Board authorizes bids and RFPs for squad trucks, county truck and a new highway shop design-build RFP

Koochiching County commissioners on Jan. 14 approved steps to replace and add county vehicles and to begin procurement for a new highway shop.

On two separate motions the board authorized staff to solicit bids for (1) one squad truck budgeted in the 2025 sheriff’s department budget and (2) one budgeted highway department truck. Staff said they will solicit bids from two local dealerships, compare responses to the state bid price and return to the board at the end of February with recommendations for acceptance and award. The board directed staff to include trade-in values where applicable.

The board also authorized the highway department to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a design-build contract for a new maintenance shop in Mispah. Staff described a planned building roughly 56 by 80 feet on a poured slab with insulated walls; the earlier budgetary estimate provided to the board was roughly $500,000 including site prep and concrete (staff noted costs are budgetary estimates and that utilities such as sewer and well upgrades add cost uncertainty). Staff said state construction-aid would cover approximately 78% of the project with the county providing about 22% local match.

Board members discussed site flooding issues at the existing shop, equipment storage constraints and the potential to acquire MnDOT’s Northome shop in a future year; staff said a new building would be designed to mitigate the spring flooding problems and improve equipment access and efficiency.

Why it matters: replacing aging fleet vehicles and updating highway facilities affects road maintenance efficiency, fleet reliability and long-term operations. The design-build approach is intended to deliver a building sized for current needs with modern efficiency.

Next steps: staff will solicit and receive bids and RFP responses, then return to the board for award decisions and any required budget adjustments.