County continues search for good used semi-tractor

McCOOK, Neb. — Buying a vehicle with 300,000 miles on it might seem outrageous to the average driver, but for truck drivers who expect to get a million miles or more out of their vehicles, it’s just like new.

Red Willow County Commissioners Monday gave conditional approval to purchase a 2016 Peterbilt semi-tractor with 280,000 miles for $76,500 from a dealer in British Columbia.

However, when Commission Chairman Ted Gans checked on the vehicle, he found that while it had low mileage, it had more than 18,000 hours of running time, meaning it had sat and run for many hours in the frigid north.

Gans, who inspects trucks as a Nebraska State Trooper, outlined the pros and cons of a number of semi-tractors that were available recently, but market conditions are such that the county is resorting to a “special circumstances” clause that allows purchases to be made without formal bidding in order to save the county money.

Gans said a new truck could cost about $200,000, but the county needed to be careful not to buy a used truck which would soon need expensive repairs, which might have been the case with the Canadian truck.

Randon Peters of McCook was present at Monday’s meeting, as well, offering an informal bid for his semi-tractor.

Last week, the board agreed to purchase a new semi-trailer from a Texas company, which will be hitched to whatever truck commissioners are able to buy, to deliver gravel to county roads this summer. The county is also seeking applicants for one full- and one part-time driver for the gravel trucks.

The board voted unanimously to accept diesel fuel bids from Farms Co-op in Trenton for $3.39 per gallon for 9,000 gallons of diesel, and from Frenchman Valley Co-op for a 13-cent per gallon discount at the pump. A bid from Decatur County Co-op in Oberlin was put on hold in hopes that prices might drop somewhat.

During the discussion, it was determined that the county may have been paying as much as 50 cents per gallon for “clear” diesel for use in road maintainers and other off-road vehicles when it could have been purchasing cheaper “red” diesel fuel for such use.

Commissioners gave approval to District Court Clerk Lori O’Dea to increase her office’s petty cash on hand from $150 to $250, to help cover increased costs for passports and postage.

They also heard from Red Willow County District Judge Patrick Heng, who spoke with commissioners regarding a planned hike in the hourly rate for public defenders in complex cases such as murder or manslaughter, from the current $100 to $125. He said the higher rate might help attract attorneys who have the experience to try such cases.

In other business, commissioners:

— acted as a board of equalization to grant a motor vehicle exemption for a replacement vehicle purchased by the Southwest Area Training Services, and two tax roll corrections.

— set 9:45 a.m. April 10 to open bids for health, life and dental insurance. Commissioners indicated they felt it would be wise to check options for the county’s self-insurance for health insurance, life and dental insurance as well.

— reviewed a notice of a routine jail inspection from the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement, and a letter of introduction from Figgins Construction, which does county road construction.

— authorized the chairman’s signature on a memorandum of understanding for Community-Based Juvenile Services, a service provided by Chase County, and approved a roadway occupancy agreement for Norton Motor & Electric, DBA KC Motor & Electric, which plans to install a power line under a roadway.