Marshall County approves Ford Lightning purchase, authorizes auction of "asphalt zipper" and directs staff to pursue second patcher

Marshall County commissioners on May 5 approved a $62,380 purchase agreement for a Ford Lightning pickup truck for the highway department and authorized advertising an older piece of equipment, an "asphalt zipper," for auction.

Highway staff said the Ford Lightning purchase is covered by a federal grant; the board approved the purchase agreement with Bozak Ford and authorized the county president to sign. "Motion is made second to approve the purchase agreement with Bozak Ford for $62,380 for the Lightning pickup truck for the highway department," the record shows.

Commissioners also discussed equipment replacement and operational needs. Staff asked for authority to advertise the county's older asphalt zipper for auction with an appropriate minimum reserve price to generate proceeds that likely would be applied to purchase a new portable patching machine (an eco patcher). A motion to advertise the asphalt zipper with a market-value minimum carried by voice vote.

The board discussed two price options for a new patching machine: roughly $108,000 including an air compressor option or about $99,005 without the compressor. Commissioners debated whether the compressor option was necessary, with one commissioner saying, "I don't think we do." The board directed Highway Director Jason to take a proposal to the county council to request support for purchasing a second portable eco patcher and agreed to wait about two weeks to see auction results before finalizing financing.

Staff noted a neighboring county declined to participate in a shared purchase, so the county will assess alternatives including auction proceeds from the asphalt zipper sale and internal line-item transfers. The highway department also reported routine road and dust-control work and an upcoming delivery timeline for equipment being rehabilitated.