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Consultant and staff outline multi-year plan to reduce Sawyer County highway equipment backlog
Summary
A consultant and county highway staff presented a multi-year equipment-management plan to address a multi-million-dollar backlog, increase internal equipment revenue and turnover, and reduce reliance on guaranteed-cost arrangements with the state DOT.
The Sawyer County Public Works Committee on May 13 heard a detailed equipment-management presentation from Bill Kern, introduced as a longtime county commissioner, and highway staff that laid out steps to close a multi‑million‑dollar backlog in the county’s fleet and improve internal equipment funding.
Kern summarized the initial assessment as an approximate $5.8 million backlog in replacement needs but said recent surplus sales and operational changes have reduced that figure (a later chart in the presentation showed roughly $5.1 million). "We could do 200, 300, $400,000 better within our operations if we're really running our equipment," Kern said, arguing improved utilization and targeted turnover could help the county fund purchases from its own equipment fund.
Highway staff described current averages and near-term plans: recent years show roughly $600,000 per year in equipment purchases, and the presenters said the county is working to raise that internal funding level so replacement cycles align with recommended lifecycle periods. Staff reported selling surplus vehicles and better capturing equipment hours as immediate steps; one speaker noted 24 small fleet trucks were identified for surplus and eight had been sold already.
Presenters said the county currently participates in a "guaranteed cost" relationship with the state Department of Transportation; the goal of the plan is to improve internal revenue and utilization enough to remove that county from the DOT arrangement. "If we can prove those numbers, we can actually create it so that that fund is self sustaining," Kern said.
County highway staff also reported operational specifics tied to the plan: right‑of‑way acquisitions for County Road E North (30 parcels total, 23 signed, five intending to sign, two requiring appraisal), planned pavement schedules subject to weather, and hiring for summer labor. Staff cautioned that equipment turnover and some replacements take multiple years because of procurement lead times.
Committee members praised the analysis and supported the approach: one member said paying a small amount back to the state this year would be acceptable if it produced longer‑term efficiency gains. The committee did not take formal action on the equipment plan at the meeting; staff said they would return with follow‑up data and next steps.
