Klamath County commissioners approve bids, equipment purchases, insurance switch and multiple appointments

Klamath County commissioners on Oct. 12 voted on a slate of procurement, contract and personnel actions, including authorizing Public Works to solicit bids for chip-seal rock, approving two equipment purchases for the sheriff’s search-and-rescue program, approving a union health-insurance memorandum of understanding for two bargaining units, and adopting a final order for a comprehensive-plan map change.

Why it matters: The actions secure road surfacing materials, replace aging search-and-rescue vehicles, change employee insurance coverage for two bargaining groups and finalize a zoning change that starts an appeal period for neighboring property owners.

Most important actions

- The board authorized Public Works to issue a request for bids for EAC (chip-seal) rock, with an engineer’s estimate of about $1,000,000 and a quantity of roughly 22,900 cubic yards. The department said current stocks will finish this season but would be depleted without new purchases.

- The board approved purchases for the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue program: a 2025 Polaris Ranger XP Northstar Premium crew cab side-by-side with tracks and mounts for $37,219.93 to be paid from the sheriff’s Search and Rescue auction proceeds; and two Polaris Titan S4 snowmobiles at $15,895 each (total $31,790), to be paid from the sheriff’s special revenue fund that the county said is dedicated to snowmobile-related acquisitions.

- The board approved a memorandum of understanding allowing KCSSA and KCPOA employees to discontinue coverage under the Oregon Educators…