County purchases backhoe for road department
Staff reporter
A John Deere backhoe/loader was approved for purchase Feb. 22 by Marion County Commission.
Three bids were submitted to the commission for the equipment. The Victor L Phillips Company submitted a bid of $65,275 for a Case Super M+580; Foley Caterpillar submitted a bid for $64,350 for a Caterpillar 420-D IP; and Murphy Tractor submitted a bid of $47,060 for a John Deere 310SG.
An older motorgrader was included as a trade-in which the commission was not aware of until opening the bids.
The commission asked Jim Herzet, acting road and bridge superintendent, to keep it informed of trade-ins and other conditions when purchasing equipment.
The equipment will be used to overlay roads, set culverts, and other uses as deemed necessary, Herzet said. He assured the commission the machinery would be in operation "every day."
In other business:
— Transport fuel bids were awarded to Cardie Oil Company of Tampa for a total of $13,453 for 5,500 gallons of diesel and 3,000 gallons of unleaded fuel at an average price of $1.54 per gallon.
Cooperative Grain & Supply of Hillsboro also submitted a bid of $13,513 for the fuel at an average price of $1.55 per gallon.
— Herzet reported training for county motorgrader operators, as requested by commissioner Dan Holub, will be held in April in Marion. The eight-hour course will be comprehensive training for gravel road maintenance. Herzet did not know what the county's cost would be.
— More information will be gathered before the commission will make a decision regarding uniforms for road and bridge employees.
Herzet presented information from three companies that provide shirts, jeans, and jackets, and weekly cleaning at a cost of $6.07 to $6.80 per employee per week.
When the commission tallied the annual cost of $12,625 for the least expensive program, Herzet was told to contact other companies.
The commission discussed the county purchasing shirts or giving a specific allowance per employee for shirts and the employee be responsible for washing the clothing.
Clerk Carol Maggard suggested Herzet contact Western Associates of Marion.
