Adams County Solid Waste Committee approves Peterbilt cable truck despite budget overage

The Adams County Solid Waste Committee voted Jan. 13 to purchase a Peterbilt cable truck with an automated transmission after staff said final bids exceeded the capital budget. The chair read the combined price: $162,085.18 for the Peterbilt and $83,600 for the American roll-off body, totaling $245,685.18.

A department staff member told the committee the capital budget included $230,000 for cable trucks and that the recommended vehicle would be “about $16,000 over budget.” The staff presentation emphasized keeping the fleet “status quo” with Peterbilt equipment to preserve compatibility with existing hoist and tarp systems, which staff said reduces wear and maintenance costs over time.

Nate, a department staff member who reviewed vendor quotes, said changing from an Allison automatic to an automated manual transmission cut roughly $14,000 from the total on the preferred configuration and would yield better fuel mileage. He said the body-builder lead time had not been confirmed at the time of the meeting.

A committee member identified in the record as Gordy moved to approve the purchase; Supervisor Bork seconded. The motion carried on a voice vote. Committee discussion after the vote noted staff would seek potential capital-item adjustments or reserves later in the year to address the roughly $16,000 gap if needed.

The vote completes the department’s authorization to buy the specified vehicle; staff did not provide a confirmed delivery date at the meeting.

Next procedural steps discussed were internal budget monitoring and seeking offsets elsewhere in the capital budget to mitigate the overage.