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Public works seeks lease of paving equipment and six new positions to start county paving program
Summary
Public works recommended leasing paving equipment and adding staff to create an in-house paving crew, funded in part by T-SPLOST. Commissioners asked for per-mile cost breakdowns and bids to compare lease-plus-staff versus contractor work.
Public works staff presented a multi-part FY2026 capital request to expand the county's ability to pave and maintain roads in-house.
The director asked for a $210,000 vehicle capital request to replace aging trucks plus a five-year lease proposal for eight pieces of paving equipment that would cost roughly $1.0 million over five years (an annual lease near $170,000'$180,000). That package would require a separate asphalt production budget; the director said an in-house program and the lease would allow the county to spend more dollars directly on asphalt and complete work on the county's schedule.
Staff proposed six new positions: a paving superintendent, three paving operators, one assistant or deputy director and an additional paving-related hire. Staff also said they are negotiating to secure six additional inmate work crew slots from a nearby county warden to supplement the work crew.
Commissioners pressed for a per-mile cost estimate and asked staff to provide a breakdown for scenarios (e.g., $100,000 vs. $500,000 vs. $1.0 million annual asphalt budgets) including likely lane-mile output. Finance and public works agreed to return with detailed numbers, vendor quotes and procurement requirements. Staff also reported the auditor's guidance that lease payment for equipment and asphalt that goes directly on county roads could qualify under the county's T-SPLOST allocation; salaries would not qualify.
