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Parish to rent long-reach excavator one more month, solicit 30-day bids to buy
Summary
After debate over productivity and staffing, jurors agreed to fund one additional month of the long-reach excavator rental ($7,800) using drainage allocation and bond funds, then issue a 30-day bid to evaluate purchase options and used-equipment bids.
Assumption Parish jurors agreed to rent a long-reach excavator for one additional month and to advertise a 30-day bid process to consider purchasing a similar used machine.
Staff outlined that the machine is currently rented at $7,800 per month and that the parish has been using it on large-scale drainage projects; jurors and staff debated whether continued rental was cost-effective given average use (reported ~14 hours/week) and the impact on daily maintenance tasks when operators are dedicated to large projects.
Mister Blanchard moved to pull $7,800 from the drainage allocation and use bond funds to cover one additional month’s rental while staff put out a 30-day bid to purchase used equipment; mister McLaren seconded the motion and jurors voted in favor. Staff were also instructed to evaluate reallocation of certain bond funds to cover the purchase if bids make that feasible and to consider hiring or assigning additional operators if the parish retains ownership.
Jurors noted operational trade-offs: keeping the rented machine ties up operators who otherwise work on regular maintenance; owning the machine could avoid continued rental fees but would require budgeted purchase and additional staffing. The jury’s action allows short-term continuity on current projects while pursuing procurement options.
