By: Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County TimesCarter County fiscal court met in special session Thursday morning to approve sells and purchases that could speed up road repair and maintenance in the county. Among items approved were the purchase of new trucks for the road department, as well as the purchase of a loader and the sell and dispersal of surplus equipment.
Fiscal court will finance the purchase of new trucks for the road department through the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACO). Two tri-axle trucks will be purchased to replace trucks being sold for at least their pay-off balance. The trucks will be sold via bid or auction, with a reserve set to make sure the county receives enough to pay off the trucks. Judge Executive Mike Malone explained in a follow-up call that the county essentially leases the trucks through the KACO program, and that they are easy to sell in their second year because of an excise tax that only has to be paid on the initial purchase. Because of this program, he explained, the county pays less to purchase and then sell these vehicles for pay-off than they would to purchase and keep them, with monthly payments. The court also benefits from the vehicles being under warranty for the entire time they are in the county’s possession. Fiscal court moved to adopt a resolution, resolution 367, approving that financing agreement for the new trucks.
The court also moved to approve the purchase of a loader from Southeastern Equipment at a cost of $98,000 with the trade-in of surplus backhoes. The county will pay $20,000 down and finance the remaining costs through the seller, with the remainder to be paid over a three year period. Malone, joining the meeting via teleconference after waking up with a fever, explained that the loader was more maneuverable than the backhoes the county has been using. He said the loader could also carry up to three times the material the backhoes could handle per load. Both features, he said, will help road crews be more efficient and complete work more quickly.
In addition to approving the trade-in of the backhoes, Malone and the court discussed the sale of old and surplus equipment. After discussing various options for ways to disperse surplus equipment, the court approved a motion to advertise the sell of a tri-axle truck and a roll-off truck in local newspapers.
In other action, the court moved to approve the transfer of $50,000 from the general fund to the jail fund, and moved to reappoint tourism board members for an additional term.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com