A called special meeting took place of the Nevada County Quorum Court Thursday afternoon at the courthouse. On the agenda was the proposal to purchase a used dozer for the county’s landfill. Once that was voted on, a short question and answer period took place.

After the invocation was said by JP Willie Wilson and all present said the pledge of allegiance, County Judge Mike Otwell got quickly to the reason for the special meeting. “Tonight we're talking about the used dozer. It’s $312,000. We all have a paper in front of you,” he said, referring to a four-page printout from Riggs Caterpillar of Texarkana detailing the cost of a 2016 dozer, including a one year or 1,000 hour powertrain and hydraulic warranty and added 24 months or 1,000 hours warranty for the filter kit.

“What say you? Has anybody got anything to say?” Otwell asked.

JP Fore asked how much money from the American Rescue Plan Act funds the county has remaining before the dozer is purchased.

County Treasurer Ricky Reyenga said “I’ve deducted out of it what it’s going to take for computers in the courtroom and it would be $573,141.27.” He added that the deduction he estimated for computerizing the courtroom was likely more than what the cost eventually will be.

Future purchases were then discussed. Otwell said that the county needed a detached trailer to carry the dozer and he had someone seeking a quote for that. A new one would cost about $60,000. He added that having a new trailer would allow the county to pick up road equipment without paying fees and the trailer’s longevity would make it so the trailer would pay for itself.

JP Willie Wilson asked Otwell, “How are you set on gravel trucks?”

Otwell said he needed two gravel trucks and would be looking for used ones as opposed to new, but used ones are hard to find. He said he knew of one used 2004 model that would cost between $75 and $81 thousand.  Asked whether it would be under warranty, he said no.

JP Wilson made the motion that the dozer be purchased for $312,000.  JP Grimes seconded.  The JPs then voted unanimously by roll call vote in favor of buying the 2016 Caterpillar Dozer.

After the motion passed, Otwell explained that Riggs Caterpillar would be picking the dozer up in Odessa, Texas, bringing it to their garage and giving the dozer a thorough inspection, fixing any irregularities. If anything was out of warranty, the county would not be charged anything beyond the $312,000 cost even if a replacement dozer was found necessary.

JP Chris Fore asked if the county currently had a “good truck to pull the trailer.” Otwell said “Well, we’ve got a truck,” and said there was one that will crank and had been used infrequently to move equipment. He said he hoped to sell a used dozer currently used at the county landfill and take that amount off the purchase price of the 2016 dozer being purchased.

JP Fore then asked for a clarification on whether the County Judge was allowed to purchase equipment costing $100,000 or less, for example the gravel truck, without Quorum Court approval. Otwell answered yes, adding, “I’ll be fully transparent.”

Fore said Otwell needed to prepare to act fast if a truck became available, since other counties would be seeking trucks as well.

JP Bailey suggested that if the county purchases a trailer to haul the dozer, it should favor buying a new one. “Every time I’ve ever dealt with a used trailer, it was junk,” he said.

Otwell suggested that the dozer should sport lettering in memory of the late Wayne Ghourley who was supervisor at the landfill. “That’s very honorable,” JP Wilson said.

A period followed in which the JPs asked Otwell questions about the administration of the county.

JP Fore said to Otwell, “We’ve had no rain. Are we making progress on the roads?”

“What you talkin’ bout?” Otwell said in jest. He explained a lot of bushhogging of county land was occurring now.

Asked about the Nubbin Hill bridge, Otwell said the site is waiting for the state to approve the compacting of the concrete and when this occurs, work ought to be completed quickly.

JP Grimes asked about the dirt on the landfill. “Are we up to snuff on it?”

“We’re hauling it as fast as we can,” Otwell said, explaining further that he was looking for an old dump truck he could station at the landfill to transport the dirt.

JP Coleman asked when the cutting of brush in southern section of Nevada County would be gotten to. Otwell said he thought a tractor would be available by the end of the week to perform that work.

JP Coleman asked for a rundown of where the spending on the dozer, a trailer and two trucks would leave the county’s ARPA budget.  He was given a quick estimate from the County Treasurer of $36,000 if a new trailer is bought and gravel trucks end up costing up to $80,000 each.

Otwell reported here that the 25-year-old panic button system in the courthouse was not working.  This was discovered during an incident in the Circuit Clerk’s office when the button was pushed and nothing happened. “They were able to get on the phone and call for backup,” Otwell said.  The vendor of the panic button service estimated a cost of $15,000 would be needed from the county to get the system working again.

At this point, JP Wilson made the motion to adjourn.