by doing it in house," a highway presenter said. The department said equipment usage revenue — tracked by the highway department and billed by the hour for state, county and municipal work — would fund the mechanic position and the in‑house labor.
Committee members raised timing and capacity questions: whether the county could cancel an in‑progress build with the external vendor, how long it would take to recruit a mechanic, and whether current staff could complete the truck if hiring took several months. Staff said existing shop capacity could likely complete a truck if needed, but hiring a mechanic now and building future trucks in‑house would increase flexibility and could reduce per‑truck costs.
Why it matters: The mechanic position aims to lower lifecycle costs for county vehicles and equipment and to create additional internal capacity for fleet work. Staff said the position would not require additional county general funds and would be funded from approximately $1 million a year in equipment rental revenue.
The committee approved the motion to hire a mechanic; the chairman directed the highway department to post the advertisement but not to hire until the executive committee approved the position. The committee also discussed tracking outside work carefully to ensure the extra shop capacity is utilized without creating an ongoing, unfunded operating cost.
Ending: Highway staff will advertise for the mechanic position and continue refining timing for any vendor cancellations or in‑house build plans; hiring remains contingent on executive committee approval.
