Commissioners to consider contractor for landfill scale installation and a new vehicle-lease plan

County staff briefed the board on two operational items on Jan. 9: a contractor engagement to install a second landfill scale and a plan to lease passenger vehicles to refresh the county fleet.

Landfill scale installation: Staff said the county had already approved purchase of a scale unit and on Jan. 9 requested formal approval of a contractor, Alcon Construction, to perform site work, foundations, ramps and installation. The contractor engagement in the packet sets a not-to-exceed amount of $83,492 and includes delivery, installation and site work. Staff said this step follows prior engineering and planning work and is intended to make scale operations safer and more efficient; master planning for future scale-house infrastructure is ongoing.

Vehicle leasing and fleet refresh: Staff reported the county budget included roughly $75,000 for vehicle purchases and that the county is considering leasing up to six passenger vehicles to replace older fleet units (several vehicles were described as handed down from the sheriff’s fleet after they exceeded useful life). Planned replacements include a hybrid minivan (Sienna) for the commissioners’ vehicle and upgrades for other aging passenger vehicles. Staff described an ongoing inventory (about 130 vehicles countywide) and said the leasing plan aims to reduce maintenance, improve fuel efficiency and consolidate fleet management.

Next steps: Both items were described as on the consent agenda for the upcoming meeting. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about future master planning for the landfill site and requested details on the vehicle schedule and financing; staff said additional documentation and specifics would be provided with the consent packet.