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Winnebago County public works weighs equipment purchases and move from two‑way radios to cellular push‑to‑talk phones
Summary
Public works staff told supervisors they hired a new operator for the Buffalo shop, are collecting quotes for truck upfits and a grader for next year’s capital budget, and are piloting push‑to‑talk smartphones as a cheaper, more trackable alternative to aging two‑way radios.
Winnebago County public works staff updated supervisors on staffing and equipment planning, saying the department recently hired Riley Sabin of Buffalo Center and will start him next week. Staff described two capital priorities for next fiscal year — plow upfitting for a truck chassis and a new grader — and said they are gathering vendor quotes to present at the next board meeting.
On communications, public works described a pilot to replace some aging two-way radios with push‑to‑talk smartphones that use cellular networks and include GPS tracking. Staff said the radios have been costly to maintain (citing roughly $1,250 per radio and repeated failures) and noted some infrastructure risks such as a lightning-hit repeater with an $11,000 replacement price. The proposed phone option was described as using a $40 monthly data plan per device; staff framed it as a tradeoff between monthly service fees and reduced capital/repair risk.
Equipment procurement details were discussed but not finalized: staff referenced a Henderson power-equipment quote from Don’s Truck Centers in Fairbank and said the usual upfitter (Monroe/Christsteel) currently shows very long lead times. Regarding machine automation, staff discussed RTK guidance and auto‑steer options (John Deere, Raven) and cited sample costs and annual subscription figures mentioned by vendors. Staff said they will refine quotes and return with purchase recommendations in a future meeting.
Supervisors and staff also debated whether to pursue rebuilds of older machines versus new purchases, weighing potential wiring-harness and long-term maintenance risks. The board asked staff to obtain final pricing and clarify budget impacts before any formal approval.
No formal procurement decisions were made at this meeting; staff will return with detailed bids and refined budget numbers for board consideration.
