Swain County staff review capital requests: roll-offs and backhoe for solid waste, ambulances for EMS

Swain County staff reviewed departmental capital requests during a budget discussion, highlighting a solid waste request for three 30-yard roll-off containers and a backhoe and an emergency medical services (EMS) request for two new ambulances.

The requests matter because they involve capital purchases that affect daily operations and timing for county services. County staff said solid waste is operating as an enterprise fund with excess funds available, and EMS faces long manufacturing lead times for ambulances that could push delivery into the following year.

Departmental details were presented in summary form. For solid waste, staff reported that “Jerry had a couple of requests” for three 30-yard roll-off containers and a backhoe to improve metal stacking; the existing piece of equipment “does not reach high enough.” Staff said Jerry was still researching vendors and considering whether to buy a used backhoe versus a new one to save money, so exact purchase prices were not available at the time of the discussion.

Solid waste was described as an enterprise fund and, according to staff remarks, is not operating at a deficit; staff said there is excess capacity in the fund that could be used to pay for equipment if the board chooses to fund the purchases. The transcript does not provide specific dollar amounts or vendor quotes.

On EMS, staff reported two new ambulances were included in recent planning. Staff said the time from ordering to receiving ambulances is about 18 to 24 months. One ambulance was already ordered and paid for using COVID-related funding; another ambulance is included in the department’s budget but is unlikely to be delivered until the next fiscal year. The discussion was inconclusive on payment timing for the second ambulance; the transcript ends before staff completed that explanation.

Staff also said they will wait to finalize salary and other personnel-related numbers until after departments present their detailed requests; once those requests are in, staff planned to add exact salary figures and then review department-by-department budgets and project requests.

Next steps noted by staff include collecting firm quotes and delivery timelines from vendors and incorporating confirmed salary and cost figures into the department budgets for subsequent review. No formal votes or budget approvals were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.