County roads official previews Permazyme base-stabilization tests and cost comparisons

MILLS COUNTY — County road staff told supervisors they are evaluating Permazyme, an enzyme-based product intended to stabilize road bases and reduce reliance on rock, and shared preliminary cost figures as part of routine maintenance planning.

Unidentified Speaker 3, who attended a December conference, described the product and potential savings. He said conventional rock application runs about $17 per ton — roughly $17,000 per mile under the county’s assumptions — and that using recycled milling has saved about $12 per ton (around $12,000 per mile). "This stuff here is gonna cost, just over $10,000 per mile with it," he said of the Permazyme product, which the vendor reportedly sold in pails and mixes on-site with road machinery.

The speaker said the county has examples from other counties and will follow up with cost comparisons and vendor references before any procurement action. He emphasized the need to evaluate lifecycle performance and budget impacts; no purchase order or contract was approved at the meeting.

Supervisors asked staff to research outcomes from other counties and to consider the product’s fit in next fiscal year budgeting if initial results are promising. The discussion remained informational; further analysis and formal budget requests are expected before any spending decision.