Supervisors approve Sheriff Department vehicle purchase, excavator purchase for Secondary Roads

by Bob Beach

During its regular meeting Monday, June 8, the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met with Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick, who presented the Board with bids for a new crew-cab pick-up truck to replace a Ford Explorer currently being used by the Sheriff’s Department. Mellick said that he sought and received bids on comparable vehicles from local dealerships, including R.W. Pladsen and Torkelson Motors in Waukon, as well as Decorah Ford.
He recommended the purchase of a 2016 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab for $26,575 from Torkelson Motors, saying that the Sheriff’s Department has been pleased with other Dodge vehicles and with the service at Torkelson's, and that the bid for that vehicle was approximately $3,000 less than the bids received for the Chevrolet Silverado and the Ford F150. The Board agreed with Mellick’s recommendation and authorized the purchase from Torkelson Motors.
Mellick was also present for the opening of bids for the sale of a Ford Crown Victoria previously used by the Sheriff’s Department. The Board agreed to sell the vehicle to Michael Schulte of Dorchester, who submitted the high bid of $1,675.
The Board also met with Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour, who presented a proposal from Rexco Equipment of Cedar Rapids for the purchase of a used excavator. He said that he had sent the Secondary Road Department’s current excavator for an estimate on repairs, which exceeded the value of the machine, and that the machine he suggested purchasing is currently being rented from Rexco. The Board authorized the purchase of the excavator for $96,600, which includes $15,000 trade-in value for the old machine and a $5,400 credit for rent paid to date.
The Board also approved the contract and bond with Skyline Construction for concrete patching of County roads for $161,015. 71.
Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer presented the Board with bids for auditing services. The Board accepted the Hacker, Nelson & Co. bid for audit services for fiscal years 2015-2017 starting at $26,500 the first year and increasing by three percent for each of the following years. Gardiner Thomsen also submitted a bid of $30,000 for the first year and increasing by $1,000 for each of the following years.
Beyer also recommended hiring Paul Greufe as a human resources consultant to assess the County’s human resources functions, make recommendations and provide training for supervisory staff. The Board agreed to hire Greufe for $1,500 per month for 12 months.
In other business, the Board signed a letter to the Iowa Economic Development Authority to deny Community Development Block Grant funds for the Living Well With a Disability expansion project at TASC in Waukon because the bids for the project were higher than expected and the project will need to be scaled back.