Boyle County approves purchase of rental excavator from reserves after months of rentals

The Boyle County Fiscal Court on July 28 approved buying a previously rented excavator rather than continuing to pay recurring rental fees.

County staff explained the machine is a 2022 model the county had been renting for brush-clearing and burn operations; after subtracting rental credits, the dealer quote was $118,007.57. Director Muncy, who requested the purchase, told the court the piece would serve both brush/parks work and the road department and said, “I'm requesting that we purchased this and it would serve a dual purpose.” The judge and several magistrates said the county has the equipment to haul the excavator and asked staff to verify title and lien status before closing.

Magistrates discussed market comparables and warranties; a motion to purchase the excavator from reserves carried by voice vote. Later in the meeting the court amended the motion to make final approval contingent on verification that the purchase is allowable under any applicable state contract pricing provisions and on confirmation of a clean title. The county will process a budget transfer from reserves to cover the purchase rather than add a line-item in the adopted budget.

The court's approval aims to avoid recurring rental payments estimated by staff at $6,000'$7,000 every one to two months. County staff said the excavator would be put into service immediately and that they would confirm hours, warranty coverage, and any remaining powertrain/hydraulics warranty before completing the transaction.

The judge asked staff to complete lien/title checks and to confirm any remaining warranty before final payment; the county's procurement and finance staff will report back at a subsequent meeting if issues arise.