Solid waste, mosquito control ask $140,000 in 2024-25; grapple truck and roll-off truck planned in later years

Bradford County staff presented the solid waste and mosquito-control line of the Capital Improvement Plan during the Jan. 28 budget workshop, requesting $140,000 in fiscal 2024-25 for two truck-mounted spray units, replacement compactors and new trash containers and proposing larger equipment purchases in later years.

According to staff, the 2024-25 request includes $25,000 for a truck-mounted spray unit, $50,000 for a replacement trash compactor at collection sites and $65,000 for new trash containers. The department plans to request another spray unit and a MAC grapple truck for fiscal 2025-26; the grapple truck appears as a $300,000 placeholder in that year but staff later said that $300,000 entry in 2028-29 was a mistake and should be crossed out.

Staff told the board the county currently has one truck-mounted spray unit obtained by grant and noted a mosquito-control reserve balance of about $116,000 that can be tapped for equipment. Commissioners asked how often machines are replaced and how many units each dollar amount buys; staff said they would provide exact counts and replacement cycles before the next budget iteration.

Solid-waste staff said the county's current fleet includes recent roll-off units (one 2022 model mentioned) and multiple roll-offs in operation. For the collection sites staff said compactors and containers have historically been purchased on a staggered schedule to avoid simultaneous failures and that some compactors are replaced every other year.

Ending: Staff agreed to return with cost breakdowns, replacement schedules and condition reports for the county's existing mosquito-control and solid-waste equipment so the board can incorporate firm figures on the next CIP revision.