Woodbury County Secondary Roads director Laura Sievers urged the Board of Supervisors to accelerate replacement of aging trucks and heavy equipment, telling supervisors she was proposing a roughly $3,115,000 equipment line for fiscal 2027 that would fund a motor grader, a mechanic’s truck, an engineering pickup, a skid steer and trailer, a tool truck, mowers and six tandem trucks with trailers.

“I'd be asking for a motor grader, a mechanic's truck, a pickup for the engineer group, skid loader and trailer, a tool truck, 6 tandems,” Sievers said as she laid out maintenance problems, high repair costs and a push to avoid first-year 2027 emissions systems. She told the board a 2012 international tandem truck had required about $100,000 in emission-related repairs and that some tandems currently cost about $10,000 a year to keep running.

The request grew from a combination of catch-up needs and a concern about stricter emissions rules expected in 2027. Sievers said buying pre-2027 models where possible would “gap” the fleet until newer systems' reliability is clearer. She also described operational impacts of failing trucks during snow and gravel seasons and noted that the department has 130 pieces of heavy equipment and vehicles.

Supervisors pressed for fiscal details and procurement process clarity. Staff reported the department's new-equipment line would rise by about $1,584,000 while other line items were trimmed so the overall department draft budget would be roughly net neutral before payroll numbers are finalized. County staff said they had about $2,000,000 reserved in new construction for part of the L-27 road project but that the specific road (L-27) does not qualify for state funding and would have to come from the local budget.

Board members discussed trade-offs and timing. One supervisor proposed removing the L-27 road project from the draft budget so the county could proceed with equipment purchases; Sievers said the road could be added back later in the process if funds allow. Supervisors also emphasized following the county’s procurement policy and recommended soliciting bids rather than skipping competitive procurement.

By consensus the board directed staff to prepare procurement materials and to seek bids on the equipment proposal (with the L-27 project removed from the draft submission); a motion to receive the secondary-roads equipment budget and proceed with the procurement process passed 5-0.

The board did not adopt a final FY2027 budget at the meeting; staff will return with updated payroll figures, line-item adjustments and formal procurement documents for future action.