Committee stalls mechanic hire after extensive debate over shop capacity, parts sourcing and cost savings

A proposal to add a mechanic to the Ashland County Highway Department payroll and to begin building highway trucks in‑house was discussed at length May 20 and failed after a recorded roll‑call vote.

Highway staff presented a proposal estimating that in‑house truck builds could save roughly $73,000 per truck in labor compared with buying fully built units, and that a build requires about 500–600 labor hours. Matt said the parts and packages (hydraulics, lighting, underbodies) can be purchased individually and that existing shop staff could construct the truck with a mechanic in the shop and operators returning to fieldwork.

Committee members raised multiple concerns: whether the county could secure wholesale parts pricing, where the work would be staged in the shop (one stall of four would be tied up during builds), how long a build would take, the cost of shop space and overhead, and whether in‑house builds would compete commercially with private bodybuilders — possibly complicating parts supply. Finance chair Craig (committee member) and others asked for clear documentation of lost state revenue opportunities that hiring a mechanic would recover.

The motion to hire a mechanic was moved by Bill Metzinger and seconded by Pat Kinney. The committee then held a roll‑call vote: Gary Mertag — no; Pat Kinney — no; Bill Metzinger — yes. The motion failed. Committee members directed highway staff to prepare additional documentation — including firm cost estimates, an analysis of shop space and the feasibility of partnering with neighboring counties — and return with details at the next Executive Committee meeting.

Ending The highway department will prepare a detailed cost/benefit and space‑use report for the committee and for the finance committee to consider during budget review.