County Delays Sign Truck Purchase While Seeking Bids on Chassis

The Dickinson County Commission struck a planned vote on the purchase of a sign truck for the public works department from its October 29 agenda, saying more information is needed before moving forward.

The county's fleet manager, identified at the meeting as Billy, told commissioners that finding a suitable used chassis has been difficult. Many used units have roughly 50,000 miles and are already fitted with boxes for other uses, yet carry near-new prices, he said. He noted the county could instead buy a brand-new empty chassis for a comparable cost. He said he has reached out to a couple of companies to obtain bids and was unsure whether prices would be back by the following week.

Staff said the county typically keeps such trucks for about 20 years and that the special equipment fund allows the county to pay for vehicles without financing. During discussion, staff noted the oldest dump trucks in the fleet are 2012 models, which will begin reaching replacement age around 2032. The matter is expected to return to a future agenda, possibly the following week.