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Commission approves purchase of replacement backhoe after warranty and availability review
Summary
After reviewing quotes and warranty options, commissioners authorized staff to proceed with purchasing a lower‑hour backhoe (preferred Cat unit) and to list the outdated machine for sale; staff had compared John Deere and Cat options and emphasized warranty concerns.
Commissioners approved staff direction to purchase a lower‑hour replacement backhoe to reduce maintenance risk and operating costs.
Road superintendent presented multiple vendor quotes for low‑hour used units and highlighted concerns about warranty availability for certain makes. Commissioners discussed trade‑in values, hours and whether to delay purchase while waiting for a comparable unit; conservative preference was to obtain a unit with an extended warranty rather than buy a cheaper machine with no warranty.
Following discussion, Commissioner Lee moved to authorize staff to complete the purchase of the preferred Cat unit, the motion was seconded, and commissioners approved proceeding with procurement. Staff will offer the existing high‑hour backhoe for sale and report back with final purchase terms.
Next steps: procurement to proceed with the Cat unit, staff will list the older excavator for sale and finalize financing from the equipment budget.
