Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The county’s road crew will once again drive John Deere green for the next five years. The County Commission voted Tuesday to accept the bid for three new motor graders from RDO Equipment. The upfront sticker price is $288,300 per blade, but the county will actually pay $186,075 after RDO buys back the current blades for $172,900 each.
This is the third time the county has purchased John Deere blades, and the deals have gotten sweeter each time. The biggest draw for commissioners is the guaranteed repurchase program. According to RDO Representative Randy Randy Hoovestol, his company went to John Deere and asked for a program they could offer to counties. As a result, the county will actually have a negative cost of ownership at the end of five years. RDO Equipment will buy back the blades for $204,000 each, or $18,000 more than they paid upfront. Hoovestol said the governmental program they offer is designed to help counties get the best discounts and trade value for their machines. “Nobody runs blades for less per hour than the (counties) who own their own blades,” he said.
Upon request from County Road Superintendent Todd Weber, commissioners added some special upgrades to the blades. The $1,800 accumulators will help Clark in the rocky areas of Eddy Township, and a separate $2,750 package adds operator-friendly features such as auto articulation at the corners and blade pass, which raises the blade up to move away from oncoming cars, then automatically lowers it back to a spot close to the place where the operator was. Without this feature, manmade bumps can be created if the operator doesn’t get back to where he left off. The cost of the upgrades will be offset by the county’s waiver of the performance bond, which is $4,800 per blade. As they will own the equipment, the commission is comfortable accepting a corporate letter in lieu of the bond, given RDO Equipment and John Deere’s history.
Delivery of the new blades is expected in late August or early September. Randy will get updated buyback numbers to Auditor Patty Williams, as the upgrades that were purchased will add to the buyback value of the equipment.
State’s Attorney Ashley Lies said that the mutual aid agreements between Eddy County and each of its neighboring counties are ready for signatures. Since Thompson opted to use standard forms provided by the state, it is appropriate to adopt them as is with no changes, Lies said. The mutual aid agreements will be signed by the commissioners and then forwarded to the neighboring counties for their signature.
Plans are underway for an Employee Appreciation Picnic this summer. Commissioners did not hold any employee events last year due to COVID-19, so Commissioner Dave Gehrtz said he’d like to do something special for the employees, offering to cook the meal once again.
A purchase agreement signed for the former Mill Pump site is not likely to go through. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) did not agree to the buyer’s plans to build a structure anchored by footings on the southeast end of the property.
The waterline to the existing structure was disconnected when the new water mains were installed, as the service line ran under the highway. Therefore, the building cannot be used without approval to dig a new water line, also not an option according to the DEQ. At this point, there is nothing that the commission can do to rectify the situation in the 90 days provided by the purchase agreement. Williams said that the county could consider applying for grants to clean up the contamination underneath, as private parties do not qualify for grant funds. However, any costs of cleanup not covered by the grant would be added to the purchase price, likely making it out of reach for most buyers. The legislature passed SB 2280, which will allow the county to modify the sales price between annual sales. As the bill does not go into effect until Aug. 1, the commission will consider adjusting the purchase price at that time.