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Houston County opts to buy back damaged plow truck and retrofit a new chassis to save roughly $115,000
Summary
After reviewing MCIT insurance offers, Houston County approved buying back a damaged plow truck as salvage, purchasing a new tandem‑axle chassis and hiring Towmaster to transfer and refurbish reuseable equipment, saving an estimated $115,000 compared with buying all new components.
Houston County commissioners approved accepting the insurance settlement option that lets the county retain the damaged plow truck as salvage, then purchase a new tandem‑axle chassis and re‑install salvageable components, a plan staff said would save roughly $115,000 compared with buying an entirely new truck setup.
County staff explained two offers from MCIT (the county insurance pool): one in which MCIT would take the truck and pay the county a net amount after deductible, and another in which the county would accept a slightly smaller net payment but keep the vehicle and its parts. Staff recommended buying the truck back under the salvage option to recover usable components such as the box, plow, wings and some tires.
"We have met with a mechanic who took a look at that truck and agreed that there's more than $23,000 worth of value on that," a staff member said, describing salvageable parts. The staff presentation included MCIT's valuation figures and a Towmaster quote to perform the upfit work. Towmaster's estimate to remove salvageable components and reinstall them on a new chassis, including new wiring and hydraulic hoses, was $102,000. Staff compared that to a full new upfit quote of about $217,366 and said reusing parts would produce savings of roughly $115,000.
Commissioners voted to accept MCIT's offer with the county buying the truck back and to approve purchase of a new tandem‑axle chassis through the state bid price and award Towmaster the upfit contract. Staff said the new chassis vendor expected a relatively quick delivery and that the retrofit work would take several months, with the truck likely available for late‑season use if scheduled promptly.
The board's approvals included three linked actions: accepting the insurance option to retain the damaged truck as salvage, purchasing a replacement chassis (state bid) and contracting Towmaster to transfer and refurbish components. Staff said the county would retain the title and salvage valuable parts for reuse and sale, and that the county would not be able to insure the damaged truck for regular use if it kept it without significant repairs.
Board members noted the cost savings and the practicality of reusing relatively new components from a 2021 model truck. The motion to proceed with the buyback, chassis purchase and Towmaster work passed on voice votes.
