Griggs County delays purchase of used road maintainer after vendor info unavailable

At the Oct. 27 special meeting, Griggs County commissioners discussed but did not approve the purchase of a used road maintainer after county staff said the vendor and lease payoff information had not been confirmed.

Rod, a county staff member, reported that he had contacted Wayne, who provided John’s contact at RDO in Fargo, and that John "didn't have any numbers yet for your meeting." Rod said he was concerned the machine’s price could increase once ownership and payoff details were resolved: "my fear is that it might end up going for more money now once they ..." He also noted the machine under discussion includes snow equipment, which would be notable because many available machines lack that equipment.

Commissioners and staff discussed several funding options if the county were to proceed: using $100,000 allocated for gravel (with staff saying that could be paid with ARPA funds), applying roughly $27,000 described in the meeting as leftover "prairie dog" funds, using reserve funds or taking a small loan to cover any remaining balance. Staff said a purchase would need to occur in 2025 to align with budgeting plans.

Because the county had not received payoff and final pricing details from RDO/John Deere Financial, the commission agreed to table action on the purchase. Lauren confirmed the courthouse payment had been made and that, as of the meeting, "we don't have any information on the blade as of yet," and the group set the next regular meeting for Nov. 10, 2025; commissioners said they could call a special meeting if vendor information arrived sooner.

No firm price quotes, VIN/serial payoff amounts, or a final purchase price were provided at the meeting.