Board approves $22,731 from school CIP for two used buses and engine repair

The Northumberland County Board of Supervisors voted Oct. 9 to appropriate $22,731 from the school division’s capital improvements fund to complete purchases of two used buses and to help replace an engine for another bus.

Assistant Superintendent Jovan Dashan told the board the school system secured two used buses at $20,000 each from a vendor and received an engine quote of $36,006.35. Dashan said earlier pricing estimates had been higher; two previously discussed buses at $26,000 apiece were no longer available but the vendor later offered buses at $20,000 apiece. Dashan said the transactions and the remaining engine work would be funded from an original transportation allocation that began at about $200,000 and that the board previously approved a $52,000 supplemental appropriation. He asked the board to approve the remaining balance of earmarked funds, $22,731, to complete the bus purchases and cover the engine shortfall.

Board members pressed for clarity on the ledger and the source of the remaining funds. County staff explained that the earlier $52,000 approval had not been fully applied in the displayed spreadsheet, which caused confusion in the meeting; once reconciled the requested transfer was $22,731 from the county CIP to the schools’ bus line. Dashan said the purchases would put three buses back into rotation; he also reported the district currently has no spare buses.

A motion to approve the appropriation and related transfer passed by voice vote. Supervisors did not authorize a vendor contract at the meeting beyond approving the transfer of the identified CIP funds.