Commission approves $116,000 skid loader and $274,671 for two highway trucks

Lincoln County’s commission authorized two highway equipment purchases at its Sept. 23 meeting: a $116,000 skid loader procured through a Sourcewell cooperative contract, and two tandem-axle cab-and-chassis trucks totaling $274,671 using a MnDOT state contract.

County staff explained both buys during a regular-business discussion after consent items were moved to the regular agenda. Staff said the skid loader was a budgeted 2026 item that arrived now but will be paid for in the 2026 budget year and confirmed the purchase ‘‘came in under budget’’ on the cooperative contract. The county will surplus older equipment once new units are placed into service.

‘‘This skid loader is being acquired using Sourcewell Contracting, which is a public procurement contract that’s used by many different governments,’’ a county staff member said, describing the cooperative process.

On the truck purchase, staff said the county used a MnDOT state contract and the trucks are four-season vehicles that will be equipped with boxes and snow equipment next year. The total price recorded in the meeting was $274,671 for two cab-and-chassis trucks. Commissioners asked whether boxes from older trucks would be reused; staff said boxes were worn out and the county is shifting to stainless-steel boxes for longevity.

Both purchases were approved on recorded roll-call votes. Commissioners also discussed timing and surplus plans for existing vehicles. Staff noted follow-up steps include equipment ordering, surplusing of retired units, and budgeting for snow boxes and attachments in the next fiscal year.

Procedural note: the skid loader approval was tied to Sourcewell cooperative procurement; the trucks used publicly viewable MnDOT contract pricing, per staff explanation.