Atchison County approves KDOT noxious-weed agreement; commissioners ask for more analysis on backhoe repair

The Atchison County Commission on Oct. 14 voted 2–0 to approve a Kansas Department of Transportation Bureau of Maintenance county agreement to treat noxious weeds, which the county’s Road & Bridge staff presented with specified labor and equipment rates.

The agreement, presented by Road & Bridge staff, lists an operator labor rate of $32.33 per hour and an equipment rate of $52.82 per hour for a 2016 Ford F550 spray truck; a 2022 John Deere Gator portable sprayer was also referenced. Commissioners moved to approve the contract and authorized signatures for the county to meet KDOT’s timetable.

The item also prompted a separate, substantive discussion about fleet maintenance. Staff told commissioners a hydraulic pump on the county’s 2016 John Deere backhoe had failed and an initial estimate from Murphy Tractor put replacement parts and labor at roughly $40,000. Commissioners questioned repairing a machine with about 10,000 hours at that cost, noting comparable used 2016 John Deere machines with far fewer hours were available in the market at similar price points.

Commissioners directed staff to seek additional information before authorizing major repairs: obtain a second repair estimate, provide a comparative cost analysis of repair versus buying a used machine, report hours and warranty status on the newer backhoe in the yard, and consider resale value of the current unit if repair proceeds. Staff indicated the newer county backhoe likely has about 2,000 hours and that routine maintenance is handled in-house per manufacturer schedules.

The commission approved the KDOT agreement and the related administrative signatures but did not authorize immediate backhoe repairs; instead commissioners asked for further procurement and repair analysis before making a final decision.