Chase County commissioners approve purchase of Caterpillar motor grader; staff to seek local financing

Chase County commissioners voted March 31 to approve purchase of a Caterpillar motor grader and authorized staff to pursue municipal lease or local-bank financing for the machine.

Road and equipment staff told the commission the county’s aging grader is entering a period of increasing maintenance costs and warranty expense. Staff presented a vehicle purchase quote and a trade-in allowance for the existing grader; commissioners instructed staff to solicit lease-purchase proposals from local banks and return with financing terms for final approval.

In the wider equipment discussion, staff reviewed a multi-year replacement plan for graders and dump trucks. The plan earlier adopted by the county staggers replacements to limit simultaneous capital outlays and to shift older dump trucks into pull-tractor roles after bed reconditioning. Staff said the county had kept one grader beyond the initial schedule because of operator shortages, but that maintenance cost curves now favor replacement on the plan’s timetable.

Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to proceed with the Caterpillar 140-15J purchase; the motion passed after an affirmative voice vote of the board. Staff said the purchase commitment will be signed subject to final lease-purchase financing.

Officials also asked staff to return with a one-page equipment timetable, showing the five-year replacement cycle and the expected roll-forward steps for the dump trucks and pull tractors so the incoming commissioner would have a clear plan.

No exact finalized financing terms were presented at the meeting; staff said they would request proposals from local banks and report back with total interest costs and payment schedules.