Warrick County drainage board approves excavator purchase but withholds mulcher pending council funds
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Summary
After debate about trade-in offers and a projected $116,405.90 loss, the board approved the surveyor’s request to acquire an excavator and other equipment but excluded a $25,000 mulcher so staff can pursue additional appropriation from county council; the motion passed 2-1.
The Warrick County Drainage Board voted to approve most of a proposed equipment purchase for the county surveyor’s office but removed a $25,000 forestry disc mulcher from the approved package so staff could seek additional funds from county council.
Sherry Severs, county acquisitions administrator, laid out the offer and costs: a ditcher for $83,932.54; a listed tractor (noted in the record as about $223,003.46); a tracked excavator for $175,000; a ditching bucket at $7,005; and a $25,000 forestry disc mulcher. Trade‑in and credit amounts reported were $42,300 from Ag Revolution and $148,005.68 on the Finch/Fitch tractor, which left a shortfall in the vendor proposal equal to roughly $16,006.37; staff also calculated an overall projected loss of about $116,405.90 if all trades and purchases were completed as presented.
Severs and surveyor staff argued the excavator was needed for immediate drainage work, including removing beaver dams and addressing erosion that was flooding private parking lots and threatening businesses. "This is an emergency to open up Howard Williams Ditch and to save Deaconess Gateway's back corner parking lot and to save Newburgh Dermatology," a surveyor's office speaker said while urging prompt action.
Board members expressed concern the county would take a large financial loss and debated alternatives—contracting cleanouts, shifting equipment between departments, or selling the current machine at auction. After discussion, a board member moved to approve the purchase package with the mulcher excluded and to hold the vendor credit with Ag Revolution while the county pursues a supplemental appropriation from the county council for the mulcher. The motion was seconded and carried 2-1.
The board directed staff to proceed with the purchases allowed under the approved package and to present the mulcher request to county council for additional funds. The record shows the board prioritized immediate operational need (clearing emergency beaver-dam blockages and erosion) while limiting the county’s immediate fiscal exposure.
