Finance committee preliminarily approves highway equipment portion of 2026 CIP amid tariff uncertainty

Committee members voted to preliminarily approve the equipment portion of the Ashland County 2026 highway capital-improvement plan but directed highway staff to monitor supplier pricing and prioritize purchases. Matt, the highway superintendent, explained that tariffs (including a 35% effective rate on some Canadian goods and varying rates on other sources) and global inflation make equipment pricing volatile. He said some costs (mechanics' labor capitalization, parts) are being absorbed differently when the county builds components in-house.

Pat Kenny and others asked that the department buy the highest-priority equipment first — the plow truck, the shop truck, then a trailer — and to return to the committee before exceeding the preliminary cap so the committee can consider debt-levy bridges or other tradeoffs. The administrator and highway staff explained that most highway equipment is paid from equipment rates and machine-cost reimbursements rather than general levy, and that overruns would affect the equipment fund and potentially require debt-levy action next year.

A motion to preliminarily approve the $5.90 million equipment plan (preliminary figure presented during the meeting) passed on a voice vote. Members said they wanted the approval to serve as a cap and expected the highway department to prioritize purchases in case price increases materialize.